stdP
One Swiss dinosaur in Polly Gosling's anorak hood
Did ponder putting this in the crimbo forums but figured I'd find an old pudding thread here somewhere... but didn't.
This weekend was the one where we finally put the tree up and get other christmassy stuff done, and I've stayed up until 2am to wait to put the second pudding on to cook so I can turn it off at 7. Three puddings in total this year and the price of the gas will likely cost more than the pudding itself.
This habit of mine basically started out as me reviving a family tradition that died with a grandmother who'd make us a pudding every year. After she died, and because puddings are a lot of work, we reverted to store-made puddings that I was generally pretty dissatisfied with, so probably about ten years ago now I decided to have a stab at making my own. The results came out far better than expected, and now it's expected there'll be one of my puddings sent to each of the family units every christmas.
Whilst I don't mean to brag, I'm quite chuffed with my puddings. Much of my complaints with most christmas puddings is that they sit on the stomach like a stone. I've always tried to make mine as light as possible for something that's 75% dried fruit, 20% fat and stodge and 25% booze. The fruit will generally get steeped in cheap rum for at least six months before making the pudding, then two weeks' feeding before being dispatched off oop norf as this gives me the least amount of maintenance.
This year is something of a change since it's the first time I've had a spare pudding from this time last year (created due to a miscalculation of basin sizes) that's been sitting in the cupboard getting fed on rum once a month and we're wondering how (in-)edible it'll turn out. From carefully scientifically planned sample procedures over the course of the study, the current culinary consensus is "fucking delicious!" but we need to expand the testing group.
So, am I the only person who's making christmas puddings these days...? Or do other urbanites also try their hand at this likely unfashionable seasonal treat?
This weekend was the one where we finally put the tree up and get other christmassy stuff done, and I've stayed up until 2am to wait to put the second pudding on to cook so I can turn it off at 7. Three puddings in total this year and the price of the gas will likely cost more than the pudding itself.
This habit of mine basically started out as me reviving a family tradition that died with a grandmother who'd make us a pudding every year. After she died, and because puddings are a lot of work, we reverted to store-made puddings that I was generally pretty dissatisfied with, so probably about ten years ago now I decided to have a stab at making my own. The results came out far better than expected, and now it's expected there'll be one of my puddings sent to each of the family units every christmas.
Whilst I don't mean to brag, I'm quite chuffed with my puddings. Much of my complaints with most christmas puddings is that they sit on the stomach like a stone. I've always tried to make mine as light as possible for something that's 75% dried fruit, 20% fat and stodge and 25% booze. The fruit will generally get steeped in cheap rum for at least six months before making the pudding, then two weeks' feeding before being dispatched off oop norf as this gives me the least amount of maintenance.
This year is something of a change since it's the first time I've had a spare pudding from this time last year (created due to a miscalculation of basin sizes) that's been sitting in the cupboard getting fed on rum once a month and we're wondering how (in-)edible it'll turn out. From carefully scientifically planned sample procedures over the course of the study, the current culinary consensus is "fucking delicious!" but we need to expand the testing group.
So, am I the only person who's making christmas puddings these days...? Or do other urbanites also try their hand at this likely unfashionable seasonal treat?
