Welcome to Let's Eat Bloghop!!!
I am soooooo excited to be a part of this amazing international blog hop organised by the totally talented Amy (check out her blog Over at Our Place) and I really hope this has autoposted at the correct time!!
Amy asked us to share a recipe/cooking idea and I sent her an email with a few ideas and she suggested I go with....
'Stir up Sunday'
Growing up, I spent every Christmas away from home, the vast majority with my Dad's family in London, staying at my Nanny's house. Whilst working she spent many years as the head cook at a large school and her ability to cater for large numbers really paid off when all the family got together. She was an amazing cook and seemed to be able to turn her hand to anything culinary and didn't weigh out the ingredients or use recipes, she just had natural talent.
One of the most important things to cook for Christmas was the Christmas Pudding. This was prepared several weeks in advance by my Nan and all the family used to meet at my Aunt and Uncles house around Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes to stir the pudding.
One of the most important things to cook for Christmas was the Christmas Pudding. This was prepared several weeks in advance by my Nan and all the family used to meet at my Aunt and Uncles house around Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes to stir the pudding.
Stir up Sunday is the traditional day that the family would gather together to stir the Christmas Pudding and make a wish, though we tended to get together on a Saturday. We had the added tradition of stirring in a silver sixpence
or a silver 'thrupenny bit'
On Christmas day if you were lucky enough to find a silver coin in your Christmas Pudding Nanny exchanged it for some 'real' money! The coins have to bemade of silver so that there is no risk of any form of poisoning/contamination to the edible pudding, now that coins are made from other metals they are harder to come by and I think this tradition has been almost lost. I don't know of any of my friends or family who do this old tradition moreover very few people make their puddings as they are readily available in every supermarket. (Obviously coins can be a choking hazard but it never seemed to worry us when we were growing up!!)My Nan passed away a few years ago and I was determined not to lose this tradtion for my own family. Sadly I have never seen her recipe for Christmas Pudding if indeed she ever used one, so I had to find my own to use. I came across Delhia's Christmas Pudding Recipe and have used it every year since, though it has been adapted over the years, for example, I don't use nuts now.
My family now meet annually at my parents house a weekend in November near 'Bonfire Night'. We all make and take food to share, have a huge bonfire in the garden and usually have fireworks (though this has proved slightly dangerous in the past, but that's another story!!) I make up double the quantity in Delhia's recipe, my Dad supplies all the silver coins and we take it in turns to stir in our coin and make a wish...... I really love this tradition and hope it continues for many years to come.
The puddings are then made up in glass bowls and steamed for several hours, stored somewhere cool to mature for a few weeks, then re-steamed on Christmas Day. It is served hot with either, cream, brandy butter, custard or all three!!
Thanks for visiting my crazy blog next on the worldwide tour is Anne here. Her blog is amazingly mouthwateringly inspirational with lots of cupcakes and other scrummy recipes. I would also like to say Congratulations as she has just announced she is going to be a mum xxx
Thanks for visiting my crazy blog next on the worldwide tour is Anne here. Her blog is amazingly mouthwateringly inspirational with lots of cupcakes and other scrummy recipes. I would also like to say Congratulations as she has just announced she is going to be a mum xxx
Just in case you get lost en route here is the list of all the blogs on our culinary tour....
I'm so glad you shared this story today - it is FANTASTIC! I love the idea of the family being together to help make the puddings, make a wish and share in what will be so yummy at Christmas time. I'm a little like your Nan, not one for following a recipe all that often ... it does get me in trouble though ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to share in this family story, and I think it's great that you have all continued the tradition. That's really how cooking should be, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tradition :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story, thanks for sharing it this morning. I have used this Delia recipe often in the past but buy mine now. I remember childhood Stir Up Sunday so clearly. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story...and a great tradition to carry on....I too can remember the sixpence in the xmas pud....we were always so excited to try and be the person that got it.
ReplyDeleteWe still celebrate Stirabout Sunday here! though the puddings just get stirred by whoever happens to be around at the time - having a special party sounds wonderful. Here, it is traditionally the last Sunday in the Church's calendar before the four Sundays of Advent, which means we'll be doing it this year on the 21st November. We still put coins in (usually 10p and one 50p coin, wrapped in greaseproof paper or Bakewell paper and then tinfoil. Will be thinking of you this year!
ReplyDeleteI love family traditions and your story is lovely. I love Deliah's recipes and feel I can never go wrong with them. You have encouraged me to make Christmas pudding part of my family traditions especially now as a baby is on its way. I want traditions to be firmly in place for our child growing up and for him or her to be involved in them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tradition! I've never heard of this before, and I love the photo of those beautiful kids stirring away. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletei am loving all the childhood stories these blogs are telling. i still have lots of threepenny bits from my grandad as they used them in cheltenham for a long time. we still put coins in the pudding and my mum still makes the puddings herself. i love the idea of meeting a s a family to mix the pudding.
ReplyDeleteJo xxx
As an American I had never heard of "StirUp Sunday", thank you so much for sharing this family tradition and telling us about your "Nan". My husband laughs when someone asks me for a recipe because I am not a measurer lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you're carrying on this tradition, it sounds like a brilliant family get together. I am contemplating making my christmas pud this year, though I've never done it before. I uusually buy a locally made one. Stories like this really make me want to try it out though! x
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tradition! And a great story :) Hope your pudding wishes come true.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, enjoyable story! I loved reading this today - when you were little did you ever read the "My Naughty Little Sister" story about the bonfire puddings? It made me think of that :) We still make our pudding too, but you have reminded me that I need to take a photo of the stirring, thankyou!
ReplyDeleteWe used to do this when I was very small. THink I may have to reinstate it, if I can get my act together, lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your Christmas pudding memories, so pleased to hear you are carrying on the tradition. My mum always used to use silver coins in hers too and it was always my job to wrap them all in little pieces of greaseproof paper before they went in the pudding!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tradition, Ruth, thanks for sharing it with us. As an American, I have never tried "Christmas Pudding" though I've heard about it a lot through my international blog friends. I might have to give it a go this holiday season! :o)
ReplyDeleteLove this story, good for you keeping this tradition going :-) I've never liked Christmas pudding (and neither do The Children) so I just buy a small one for The Doctor - my grandmother made her own and always put money in and I remember being gutted that I wouldn't find any money because I didn't have any of the pudding. One year she gave me a bowl of custard as my pudding and snuck a coin into that! Thanks for reminding me of that particular memory :-)
ReplyDeleteI can rememer my Nan using coind in her Christmas Pudding. I make my own pudding and I also use Delias recipe - shudder at the thought of a shop bought Christmas pudding - they just aren't the same. I now use my slow cooker for steaming them in after a nasty incident ivolving a steamer over a pan that had boiled dry - and a pudding in a plastic basin - yeuk!
ReplyDeletewonderful reminiscing! and insight into your life.. thx MUCH for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteand for stopping by FHC for the hop today!
glad to have your chat !
It's lovely to read your tradition. My mother used to wrap money in tinfoil and just put each one into the pudding as she served it so that we all got a coin.
ReplyDeleteGreat pix of the kids. We sometimes do this with tamales.
ReplyDeleteRinda
lovely story furry!! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei will check on the square punch when i get home ruthie. i think it is 2" although I have all of them so who knows! it is the purple sized one from woodware xx ill check later x
ReplyDeleteI wasn't much of a hopper when this blog hop took place, but Ruth sent me here today from her Sunday story. Lovely idea for a hop and a brilliant tradition.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tradition:) I didn't have a blog of my own, nor was I much of a blog reader until this year, so missed it at the time. Thanks for linking to it in your Sunday story.
ReplyDelete