No matter how many pigs in blankets you've scoffed on Christmas Day, you can always make room for some pudding, can't you? The Japanese say we have a separate stomach ("betsubara") for dessert, and it's never more true than on December 25.
In recent years, shops have battled to outdo one another to produce the most tempting Christmas pud on the planet - and it might seem much easier to pop one in your shopping basket than to make your own. But old traditions die hard, and in the next few months, the heady scent of spice and sugar will be wafting around the nation's kitchens, as we get cooking our own.
Being a keen baker but a total novice when it comes to all festive fayre, I thought it was about time I rolled up my sleeves - and enrolled on a Christmas pudding masterclass at The Landmark London in Marylebone.
"The traditional time to make Christmas pudding is the 5th Sunday before Christmas - Stir-up Sunday [November 22, the last Sunday before advent] - but you can make them any time," says pastry chef, Pierre Rebuzzi.
On Stir-up Sunday, traditionally, each member of the family would have a turn stirring the 'plum pudding' (plums were another word for raisins pre-Victorian times) and make a wish. Then there was the custom of hiding a silver sixpence in the pud, which would promise to bring wealth to whoever found it in their bowl later on.
For many years, Rebuzzi, who hails from Lyon, the food capital of France, has made around 500 Christmas puddings to serve at the hotel, so who better to take me through my paces to make my very first Christmas pud?
KEEP IT LIGHT
It does seem a little strange to be taught how to make such a traditionally English dish by a Frenchman, but it turns out that Rebuzzi has a unique take on the old classic.
"As a French person, Christmas pudding is not something I traditionally eat, but the way I like my Christmas pudding is light and fruity," says the 30-year-old, who has been macerating his fruit for six weeks in a mix of rum, brandy, kirsch and lemon and orange juice. "I don't like it too hard or too flavourful of spices - I like something very light, because it's something you will eat after a big meal and you will not have much space!"
Rebuzzi uses just one spice - nutmeg - to flavour his pudding, although cinnamon, cloves and ginger are traditionally used too.
MIX IT UP
It turns out that the Christmas pudding itself is quite quick and easy to make - but there are a whopping 22 different ingredients in Rebuzzi's version, which have all been 'prepared earlier', including the fruit that's been steeping for weeks.
All I need to do is mix them all up in the bowl, and grate the tart Granny Smith apple in too!
"Christmas pudding is actually a very basic mix to make, you just have to incorporate your dry items with your wet items, your nuts, your fruits, and mix everything properly," says Rebuzzi, warning me to "be very careful not to have patches of flour".
FULL STEAM AHEAD
Once mixed, you squash the squishy mess into your pudding basin, cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and then another of aluminium foil, all tied up with string.
The time-consuming part, which I do at home, is to steam the pud for four hours in a big saucepan, making sure you keep the water topped up throughout.
Rebuzzi says the pudding will happily keep in the fridge or a cool, dry place 'til Christmas Day, when you'll need to steam it again for another hour, before serving with your favourite brandy butter or cream (he serves his with brandy custard, yum!).
FEED AND FLAME IT
To ensure that boozy flavour, Rebuzzi suggests: "Every so often, maybe once a week, you can add a little bit more alcohol, like brandy, on top, and it will still keep a lot of flavour."
The piece de resistance is to flambe the pudding by pouring over a ladleful of brandy and setting light to it - naturellement. Make sure you perform this ritual safely though; you don't want Christmas Day to end in a flaming disaster.
...AND RELAX
Back at the Landmark, once our puddings are all wrapped up, we turn our attention to another Christmas classic - eggnog. Often considered to be an American cocktail, its origins apparently lie in East Anglia - and it gets a mention in Stella Gibbons' 1932 Cold Comfort Farm as a Hell's Angel, made with made with an egg, two ounces of brandy, a teaspoonful of cream, and some chips of ice - and served as breakfast.
Today, we're using bourbon, rum, cognac and a fair bit of elbow grease to mix all the ingredients up in the shaker - but it's worth it. As the cool, creamy liquid runs into my tummy, I start to feel all warm and glowy - and with my pudding prepared, I can't wait for Christmas.
Fancy giving it a whirl at home? Find the hotel's recipe below...
THE LANDMARK LONDON'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING
(Makes 3 x puddings in bowls 14cm in diameter)
140g vegetable suet
140g demerara sugar
75g soft flour
75g breadcrumbs
30g lemon juice
4g nutmeg
1 pinch salt
20g jam
90ml Irish stout
1 grated apple
500g marinated fruit (see below)
2 eggs
200g walnuts
For the marinated fruit:
100g dry apples
100g raisins
100g dry apricots
100g dry cranberries
100g golden raisins
20g navy rum
40ml brandy
20ml kirsch
Juice and zest of 1/2 an orange
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
Marinate the dry fruit for two months, adding more liquor if necessary.
Butter the pudding basins.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, ensuring that there are no pockets of flour or breadcrumbs.
Pour the mixture into the buttered basins and cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and aluminium foil. Tie firmly with a string.
Put the basin in a pan, add boiling water to a quarter of the way up the basins, cover and steam for at least four hours. Top up with water if needed.
The longer the mixture is steamed, the darker it will get.
Steam for another hour before serving.
THE LANDMARK LONDON'S EGGNOG
(Makes 1 cocktail)
1 egg
30ml sugar syrup
25ml heavy cream
30ml bourbon (we recommend Maker's Mark)
15ml rum (we recommend Mount Gay)
15ml cognac (we recommend Remy Martin)
1/2tsp nutmeg
A pinch cinnamon
Pour all the ingredients into a shaker. Dry shake (without any ice) to get a frothy texture. Add ice and shake again. Fine strain into an old-fashioned glass.
The Landmark London is hosting a Christmas pudding masterclass on October 24 and will be selling Christmas puddings to the public for the first time this year, from December 1-21, with proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Visit www.landmarklondon.co.uk
THREE OF THE BEST... Shop-bought Christmas puds
Heston from Waitrose Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding, £16, Waitrose
Quirky star chef Heston Blumenthal's pudding was a sell-out success when it first hit shelves in 2010 - and even started selling on eBay for £250! The secret of this deliciously gooey and citrus-infused pud lies in the whole candied orange hiding inside. Buy one quick.
M Signature Cherry Crowned Christmas Pudding, £4, Morrisons
Last year, Morrisons' Jewelled Fruit Christmas Pudding beat Harrods and Fortnum & Mason in a blind taste test to come top of the puds - the festive food version of David and Goliath. This is the 2015 offering and it looks and tastes beautiful, all shiny, Amaretto-soaked cherries and whole almonds. Mmmm!
Snowy Lodge Cherry & Pecan Topped Christmas Pudding, £9.99, Lidl
Cherries are something of a theme this year, but Lidl's offering pairs them with pecans to get an American-flavoured twist on the classic dried fruit festive staple. With the orange slices on top, it looks the part too.
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