Christmas puddings. (Not calling you all names)

Toscalily, when I visit my son I have to take Marmite, any Xmas cake/pud that's available, grapefruit marmalade, Colman Tuna Pasta Bake mix, Cadburys chocolate buttons, Dolly mixtures and Creme Eggs. My son puts the eggs into the freezer to stop himself from eating them all at once!

I haven’t bothered wit Christmas puds or cake for many years. I am the only one in the family who likes them, and used to end up eating it all myself.
I happened to mention this to my son’s Aussie mother-in-law, who bakes, and gives away, umpteen every year. Lo and behold, what should turn up in the post last December but a large chunk of delicious Christmas Cake! She is such a kind lady, but it must have cost a lot in postage.
I used to get requests for everything from Hula Hoops, Heinz baked beans, and pork scratchings to jars of Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls (produced locally in Wigan, and delicious). Now that they have shops in Australia selling British food I don’t get as many requests to take stuff out there, but the Mint Balls are essential.

My son has lived overseas for over a decade. First in Africa then Korea and now Hong Kong. Food parcels are Marmite chocolate and Yorkshire tea bags.

Marmite, chocolate and Yorkshire tea bags.
Is there such a thing as Marmite chocolate?

Here is my microwave recipe. I include glace cherries as part of the dried fruit ingredient, but it doesn't include nuts. I've never tried adding them so I don't know if you could add these too.
65g (2.5oz) plain flour
15g (0.5oz) cocoa
10 ml (2tsps) mixed spice
75g (3oz) breadcrumbs
100g (4oz) dark soft brown sugar
450g (1lb) dried mixed fruit
100g (4oz) shredded suet
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
2 eggs
22.5ml (1.5 tbsps.) black treacle
60ml (4 tbsps) Brown Ale
15ml (1 tbsp) rum or brandy
Sift flour and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, fruit, suet and orange rind, mix thoroughly.
Beat together the eggs, treacle, rum and ale. Stir briskly until well combined. Divide between 2 lightly greased basins. Cover with cling film. Cook individually.
Cook on HIGH power for 5-5.5 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, cook for 2 minutes.
When cold cover with a second layer of clingfilm and leave to mature. If using plastic basins, freeze until required as the cling film will not give an airtight seal with plastics. Reheat for 1.5-2 minutes each before serving.
(curtesy of Panasonic)

Christmas Plum Pudding

¾ lbs bread crumbs
¼ lb flour
1 tsp salt
¾ lb finely chopped suet
1½ lbs raisins
½ lb currants
6 ozs. candied peel (orange, citron and lemon mixed)
6 or 8 bitter or sweet almonds, blanched and pounded
1 tablespoon moist sugar
8 eggs
1 wineglass full brandy

Put bread crumbs and flour into a bowl with 1 teaspoonful salt, add the dried fruit, almonds, suet and sugar and mix thoroughly. Whisk the eggs, stir into the pudding and add the brandy. A little milk may be added if necessary, but the pudding should be barely moist, or it will be heavy.
Boil for approximately 8 hours. Before use, boil for around 4 hours and let it stand for five minutes before turning out of the pudding basin.

This is my grandmother's recipe, which comes, I think, from Cassell's Shilling Cookery, published by Cassell and Co. some time before the Great War. My copy isn't dated, but my grandparents married in 1914 and I assume the cookery book was an engagement present to the bride-to-be.

Being Scottish my grandmother would have thought early September the right time to make her Christmas puddings and Stir up Sunday far too late, but I have made this pudding as late as this and it was fine when we ate it on Christmas Day.

When I first came to live in the States it was quite difficult to find all the necessary ingredients I needed for my Christmas Pudding and Cake recipes. So on any visit either to the UK or people coming from the UK to visit us, much needed supplies were transported back and forth! The most important were always tea bags! Nowadays, nearly everything is available at certain stores over here, and Amazon is my go to place for Yorkshire tea bags. Having said all that, I do make my Cake and Pud much later since living here. We are going away for a few days next week to Napa, so I will be starting “Christmas” the first week of December. And I will be very busy, as I have done nothing so far in preparation!

sarahellenwhitney I remember those lovely raisins with the stones in. Try Lexia raisins from Holland & Barrett. They have the same muscatel taste - but are ready-stoned now.

Don’t like Christmas pudding - give me trifle any day.

I mess about with recipes and add something different every year, but the essential thing to make a light moist pudding is no flour. Breadcrumbs, chopped apple and grated carrot make a really light pudding. Alcohol is essential, Guiness and something spirity- Brandy, Cherry brandy, Cointreau. I've used them all, if there's a bottle with not much left in it I use that. There's a bit of competition to guess exacly what ingredient I have added. The wide range of dried fruits now available means lots to choose from. I've used cranberries, pineapple and mango amongst others.

Lovely recipes here.
Wow grandtanteJE65 a recipe from before the
Great War. Isn't it deliciously simple.
Made me think of Mrs Bridges in Upstairs Downstairs calling recipes pronounced "receipts". I've always wondered why the name or pronounciation changed.

I’ve still got one left from last year.....will it be ok this year. I’ve had it in the kitchen cupboard in original bowl with a gr sseproofe and foil wrapping.

Yes. just open it and check before you reheat it and wrap in clean greaseproof and foil. How did you manage that? I make three, one for me, one for my DS and one to keep. The one to keep has never made it past Easter!

Yes, Gmelon, there is such a thing as Marmite chocolate!

www.hotukdeals.com/deals/marmite-very-peculiar-chocolate-99p-at-bm-stores-1173517

www.friars.co.uk/chocolate-c1/novelty-chocolate-c9/chocolate-jar-p3012

I don't like the look of that chocolate SueDonim have you tried it?