Stir Up Sunday Christmas Pudding Recipe
In keeping with ‘Stir Up Sunday’ on 23rd November, we thought we’d share Mrs P’s Christmas pudding recipe. So, grab your ingredients and don your apron, it’s time to make a wish and prepare for another magic festive season.
‘Stir Up Sunday’ — falling this year on 23rd November — is the gentle, cosy start of the festive season, long before the last-minute rush begins. It’s the day when kitchens around the country fill with spice, citrus and the familiar sounds of everyone taking a turn to “stir up” the Christmas pudding and make a wish. Here at The Falmouth, we love the tradition just as much as our guests do, and we celebrate it each year with a recipe that’s been close to our hearts for generations.
This much-loved recipe has been passed down, kept safe, and carefully followed in our kitchen. If you’d like to join in the ‘Stir Up Sunday’ spirit at home, here it is — exactly as Mrs P makes it.
Ingredients
280g sultanas
280g currants
230g raisins
60g sweet almonds, skinned and chopped
230g plain flour
Pinch of salt
450g soft brown sugar
230g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
1 level tsp mixed spice
1 level tsp grated nutmeg
230g breadcrumbs
280g finely chopped suet
6 eggs
Half gill stout
Juice of one orange
1 wine glass brandy
Half pint milk
Method
Grease three one-pint pudding basins. Prepare the fruit by stoning and chopping the raisins and chopping the nuts. Sift the flour with the salt and spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, dried fruit, nuts and peel. Beat the eggs, then mix in the stout, orange juice and brandy. Stir this into the dry ingredients, adding enough milk to bring the mixture to a soft dropping consistency. Spoon into the basins, cover, and steam for six to seven hours. Remove from the water, replace the coverings with clean dry cloths, and leave to cool before storing in a cool place until needed. When ready to serve, steam for a further hour and a half.
Whether you make one for your own table or several to share, the pleasure of ‘Stir Up Sunday’ lies not only in the pudding itself but in the quiet ceremony of preparing it. From our kitchen at The Falmouth to yours, we wish you a season filled with warmth, comfort, and the simple joy of tradition.
We’d love to see your Christmas puddings! You can share them by tagging us on Instagram…
