Christmas Cooking

As I can't sleep at the moment, I thought I'd have a peep at what the night shift are chatting about!

I've always, up until last year, made my own Christmas pud, complete with old coins wrapped in foil, and the traditional Stirring Of the Pud Ceremony! However, in all honesty I've had to admit that none of my daughters actually like Christmas pud and it usually ends up going dry, unloved and dumped. This year, sod tradition I treated us (me) to a tiny little one-person pud, and the others can have posh ice-cream instead.

I go the whole hog and make it all - but my Xmas Pud is not like the ones in the shops: dark and very sweet.

I make a milder, buttery one, still fruity with all the same spices, orange zest, cashew nuts and so on but only half the sugar (if that) so it's definitely a Christmas Pudding. We have it with white sauce and a splash of brandy.

I usually make mince pies with bought pastry but as I have been relieved of most of the preparatons this year by my dear dil, I'm making only a few so will also make the butter shortcrust, the only pastry I'm reasonably good at.
We'll eat them with brandy butter, which I'll also make.

And for myself I'll probably do a Delia Smith Mince Oaty slice which I've made for decades and love.

My dil has requested Mille Feuille which I made one year and has become a 'must have' .

This year with black cherries, creme pattiserie and I may or may not make and add my own Amaretto.
Depends how I feel.

I'm debating whether to make individual ones, so some can be with fresh raspberries, blueberries, apricots etc., instead of just one bigger one.

It gets harder every year for me so I'm doing it while I can

My son (keen cook) is doing everything else, bless him.

Q: What do you say to a 6ft 7" man carrying a big knife?
A: Yes, chef!

This was written on the gift tag last year when we bought him some professonal knives.

Christmas puddings, mince pies and sausage rolls made already and in the freezer.
Will be making more mince pies this week. Not bothering with a cake this year.
DD will make a chocolate log as usual.

I have only once made a Christmas pudding. A friend had her grans recipe so we tried it out. It was the best I’ve ever had, but neither of us ever felt compelled to repeat the exercise. I make mince pies and sausage rolls every year and usually either a chocolate log or cake. I don’t make Christmas cake any longer.

I used to make a fruit, nut and cream type frozen pudding and make everything else. I don’t make anything these days but I do fancy having a go at making the mince oaty slice that BradfordLass has mentioned.

Made two small Christmas puds last year, didn’t eat either as we had eaten enough main course. They are still in a fridge in the garage, will have them this year, if hungry enough. Usually do a few mince pies, still have some unused mincemeat from last year, bit dried out maybe, but will use it, perfectly edible, though annepl would be worrying about food poisoning re another thread. I’m sure both puds and mincemeat will be fine.
As for home made versus bought, years ago bought ones were not very good, but now they are excellent and probably cheaper overall, but still nice to make your own, even if the younger generation don’t seem very keen.

My grandson always asks for a chocolate log, I make quite a simple one, but the sponge is better than an expensive one from local artisan baker, if I do say so myself!

I’ve loads of mince pies in the freezer, I find making pastry soothing for some reason. Two Christmas cakes one fed with brandy one with orange juice. Most of the family don’t like Christmas pud.

My husband makes wonderful mince pies. He could set up a business supplying them to the expat community here. Our French neighbours are very puzzled by the concept of mincemeat and only try them to be polite.

Christmas puddings were made at the end of October as was Christmas chutney and pickled onions.

Mince pies and sausage rolls will be prepared and frozen this week.

Nobody in my house likes mince pies or Christmas pudding or cake. I make traditional jam tarts and on Christmas Day my DD is making her special chocolate pudding.

Yes, I always make my Christmas puds, old GH recipe, much nicer than shop ones - less dense and heavy - and really no big deal to make, esp. after I found a little gadget for doing the orange and lemon zest, 2 of each, that was a bit of a PITA before.

On the day I just give them 2 sessions of about 5 mins in the microwave.

I make my mince pies, too. Little trad ones with thin pastry and lots of filling. Don't much care for shop ones, largely because the pastry's usually too thick.

I used to make everything myself but not anymore tbh.
Although I do bake all year round from scratch so I look at it as time out.

I'm the only one in my house who likes christmas pudding, so that would be pointless.

DH has a relative who in the early years made everyone in the family a home made pud. I think she cottoned on that nobody ate them. Not even us because it was too big for just me!

I make my own mincemeat and mince pie pastry some years but dont believe in being a martyr to tradition so only do it if I feel like it. In all honesty shop bought havs come on so much from what they used to be like that they now taste as good if you get the speciality ones.

Ditto Christmas cake. I love home made Christmas cake, but only make them if the mood takes me.

Cant bear people who say they have to do entirely optional things! Do it if you enjoy it when you enjoy it!

This year we are visiting a lot rather than hosting a lot, anx work has been busy, so Im not going to make life easier (and cheaper) with shop bought everything.

Years when we host a lot I do enjoy doing home made

I do Christmas cooking, but I've already talked about it too much on here.

I have never heard of a Christmas pud needing 15 hours boiling. 8, perhaps 10, is quite enough.

I think a lot of people still knock up a few mincepies.

I do Christmas puds in the slow cooker, less hassle, less steam, hopefully less electricity used.

sodapop we had American friends who couldn’t get their heads round mincemeat either! Yes it had dried fruit, cherries, candied peel and alcohol, but what about the white bits? Suet? No thanks!

CalendarGirl: the puddings would probably have been happier in a dry cupboard rather than a moist fridge. You may find they’ve gone a bit mouldy....

Yes, I make them all: Christmas cakes, puddings, mince pies and sausage rolls. I have all the time in the world to bake now I'm retired and I find it such a relaxing thing to do. My Mum was an awesome mince pie and sausage roll maker, sadly we lost her this year so I'm making them in her memory.

I make all three, none take very long to prepare, half an hour at the most. I do one a week from the start of November. My Christmas pudding recipe contains no flour, just breadcrumbs, so it is a very light pudding and several previous non-pudding eaters now eat it.

In the past I made these items because I wanted to, now I have to as DDiL and DGD are allergic to nuts, plus one is allergic to soya, which turns up in the most surprising places. I store my puddings and cake, well laced with brandy, on top of the kitchen cupboards.

We do not just eat Christmas pudding on Christmas day, it is available as a dessert for the whole of the Christmas period and if one is left we eat it on Easter Sunday.

Very impressed by all the home-made cooking on here. Well done, all of you!

Yes, my pudding takes 15 hrs to boil, plus another 2 on Christmas Day. I make it at the beginning of November. (It's the old McDougles recipe.) Lovely!

Nobody likes Christmas Cake, so that's something I don't have to bother with.

Happy Christmas, everyone!

If we have left over Christmas pudding we get it with bacon for a yummy breakfast.

All homemade here. Mince pies, shortbread, cake, puds, chocolate log, Tunis cake , brandy butter, stuffing.
Mainly by me but Dds also their bit.

Home-made where I can. Christmas cake is home-made I'll probably rustle up a Christmas pud. with ingredients left over from the cake and add beer ( Guinness ) and suet.
Mayonnaise is home made because I think it makes a salad. Potato salad is also home-made.

Mince pies will be home-made as they can be knocked-up in no time, better than bought.
I used to make chutney once upon a time as there's nothing nicer with cold meat.