Why is that many profess a dislike of Christmas Pudding? I put most of the refusal to countenance a spoonful or three down to over indulging in the courses prior; after which the thought of a heavy pile of fruity stodge makes it hard, even for a guts like myself, to enjoy fully.
So what is required is a light pudding but many shop brought puds are anything but. It is why I have been pressuring my fellow UK food bloggers to have a tasting session for next year. It will be similar to those taste tests compiled by the weekend nationals; only using independent producers, artisanal products and the like.
The Times this week has put four Christmas puddings to the test. The Duchy Originals Organic (£5.99 for 454g) received top marks “Smells delicious, fruity, with just enough booze. Light and moist, you could easily find room for this” they record. The Carved Angle pud (£14.99 Waitrose 680g, £16 direct) is “(pull)Nicely spiced with a touch of ginger(/pull), this isn’t too sweet or sticky. A little different, but decent nonetheless”
The Tesco Finest Ultimate Christmas Pudding is one to avoid – “They’re overdoing the whole thing. It’s so sugary, you dread having to swallow any of it”
Light, boozy, not overly sweet – what a Christmas Pudding should be, to make the perfect end to the Christmas meal.
(Because of the time and equipment necessary to stream half a dozen Christmas puddings we plan to do taste tests on those other Christmas stalwarts – mince pies and panettone. )
hi Andrew – found your post by way of winesediments.net… My wife has made me a huge fan of REAL plum pudding. It’s something that simply can’t be made with shortcuts, and no way is it “light”. (“F— that!” would be the expression here in California…)
Real suet, real spices, real dried fruit – steam it for hours – just like they did it 100 years ago. And the most important part is the aging: no less than three weeks in the cellar, and two months is way better. The wife’s family recipe amazingly has NO booze in it until the hard sauce hits it at serving time – I think grandma was a teetotaller…
I’m not sure where I am going with this, but you said “light” and it really set me off I guess. The holidays are not about “light” – they’re about connections and what matters. Stuff yourself and enjoy!-) cheers! – j
Thanks eljefe – I must admit that as stuffed as I usually am by the time that the pud emerges I still manage to cram in a big spoonful or two; light pudding or not!
Merry Christmas.