Christmas is approaching, and to us that means one thing: Stir-up Sunday. So, on Sunday, 22 November 2020 make sure you’re prepared to make your best Christmas pudding or best Christmas cake yet.

What is Stir-up Sunday?

It is a tradition that harks back to Victorian times when the family would gather together to stir the Christmas pudding five weeks before Christmas. The opening words of the Book Of Common Prayer, used on the last Sunday before Advent, reads: "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people," so the tradition stands that this is the day to get stirring!

The Stir-up traditions

Christmas pudding would traditionally contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.

to represent Jesus and his disciples. It is traditionally stirred (while making a wish) by each member of the family from East to West, to remember the Wise Men that visited Jesus in the Nativity Story.

(while making a wish) by each member of the family from East to West, to remember the Wise Men that visited Jesus in the Nativity Story. The customary garnish of holly represented the crown of thorns. Be warned: the holly berry is very toxic, so instead adorn your Christmas pud with fake foliage!

represented the crown of thorns. Be warned: the holly berry is very toxic, so instead adorn your Christmas pud with fake foliage! Adding coins, originally charms, to the pud was said to bring luck if you found them in your portion on Christmas Day. The traditional lucky charms were a silver coin for wealth, a wishbone for luck, a thimble for thrift, a ring for marriage, and an anchor for safe harbour. Biting down on such a thing would surely cause a trip to the dentist with a cracked tooth, so we don't recommend this.

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Where does Christmas pudding come from?

There is speculation about the origins of Christmas pudding. It is said to have been mentioned first in 1858, in Anthony Trollope’s Doctor Thorne, although its beginnings apparently go back hundreds of years.

In the Middle Ages, a Christmas porridge called Frumenty was popular and may be a savoury ancestor of the Christmas pudding. The recipe evolved over the years into plum pudding, containing dried fruits, eggs, breadcrumbs, and beers or spirits to increase its shelf life. In the 19th century, Prince Albert declared his love for the Christmas pudding and made it fashionable – it was at this time that it became a Christmas staple.

Hearst

Why not try to make one of our Christmas pudding recipes for Stir-up Sunday, and make it a social affair with family and friends? You’ll feel very smug about your get-ahead efforts when you triumphantly light the pud and make your entrance into the dining room on Christmas Day.

Do I have make a Christmas pudding in advance?

But don't worry if you can't celebrate Stir-up Sunday. Some will swear that a matured pudding tastes better for having the time to mellow and develop.

However, having made and unmoulded countless Xmas puds straight after cooking, to see if their flavour is on point before we commit to triple-testing them (all part of our recipe development process at Good Housekeeping), we can truthfully say that you can absolutely make a pudding closer to the time or even on Christmas Day.



This Cherry and Pecan beauty tastes just as perfect when freshly made, or if you’re short on time on the big day, our microwave recipe below can get you out of a tight spot.

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