Anyone else making 🎄 puddings soon?

I don't know. No one eats them in my family except me. I used to make individual puddings so I might half the quantities and join you next week

I always make mine late October / early November. My family have gone from "We're not really bothered" to "when are you making them"
We always make a wish as well.
I think home made ones are so much better. Guinness and brandy in mine. I also use grated carrot and chopped apple which makes them lighter than shop ones.

Ah, Witzend, nothing like little ones knelt up on a stool helping, what fun! I'm going to look for a slow cooker pudding recipe this year - has any one tried this? Any tips at all would be appreciated

No, never. I don’t like anything with dried fruit, but I always bought DH a few of the individual puddings, as he liked the odd one. They kept well, so I often surprised him with one at Easter or on his (November) birthday.

keepcalmandcalvachon Mary Berry has a slow cooker recipe. I might try mini puddings in the slow cooker. Thanks for the suggestion!

Thankyou grandmabatty, will look it out

keepcalmandcavachon I started making mine in a slow cooker. Used the same recipe I'd used for years. Turned out lovely. 4 hours on high and 4 hours on low. So much easier, no topping up with water at all, no steamed up kitchen!

Not puddings but all GC will be here next week for a Christmas cake stir-up. Great way to keep the kitchen warm on rainy half-term day.

I like the idea of using a slow-cooker; that sounds almost manageable. My MiL used to make a lot of puddings as gifts each year - she had a boiler that came out of the garage and sat in the garden bubbling away for days on end in November!

I might make a couple this year, gf ones.

Still eying up the large one I made ?? years ago, still sitting in the cupboard, it must be vintage by now. To eat or not to eat? I wouldn't inflict it on anyone but DH and me.
🤔

At the moment the slow cooker is full of red cabbage simmering away.

Not pudding but I always make the cake in half term. Started the tradition when my boys were little so they could ‘help’

Cakes and puds all done, wrapped and being brandy fed every ten days. Still have a pudding from last year too - it smells divine, yum !

My mum always made a cake and a pudding. I didn't make one for years as my ex didn't like them. When I remarried my DH likes his cake so I made them for years and ended up making a few for relatives. Then slowly as family members passed I stopped and decided to buy. The bakery I used closed this year so I have made my own cake and it's nicely wrapped and ready to be fed this week. However I haven't made a pudding and just buy a supermarket one.

Just wondering if those of you saying home made are best have actually tried a supermarket one lately! I used to make a tweaked Delia Smith recipe - it was delicious but 3 years ago we tried one from Aldi and decided it was better, a fraction of the cost and much less faff!

No. I shall buy one.

5beam2 , yes! Its forgetting to keep an eye on the steaming that I worry about, one year I was stuck with Miss Mattie in 'Cranford' and boiled myself dry ......
Feeling all puddingly now, cant wait to get started!

Yes - and a cake. I always do them at half term, even though I’ve been retired from teaching for some years. I made my first cake age about 15 as part of O - level cookery, and have made one every year since, with slight tweaks along the way.
I remember the anxiety during the pandemic of not being able to buy all the ingredients!
The other job I always do during the October half term is swapping my clothes over - away go the summer things, out come the winter jumpers. Feeling equal measures of sadness and anticipation, I think!

Afraid not Witzend none of our family are fussed, MrJ and I rarely eat a pud anyway and we’re at my daughter’s this year. In past years, she and the grandchildren have been here and we usually have a chocolate roulade she’s made, or not in our case.
Best of luck to those all stirring up.

Mine were done and dusted a few weeks ago. That was because I wanted to bring some to the US, where I am now, for my son.

I packed them with my dh’s stuff and when we arrived we found his case had been searched by the TSA. I guess circular, foil-wrapped packages must look a bit suspicious on X-rays/scans. 👀

Regarding slow cookers, I just use my usual recipe and steam it for the normal amount of hours. It’s a great way to do it as you can go out without worrying about it boiling dry.

My mother used to make them. I don't. No one likes it and it sits for a year drying out and then gets thrown away. We make trifle and Yule log.
I sometimes buy a tiny one and we have one bite each!

Used to but stopped years ago whenDH won M and S cake and pud in Xmas raffle. Everyone said they were wonderful so I thought “why bother?” Bought theirs fir few years then switched to Aldi or Lidl ones and they are even better. The luxury ones.

Christmas cake in the oven right now. Morrisons are selling bags of presoaked (in brandy) fruit, with a recipe on the back, so trying that but had to use gluten free flour and Plant butter as one child has gluten and dairy intolerance.

We have a family Sunday lunch at the end of November on the actual Stir Up Sunday and everyone stirs the puddings then, and I cook them the following day.

Yes, I shall go down to town on Wednesday and get my fruit. I love anything with dried fruit, so I will make the cake too this week. It’s 10 miles to our town, so it will be an outing!

Made mine last Sunday, both in the freezer; easy microwave recipe, used it for over 20 years.
Mince pies on the to do list for next weekend; not bothering with a cake, as no-one is fussed.
Sausage rolls to do next month.

Got all my ingredients sorted and listed for a pudding and a cake, Mary Berry recipes.
I always think of the 'My naughty little sister story", whilst making them her gran made them on Bonfire night because she was frightened of the fireworks. I used to do the same with one DD when tiny for the same reason.