We have done our Stir Up Sunday slightly earlier than most so we can share with you, how we got on making our Christmas Pudding.
From watching our video, you will see that we initially inserted the six pence into our Christmas Pudding but for safety reasons, I removed the six pence (without the kids knowing – Shh!) We will place the six pence onto an obvious portion of Christmas Pudding during Christmas Lunch so no-one chokes (This will most probably be the youngest member of the family because quite honestly, none of us would dare argue with her!) – Please also note: Tara might declare her love for brandy during the video, she has never actually had any brandy! They do say, never work with kids or animals. We do, however, highly recommend the Royal Mint’s Christmas Pudding recipe if you are looking to make your own.
Violet & Tara got really stuck in with the mixing of the pudding. It’s not actually compulsory to use every bowl in the kitchen when measuring out the ingredients but we found it great for the kids too see what was going into the pudding. They could grate the apple, lemon and orange, grate the chocolate, chop the cherries. Even the youngest kitchen helper can whisk the egg.
The most technical part of the whole process was actually steaming the pudding. This is a great recipe for getting kids involved with but for the actual steaming, I found the following steps worked best:
- Use a rectangle of baking parchment on top of a similar sized rectangle of tinned foil
- Create a fold in the parchment and foil – This will expand as the steam cooks the pudding
- Fold the foil/parchment over the top of the lidded bowl and tie with ribbon or string (we had no string and the ribbon looked prettier). Fold the end of the ribbon underneath the side of the ribbon to create a handle – This will make it so much easier to remove the bowl from the pan.
- Steam the pudding for at least 4 hours in a pan of slow boiling water – The water should come half way up the bowl and be kept topped up. The pudding is done when a skewer comes out of the mixture clean (Yes, it is awkward when you have to remove the foil lid to test)
Other blogger friends using The Royal Mint Christmas Pudding recipe and six pence:
* Eats Amazing is going traditional
* Camilla’s daughter is getting in on the act over at Fab Food 4 All
* Jen from The MadHouse started her little ones on Christmas Pudding really early – Big fans that family!
Oh my goodness. How grown up is Tara these days? The pudding looks fab and you and the girls made it look easy!
I know! Scary how quick they shoot up. We must get ours together for a meet up soon x
Every year I say I’m going to make my own Christmas pudding. You make it look do easy.
It is quite easy really – I somehow always thought it would be more involved. I’m glad I’ve cracked actually steaming puddings now too.
I bet that kitchen smelt incredible. I’m in such a Christmasy mood already, I really can’t wait!!
I’m a real smell freak too – The combination of Christmas spices, brandy and lemon zest is to die for!
Thank goodnes for that, I felt another Costello tooth emergency coming on. 10/10 for patience!!
Ha! AM I not that patient all the time? (There’s no need to answer that, we all know the answer!) x
What gorgeous girls you have Helen and your pudding looks fab, love the bauble decoration:-)
Thank you Camilla- They were incredibly well behaved considering we had just come back from school bingo and they were full of sugar! Baubles are the new tinsel.
Aw this is so sweet! Children do know how to show you up, our son did something similar about whisky at a distillery tour, we got a lot of very strange looks for the other visitors when he claimed he liked whisky.
Sounds like your son and my Tara would get along famously!
Love this post! Only had Christmas pudding for first time last year lol
What did you think? I prefer it with ice-cream to traditional white sauce but that’s a post for another day!
wow you made this look easy! Love how they look and I bet they taste bomb x
t definitely smells divine – The girls really enjoyed it. I would have never have thought about them mixing with their hands.
Oh what a lovely post and I love Christmas pudding and this one looks amazing, I love the baubles as decorations!
Thank you! I had to cut off the strings for the photos – will regret it once its time to decorate the tree 😉
What a fun joint activity! Like many others, I keep meaning to make my own but still haven’t! Because Pete doesn’t like them, I’m the only one in our house that eats them so I usually buy a posh small sized one instead. But I really love homemade best!
You can make lots of tiny ones instead and give some of them as gifts? Get me, the Christmas Pudding guru!
I love Christmas Pudding, it’s one of the best things about Christmas. Yummy!
I’m all about the food too! And the brandy obviously!
I just pinned this. Your daughters are so lovely and they helped you. I do like my pudding with a lot of berries and nuts but not so sweet.
I put nuts in so many things – I suppose you can increase the sweetness for the sweet toothed guests by using sweetened white sauce?
Wow look at your Christmas pud, it’s not something I’d eat due to the ingredients but it looks really good.
I know! I’m so proud – We kept admiring it!
Such a fun thing to do together. Wise to remove the sixpence, but I remember having them in ours. Though my mum wrapped them in wax paper so they would be more obvious and we wouldn’t choke. Funny tradition!
Thats a good tip! The six pence seemed too pretty to leave in though!
What a beautiful pud – I have not made a Xmas pud in years as no-one seems to like it.
I’m glad we tried it without the mixed peel – try to mess around with the ingredients and you might find the winning formula?
That Christmas pudding looks amazing! I don’t enjoy Christmas pudding myself but I know the rest of the family do x
In that case, I would get the rest of the family to make their own then!
This sounds like such a lovely tradition ,I would have loved to do something like this.
I love the Christmas traditions – Really good excuse to get all the family involved with this one!
lol, that looks so much fun and I love the baubles as decoration … I love Brandy as well 😉
Girl after my own heart! I’m thinking of decorating all food with baubles this year!
Ooh this pud look absolutely delicious and doesn’t sound as though it would be too difficult to make either. I just buy mine from a shop as we just get 1 individual one for my dad- we prefer the sticky toffee pudding ones! xxx
Ooh that could be one I make next – Little bit addicted to steamed puddings now!
I never even thought about making Christmas Pudding of my own to be honest! But this sounds like something I could do. Love how you got the whole family involved!
Nobody escapes lightly in this house – we all get stuck in!
Oh have a go yourself this year Jo – You will feel massively proud of yourself!
Have a go Melissa! Let me know how you get on
You did a great job on the Pudding! Well done. My mummy likes hers REALLY boozy so she buys hers, but we might try and make a mini one for me xx
I can not believe how grown up all the girls are! We had lots of fun making this year’s Christmas Pudding. Now the boys want to see who will get the sixpence!
Would you believe I have never, ever made a Christmas pudding? I need to remedy this omission this year! Gorgeous recipe and tradition with the sixpence.
It’s always a tradition of my mums to make a Christmas pudding, but she tends to put A LOT of alcohol in it! x
What a great idea – it’s just a shame that no one in my family eats Christmas pudding! x
I love the photos it looks like it was great fun making the Christmas pudding!
I didn’t know it was so simple! Great to get the kids involved with Christmas 🙂
This Christmas pudding looks really festive and inviting. Love the ideas of Christmas decorations on top x
What a fabulously festive post! I’ve never tried making a Christmas pudding!
I loved reading your previous post, and this was a great follow up. I think it is a wonderful tradition to pass down to your family. I wish my children were small enough to do this!
That Christmas pudding looks so pretty. I think I might give it a go this year – I don’t really like Christmas pudding but I would love to make one for my parents.
Oh wow, your Christmas pudding looks amazing (although I don’t like Christmas pudding!) and I love the fact you made it with your girls (look at those pretty bows!). Steaming it looks like a real faff, I had no idea that was how Christmas puddings were made.