Sunday 25 November 2012

The Kitchen Front - 10 min Christmas Pudding

Today is 'Stir-up Sunday' the traditional day for getting in the kitchen and mixing up your Christmas pud, ensuring it has a month to mature for its big day. Tradition dictates that everyone in the family gets a turn at stirring the mixture whilst making a wish. I can't confess to have ever partaken of this particular tradition myself, generally, my Christmas pud comes wrapped in plastic from the local supermarket and seldom gets eaten until the next day!

Love it or hate it Christmas would just not be the same without the classic Christmas Pud, and this blogger would not be the same if it was not for the wonderful recipes of Marguerite Patten CBE.


Ain't she adorable! (Image Source)
This legendary lady first became famous during WWII with her work with the Ministry of Food, where she advised families how to manage on rations whilst gaining the maximum nutritional value from what little food they had. Her brief was to 'inspire people' and she certainly did that and let's face it she still does!

So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across the fabulous 'Pud-cast' below, which she made in 2006, when she was a mere 91 (that must be a record surely) and even at her advancing years she proves you are never too old to embrace modern technology, so if the estimable Marguerite is not afraid of a bit of culinary corner cutting then who am I to argue!



Ingredients
  • 65g of Butter
  • 50g of flour (preferably plain)
  • A teaspoon of mixed spice
  • 75g of soft bread crumbs
  • 100g of soft brown sugar
  • 150g of sultanas
  • 75g of raisins
  • 50g of currents
  • 25g of chopped peel
  • 50g of soft dates chopped up into small pieces
  • 50g of glacier cherries
  • 2 tablespoons of black treacle or golden syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • The juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of orange juice
  • 75ml of apple juice
    Wendy x

    6 comments:

    1. I make our family recipe pudding - it has lots of grated veg in it (potato and carrot). I've not seen a similar recipe anywhere else. The recipe pre-dates war rationing. Here's some pics from last yr.
      http://snippa-snippets.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/family-food-for-christmas.html

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      1. How wonderful to have your own family recipe, it sounds very healthy and looks delicious! xx

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    2. Ah how brilliant! She's amazing!

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      1. I know she is adorable and a great advertisement for the healthy properties of her recipes!

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    3. The lady is brilliant! I used one of her post war recipes to make our Christmas puddings today - very clever lady. :o)

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      1. Great minds and all that!! Oh I cat tell you how much I adore Marguerite and her ingenious recipes! x

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