christmas pudding - can I be bothered or shall I just go to Aldi?

[fifitrixibell]

Contemplating not making my own Christmas pudding this year . Has anyone worked out if it is cheaper to buy ready made or make your own? My brain doesn't do those sort of calculations.

If I do make my own I fancy trying a different recipe - which one would you recommend? I normally do a James Martin one I got out of Good Food a few years ago.

It's too late to make one for this year now! Go to Aldi and plan on making your own next year. They take time to do properly! (my nanna said so so it must be true!)

On the radio today they have been saying that this Sunday - 20th November - is 'stir up Sunday' the traditional date for making Christmas cakes and puddings so surely not too late.

Never made a pudding so can't help there, I'd go to Aldi (or other well known supermarkets!!).

I did mine last weekend, but traditional stir up Sunday is the Sunday before advent starts. thats when its traditional to make Christmas cake and Christmas pudding.

I think its cheaper to buy one to be honest. Unless you're making an enormous one, or smaller ones for lots of people. By the time you buy the bags of dried fruit, eggs, brown ale, do breadcrumbs, flour, sugar etc (which I put in mine - everyone has a different recipe, it seems!), I think you'll spend the same, if not less, on a shop bought one.

Mine cost loads this year as I'd given away all my pudding basins, so had to buy more. And not even counting the length of tiem it takes to prepare and cook it on the hob ...

Thanks for your replies and for encouraging my laziness