Then spoon in your pudding batter on top. Don't worry if it squidges the syrup around the sides of the basin a little. The dish is sometimes known as plum pudding [1] [2] (though this can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit). The word "plum" was used then for what has been called a " raisin" since the 18th century, [3] and the pudding does not in fact contain plums in the modern sense of the word.

The next day, stir the grated apple into the soaked fruit. Sift in the flour, spices and salt, then add the sugar, breadcrumbs, suet/butter, almonds, eggs and barley wine. Mix well.It was not until the 1830s that a boiled cake of flour, fruits, suet, sugar and spices, all topped with holly, made a definite appearance, becoming more and more associated with Christmas. In her bestselling 1845 book Modern Cookery for Private Families, [14] the East Sussex cook Eliza Acton was the first to refer to it as "Christmas Pudding". The custom of eating Christmas pudding was carried to many parts of the world by British colonists. [ citation needed] It is a common dish in Australia, [15] New Zealand, [ citation needed] Canada, and South Africa. [ citation needed] Throughout the colonial period, the pudding was a symbol of unity throughout the British Empire. [ citation needed] One of the great cheese and wine combinations is sweet wine and blue cheese - think Stilton and port, Roquefort and Sauternes. By the way, aged tawny port is far better with Stilton than LBV or vintage port.

The ladies’ favourite but the most difficult to match. Wines need to be ultra-sweet and full of flavour to match the chocolate. Aged Tawny Port is one of the best choices, but if you insist on white wine try a Muscat de Beaumes Venise instead Jane Cunningham Croly published a 19th-century recipe for plum pudding contributed to Jennie June's American Cookery Book by the American poet sisters Alice Cary and Phoebe Cary. It was made as bread pudding, by soaking stale bread in milk then adding suet, candied citron, nutmeg, eggs, raisins and brandy. It was a moulded dessert, cooked in boiling water for several hours, and served with a sweet wine sauce. [20] Wishing and other traditions [ edit ] Traditionally, every member of the household stirs the pudding, while making a wish. A Christmas pudding being flamed after brandy has been poured over it Gary Cleland (24 November 2007). "Home-made Christmas puddings die out". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 30 December 2010.Lepard, Dan (21 November 2011). "How to perfect your Christmas pudding". British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 15 February 2016. Orange and lemon: we use all of the zest and juice from both. This ensures a lovely citrus twang throughout our Mulled Wine Christmas Pudding. If you’re a beer fan you could also put a bottle of barley wine (an extra-strong ale) on the table. A classic example is J W Lees Harvest Ale. Or serve your pud with a small well-chilled glass of Grand Marnier or other orange-flavoured liqueur. In my view the type of wine that works best is a dessert wine with a touch of orange or apricot. Inexpensive options would be a Spanish Moscatel de Valencia (one of the best value dessert wines around), a Muscat de St Jean de Minervois from Southern France or an orange muscat such as Andrew Quady’s Essencia.