A Taste of Tradition: Atelier ‘Christmas Pudding’
Our kitchen was recently filled with laughter, spices, and a touch of British Christmas magic. A few French friends joined me for a festive workshop — learning how to make the iconic Christmas pudding. It was a joyful few hours spent chatting, mixing, and preparing something truly special for the season ahead.
For many in Britain, Christmas pudding is the grand finale of Christmas dinner on 25th December — a dense, rich dessert packed with fresh and dried fruits, candied peel, spices, and often a generous splash of brandy or rum. It’s traditionally steamed for hours, giving it that dark, glossy finish and deep, comforting flavour. In days gone by, a silver sixpence was hidden in the pudding — whoever finds it on Christmas Day is said to receive luck and prosperity for the coming year.
A few ingredients are not so easy to find in France. Suet (suif), the traditional fat used in puddings, is almost unknown here. It’s possible to order it online from British shops, or you can substitute it with grated frozen butter. Currants (raisins de Corinthe) are another rarity; they’re smaller and darker than raisins and add a distinctive tangy note. We found some online, however, a mix of finely chopped raisins and dried cranberries is a good alternative.
A generous splash of rum, ale and cider gave the mixture that unmistakable festive kick. Our kitchen smelled heavenly as we combined the ingredients. We needed large mixing bowls and lots of energy to mix all the ingredients well.
Once everything was combined, we spooned the mixture into pudding basins, covered them carefully, and the next day we steamed them gently for eight hours (!)
Our French guests were quite surprised to learn that the pudding isn’t eaten straight away — it’s made weeks or even months before Christmas and “fed” occasionally with more brandy or rum to deepen its flavour. Patience really is part of the recipe!
On Christmas Day, the pudding is steamed for two hours more and brought to the table dramatically — doused in warm brandy and set aflame. It’s then served with brandy butter, hot custard (crème anglaise), or cream, often to the sound of family laughter and clinking glasses.
By the end of the workshop, our puddings were prepared, our hands sticky, and our hearts warm. What started as a simple morning of baking became a lovely prelude to Christmas — filled with good company, delicious aromas, and a few interesting discoveries about British ingredients and cooking.
This little gathering reminded us that Christmas isn’t just about what’s on the table, but about who’s around it — friends, laughter, and the anticipation of the celebrations to come.