This coming Sunday in the UK is what is commonly  known as Stir-Up Sunday.  Stir-up Sunday is a term which has been used in the Anglican Church in the UK for the last Sunday before the season of Advent. 

It gets its name from the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with the words, "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people".

Traditionally this has been the day each year that people make their Christmas Puddings!  Its time to pop on some Christmas Music and your apron and begin your Christmas prep for this year's festivities. 

Christmas is going to be a bit different for most people this year, but there is no reason why we can't still enjoy some of our traditional treats.  When it comes to Christmas Puddings, Mary Berry's Christmas Pudding is a recipe which I have made many, many times.  Like all of her recipes it is reliable and fool-proof! 

Christmas (or Plum) Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner. But what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like!

Stir-up-Sunday is usually a family affair. Each family member is supposed to stir the mixture from East to West to honour the journey of the Magi. This ritual is also thought to bring the family luck and prosperity in the coming year.

 
At one time it was also customary to hide a number of small trinkets in the mixture, a bit like the twelfth night cake. These charms often included a silver coin (wealth), and a ring (future marriage). Woe betide the guest who stumbled across a thimble in their serving.  A future of Spinsterhood was a cert for them! Nowadays this generally isn't done, although my husband does remember his mom putting coins into theirs. 

The fruit mixture of the pudding is usually a mix of dried figs, currants, raisins, golden raisins, cherries and candied ginger.  All are mixed together in a bowl the night before you go to make your pudding and a portion of brandy is poured over top and the fruit left to macerate in this overnight on the counter top.  A clean towel over top to keep it safe from dust and insects.  If you don't like to use alcohol, you can use orange juice in an equivalent amount. 

Mary Berry's recipe differs slightly in that there is no figs or ginger, and you have no need to soak the fruit overnight, which is a bonus! 

I am all for time saving if I can, and if Mary Berry only soaks her fruit for an hour, that's good enough for me! Softened butter is creamed together with soft light brown sugar, orange zest, and ground  mixed spice. 

(You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.) 

Eggs also gets beaten into this, a bit at a time so it doesn't curdle. Don't worry if it does, you can always stir in a bit of the flour to fix this. 

Fresh soft bread crumbs are also a part of the mix, along with chopped blanched almonds and self rising flour. You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour needed. I always make my own, especially now during the time of Covid when I can't always access what I need. 

 

 

The pudding basin is prepared by generously brushing it with melted butter and placing a round of baking paper in the bottom. 

 

 

Pack the pudding mixture into the prepared pudding basin, smoothing the top out with the back of a wooden spoon.  

 

Once you've done this tap the bottom of the basin on the countertop a few times to settle and work out any air holes. 

 

 

 

This next bit is the most complicated part of the pudding.  Creating the lid to wrap it in.  Lay a large piece of foil on the table, and top it with an equal sized piece of baking paper. You then make a pleat in the paper, bearing in mind that the baking paper will be the side against the pudding.  Butter the paper. 

 

 

I fold them in half with the paper on the inside, and then, from about 2 inches down, I fold them back on themselves.  It should look like this on the paper side.

 

 Wrap this over the top of your pudding basin, leaving plenty of room for expansion, paper side towards the pudding.  Tie it tightly onto the bowl with some kitchen twine, bakers twine or even using a rubber band.  

 I use bakers twine and using a generous length,  after I have knotted it, I fashion a handle with the excess that I bring back over the top and secure on the opposite side.  This makes it easier to lift out of the pan when its done. 

 

 

Trim off the excess paper and foil so it looks nice and neat.  Now you can either steam this pudding in the top of a double boiler over boiling water, or you can boil it placed onto a trivet in a large saucepan with water in it. 

 

Just make sure the water doesn't come more than 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pudding and that the pudding basin doesn' t touch the bottom of the saucepan, or it might crack. 

Tightly covered, the saucepan is then put on a low heat and the pudding simmers away for about  4 1/2 hours.  Make sure you check it periodically and top it up with more boiling water as needed. You don't want it boiling dry.   

 

At the end of that time, remove the pudding basin and let it cool on a rack overnight.  Once it is cold you can remove the old wrappings and wrap it with clean new wrappings and then store it in a dark, cool and dry place until Christmas Day!  Instructions for re-heating are in the recipe. 

 

And there you have it a delicious Christmas Pudding, ready for the family to enjoy on Christmas Day! 

 

 

This is a pudding that actually tastes better upon standing, as it "ripens". I have kept some for over a year in the past and they were still fabulous!  

Whether you are only a few in number or many in number, this is a Christmas tradition that everyone enjoys!  Mary recommends serving hers with Brandy Butter. (I have included the recipe.) It is also very good with warm custard or ice cream, or even simple pouring cream.  Enjoy!  

 

 

Mary Berry's Christmas Pudding

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Yield: 6 - 8

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 1 H & 15 Mcook time: 7 Hourtotal time: 8 H & 15 M

A traditional Christmas pudding courtesy of the great lady of British Cookery, Mary Berry herself.

Ingredients

For the pudding:

• 1 pound (450g) dried mixed fruit (sultanas, raisins, glace cherries and chopped dried apricots)
• 1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• the grated rind of one medium orange
• the juice of one medium orange
• 3 TBS brandy (plus extra to flame)
• 5 1/2 TBS butter, sofened, plus more to butter the pudding mold
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 3/4 cup (100g) self-rising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 2/3 cup (40g) soft white bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup (40g) whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped

For the Brandy Butter:

• scant 1/2 cup (100g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cup (8 ounces) sifted icing sugar
• 3 TBS brandy

To flame:

• 4 TBS brandy

Instructions

1. Measure all of the fruit into a bowl. Add the brandy and orange juice. Leave to macerate for about an hour.
2. Cream the butter together with the orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, until thoroughly combined. If the mixture starts to curdle stir in a spoonful of the flour.
3. Sift together the flour and mixed spice. Fold this into the creamed mixture along with the bread crumbs and nuts. Stir in the soaked fruit along with any juices. Mix well together.
4. Generously butter a 2 1/2 pint (5 cup) pudding basin. Cut a piece of baking paper into a circle large enough to cover the bottom of the basin.
5. Spoon the pudding batter into the basin, smoothing over the top with the back of a spoon.
6. Have ready a large piece of baking paper and a sheet of foil. Place the paper on top of the foil, making a pleat across the middle to allow for expansion. Tie securely over top of the pudding with some kitchen string. Trim off any excess.
7. To Steam: put the pudding in the top of a steamer filled with simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for eight hours, topping up the water as necessary.
8. To Boil: put a metal jam jar lid, or metal pan lid, into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Place a long, doubled strip of foil in the pan, between the trivet and the pudding basin, ensuring the ends of the strip reach up and hang over the edges of the pan. This will help you to lift the heavy pudding basin out of the pan of hot water when it has finished cooking. Lower the pudding onto the trivet and pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the side of the bowl. Cover with a lid, bring the water back to the boil, then simmer for about seven hours, until the pudding is a glorious deep brown colour, topping up the water as necessary.
9. Once cooked, remove the pudding from the pan. Remove and discard the paper and foil. Replace with fresh. Store, covered, in a dry cool place.
10. On Christmas Day make the brandy butter by beaing the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the sifted icing sugar until smooth. Stir in the brandy and spoon into a serving dish. Cover and chill until needed.
11. Steam or boil the pudding for about two hours to reheat. Turn onto a decorative, heat proof serving plate. To flame, warm the brandy or rum in a small saucepan. Pour it over the hot pudding and very carefuly set light to it with a match.
12. Serve the pudding hot, spooned into bowls with a dab of brandy butter on top. Pouring cream goes very nicely with this.

notes:

To make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

To make your own self-rising flour: You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour needed.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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You really cannot fault any of Mary Berry's recipes. If you follow them scrupulously, they always turn out and are fail proof! I have never had a failure with any of them! 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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In honor of my impending departure from these lush and green lands, I thought I would make a Nova Scotia recipe for us all to enjoy. Nova Scotia is the province in Canada that I am from and where I am returning.

Known for it's great beauty and humble people the early settlers christened it after their home land. New Scotland.  I expect it reminded them very much of Scotland. Having been to Scotland now myself, I can see many similarities.

 

 

The dough for these is a very simple make, and involves the use of very simple ingredients.  Flour, old fashioned rolled oats, salt, butter, brown sugar and some baking powder.

You can add a touch of vanilla. I used a smidgen of vanilla paste as I am trying to use it up before I need to pack everything away. I don't think I can bring much in the way of food with me when I go, if anything at all. (I am so hoping I don't have to give everything up.)

You roll the dough out into a rectangle with a rolling pin.  I love my beechwood rolling pin. I have never had such a beauty before in my life, and it is probably one of the best rolling pins I have ever had.

It is nice and heavy and does a great job of rolling things out. You will need a rectangle about 5 inches by 11 inches in size and about 1/4 inch in thickness.

Once that is done you need to cut them. They should be cut into rectangles.  I did a long cut down the centre of the length, cutting it in half that way.

Then I made six evenly spaced cuts the other way. This creates 12 nicely sized oat cakes.

Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  I used a spatula to do this so I didn't risk them breaking apart.

You don't really need to leave a lot of space between.  Just enough for the air to circulate so that the edges can get nice and crisp.

 

They do puff up a bit in the oven.  But they are lovely and crisp and will crisp up even more when they cool down.

Perfect for dunking. In a hot cuppa. In a glass of milk.  In a hot cocoa. In a horlicks. In an Ovaltine. In anything.  I bet if you were a hot toddy kind of a person they would even be great dunked in that!

You don't have to cut them apart prior to baking. You can just score the dough with a sharp knife into 12 rectangles right on the tray. 

Don't cut all the way through.  This will result in softer oat cakes.  Its all dependant on the result you wish for.

Soft and a bit chew, or short and crisp. In all truth delicious both ways. I am a crisp cookie/biscuit lover. So I am.

I am actually really looking forward to my move. To seeing family again and being near my babies and grandbabies.  To be able to spend some time with my pa before he goes to be with my ma.  He is 86 now and will be 87 in January.

 I pray every day that he lives long enough for me to be there and to have some time to spend with him. We do speak often on facetime, which is nice, but the real thing will be so much better.

I am looking forward to baking with my grandchildren given the chance. We might even bake these.  I have 8 grandchildren. 7 boys and one girl.

 

I have never gotten to spend any time when them when they were wee babies. I am hoping and praying that I will be able to spend some time with this last one before he gets out of the baby stage.

There is something lovely about wee babies. Those little noises they make, the way they snuggle into your neck.  The smell of their little heads.

I just can't wait.  I have high hopes and I hope they are not dashed.  Wish me luck! 

I am hoping to be gone from here by the end of November. I will have to isolate for two weeks before I can be with anyone.  I am a bit slow at getting things started, but expect that things will go pretty quickly once everything is set in motion.

 

Nova Scotia Oat Cakes

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Yield: Makes 12 cakes

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 25 Min

Buttery, crisply moreish oaten biscuits. Incredibly delicious with a hot cuppa.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats (rolled/large flake)
• 3/4 cup (115g) plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed (100g) soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
2. Whisk the oats, flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Using an electric whisk, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Beat for a further 2 minutes until well creamed and smooth.  Add the dry ingredients a bit at a time, until all have been amalgamated and the dough is beginning to clump together.  Knead for a few turns to bring it completely together.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Pat into a rectangle shape and then roll out with a rolling pin  to a 5 by 11 inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife cut into 12 evenly sized rectangles. (One cut down horizontally and six across.)
5. Carefully transfer to the baking sheet.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes until perfectly set, and the edges are golden brown. Place the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
7. They will crisp up more as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

notes:

These are great with a hot cup of tea. You can also lightly butter them. Fabulous with slices of good cheddar cheese, fruit, lemon curd, jam, etc.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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The oats cakes from the mainland tend to be a bit thicker and softer. These ones are more like the ones from Cake Breton Island which tend to be crisper. Both a delicious, however I hold a certain fondness for anything that is crisp and buttery.