Stir Up Sunday - Including My Plum Pudding Recipe

I came across Stir Up Sunday in a cookbook whilst looking up Christmas recipes some years ago. It’s the Sunday before Advent in the Christian calendar where one of the prayers begins … ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people …’
I love to think that every woman in the congregation was thinking about making her pudding around this time and the prayer was a good prompt to get on with it - and the family could jolly well help too!
And so that’s how it all started - the whole family gather on Stir Up Sunday and each member gives the Christmas pudding a stir, making a wish as they do.
These little traditions are important don’t you think? They’re like signposts as we navigate each year. They provide anticipation, fulfilment and definition, for a day, a week, a season. They make me feel connected.

My Christmas Pudding

One of my earliest memories is watching my grandmother boiling threepences before adding them to the pudding. I can remember the excitement if I found one in my slice. I still have those threepences and was upset that I forgot to include them in my pudding last year. (Writing this recipe has reminded me to get them ready)

Bowl or calico? stout or beer? suet or butter? - to be quite honest I haven’t made enough puddings at one time to compare the tastes. What’s important is a recipe that works for you, and I’m convinced that what makes yours special is the love and care you put into making it.

I personally use a pudding bowl to cook mine in - I was tempted with the whole calico - pudding cloth thing in my twenties and for some reason, water got into the pudding and it was ruined. I was devasted and so since then I’ve used a bowl. Besides, I found an old cream one that I love and we seem to work well together.

Ingredients

• 450g currants (1lb)
• 450g sultanas (1lb)
• 450g raisins (1lb)
• 345g suet - finely chopped or grated (3/4lb)
• 115g (4oz) candied orange peel - chopped - health food shops often have the best glace orange in at this time of year
• 60g (2oz) slivered almonds
• 1 green apple - grated
• Rind and juice of 1 orange - scrub well before using
• 225g (1/2lb) SR flour
• 1t mixed spice
• 1/2t nutmeg - try to use the freshest nutmeg you can
  
• 1t ginger
• 1t salt
• 345g (3/4lb) fresh white breadcrumbs
• 450g (1lb) brown sugar - I use dark brown
• 6 large eggs - well beaten
• 120ml (4fl oz) dark beer or stout - if you don’t want a boozy pudding use milk

Method

1. Wash and dry the dried fruit - I do this in the morning - leave the fruit, well spread out to dry on a large clean cloth until ready to procced with final mixing
2. Make sure the suet, candied peel and almonds are chopped up - not too finely but no large chunks
3. Sift flour with spices and salt - if only to blend them really well
4. Sprinkle about 1/2cup of the flour in with the dried fruit - mix well - this stops the fruit sticking together
5. Add sugar to flour, along with the dried fruit, peel, nuts, suet, breadcrumbs and orange rind
6. Add the grated apple
7. Add the beaten eggs and mix well
8. Add the orange juice and mix well
9. Add the beer or stout and mix well
10. Let every member of the family have a good old stir - making a wish as they do
11. Cover the bowl and leave overnight

Next Day

1. Set aside the day to watch over the pudding
2. Pour water into large boiler and bring to boil
3. Grease a 2-litre pudding bowl
4. Give the pudding mix a few more good stirs
5. Fill the bowl with the mix smoothing it out as you go but not pressing down too hard
6. Cover the bowl with a double sheet of baking paper - fold a pleat in the middle to allow for expansion
7. Cover baking paper with a sheet of strong foil - put a pleat in this too
8. Tie securely with string - I tie a piece of string across the top to form a handle of sorts - very handy when it comes time to lifting the pudding out
9. Place the pudding in the boiler - have the water coming about half way up the bowl
10. Simmer (gentle boil) for  8 hours  - you have to keep watching the water level - topping up with boiling water as you go
11. Lift from water and let cool completely
12. Replace baking paper and foil with fresh pieces and tie with string - don’t forget another handle too
13. I wrap my bowl completely with plastic and store in fridge till Christmas Day
14. On Christmas Day you repeat the boiling stage for another 3 hours
15. You’re done!

My Tips

• This pudding makes a very large one - you could cook it in two smaller basins but boil for the same time
• You can use a pudding basin that has a lid but I’d still cover the pudding with baking paper before putting the lid on
• As long as the weight stays the same you could substitute other dried fruit like apricots and figs
• If you still have some threepences around and want to hide them in the mix just remember to boil them well with some bicarb of soda - rinse and dry them before slipping them into the mixture when you’re putting it in the basin
• Left over stout or beer can be used in a beef stew that can then be frozen for later on

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