Help needed re Chrsitmas Puds!

I put a piece of foods cotton cloth under mine, just to protect the saucepan really. Think I did the saucer thing once. No idea why.

Folded cloth! Not "food"

They will only burn if the water boils dry. Even then it won't matter if you rescue them soon enough.

Thanks Jinglebellrocks - I think I'll go and take the saucers out!

I always microwave mine!

Me too Mishap I've got a lovely recipe where you bung simply mix all the raw ingredients together on the day and microwave for a few minutes. Typical comments are 'I don't usually like Christmas pudding, but this is good'.

Which reminds me I'd better go and find that recipe book as every year it's a panic 'which book is it in?'

I cook mine in my microwave. Takes between 5 - 8 minutes depending on the size of the pudding.

No! You need looooong, slooooow boiling to develop the flavours! Ten hours is good.

Some things cannot be rushed.

They are still bubbling away - Aka, your recipe sounds good and a lot less effort. I did wonder if I could microwave them - most of the bought ones are microwavable. These are a Delia recipe (from an ancient book!) guess I could look on her website and see if she has updated the cooking instructions but its nearly half way through the cooking time now so a bit late really :-)

It is the long slow maturing, not the long slow cooking that does it.

The advantage of the saucer apart from protecting the bottom of your pudding bowl by lofting it off the bottom of the pan, is that you should be able to hear it rattling slightly and if it gets very loud - your pan is in danger of boiling dry. Do keep it topped up and if the lid doesn't fit perfectly use a double sheet of tinfoil.

And the long slow cooking. I think the long slow cooking is more necessary than the maturing, which you can can get by without.

Yes. My bit of cloth does protect the basin.

Do people really make their own Christmas Puds?

I mean real people, not supermarkets.

Yes!!!

Go on! It's not to late.

From scratch? !!

Maybe next year!

I've got Heston's orange ball thing in the cupboard.

I'm obviously not a domestic goddess

It's not Xmas if you don't suffer a butt in the run up.

Bit! Not "butt"

#kindle fire

I love making my Christmas pudding. I do it every year - usually Delia's recipe. I then put it into a boilable plastic bowl, cover with greaseproof and foil and a muslin happy (Yes, honestly...!) tied at the top for a handle (to hoik it out again). I then cook it in the pressure cooker - half an hour steaming, then about 3 hours at high pressure. I'm used to the beast so it works well for me. HOWEVER....I'm ashamed to add that this year, first time ever, I forgot about it and allowed it to boil dry - disaster with the pressure cooker! The bowl melted and I had to chuck the pud and bowl into the bin Made another, kept an eye on it and it worked a treat. Makes a rich, dark, fruity pud which keeps really well

For anyone interested I've put my recipe in recipe section under Aka's Microwavable Christmas Pudding. We don't like stodgy pudding and this is a family favourite. Be warned it makes loads, so you might want to tweak the ingredients and just make a half or a third.