Was I dotty to make a Christmas pudding?

[grovel]

The ingredients cost more than a pudding from Harrods (which comes in a lovely bowl).

NO!! It's part of the run up to Christmas - making the puddings. AND they always taste way better than shop ones - even Harrods I'm sure

And Harrods do their own washing up.

We made our own pudding. And cake. We have pudding and cake that will totally delicious. I know what went into them and we got to hide our "heirloom sixpence" in the pudding. It was more expensive than buying them, but it was a whole day of entertainment and bowl licking for the kids which meant huge smiles and no fighting all day - so a bit of a bargain overall.