Memories of Sticky Date & Fig Pudding….

Yule or Christmas Pudding

There are so many recipes out there for Christmas puddings – I won’t even try reinventing the wheel however, I will say….I have made sugar free versions of absolutely everything and these are just as good as something with sugar.

Especially when it comes to puddings such as this. There are a lot of sweet ingredients that go into such a dessert but that is just the point isn’t it? A Christmas feast is not the time or place to be counting the calories!

My favourite Christmas pudding last year was one I made with pecans….or was it the one I made with sticky dates and toffee! Can’t remember, they were all so good and when served later, long after the heaviness of the meal has been digested, a pudding is quite a nice way to end any festive day.

But, the single most important thing to say about any Yule or Christmas pudding – is this – you have to be making it now! LOL

Now is the perfect time to set aside an afternoon and assemble your pudding. Get each of your ingredients ready (soaking the dried fruit is often a good idea too) and then follow your favourite recipe to your hearts delight.

Making the pudding is easy. I always find steaming it for 6 to 8 hours the more difficult part because I am always watching little ones around the stove and making sure the pot doesn’t run out of water. 

But, eventually the pudding is steamed enough to cool down and store or freeze until Christmas. I do believe that some of those made with rum or whiskey as well as all that sugar and fruit, will continue to age and develop in texture and flavour no matter where they are! LOL

This week – start getting ready for your special day. Choose a pudding recipe, make a ritual of gathering the ingredients, spend an afternoon making it and then store it in a special place to age. 

One of the most wonderful traditions of this time of year is the opening of all these little packages when the time comes. An aromatic Christmas pudding in one of them is a lovely gift indeed.

April

Sticky date & fig pudding ready to freeze

Happy Turkey - The Land of Plenty....

I love turkey! Well, at least these last couple of days I do anyway. It's not something I can say I have eaten in the past decade or so, making this year quite extraordinary actually. Not only have I eaten turkey, but the ones I did eat, were raised and then (ahem) prepared by me.

In my other life I used to be a Food Hygiene Inspector, what that means for those of you who are unfamiliar with the processes of meat before it arrives on your plate - is that I was the person who carried out an ante and post mortem inspection on animals meant for food.

To say the very least, I have seen nearly all animals walk into a plant and come out the other side in boxes. As you might imagine, I am fairly particular about the meat I would eat and feed my family and was for many years a strict vegan.

What prompted me to raise my own turkeys this year you might ask - up to now I have been thinking I did not know. But, I really do, somewhere deep inside - it's only now that I have taken the time to sort out how I am feeling about it all.

A turkey for me (and us) is more then representative of being thankful - it also says something far more in our hearts. These turkeys are about abundance, plenty and the arrival on new shores - on our walk of life. 

This year we have spent so much time feeling thankful for our health, all we have and especially the food that takes us there. It has been quite a year this last full cycle of the Mayan calendar - one age has ended and another one is being ushered in. 

Something dark, heavy and old has ceased to exist for us, leaving the door wide open for change. And the turkey is only the start of it - a move into the land of plenty!

Happy Christmas,

April

A beautiful turkey cooked with sage from the garden...