Stir Up Sunday

[VestaTilley]

It’s this Sunday! I’ve got all the ingredients in, but nearly missed it.

For those of you who aren’t familiar- this is the traditional Sunday for making Christmas puddings - the name taken from the collect of the day read out in church “stir up we beseech thee, O Lord”.

My personal favourite recipe is Eliza Acton’s Christmas pudding- the recipe is online. Delicious.

Happy stirring!

This is such a lovely post 😊

I love stir up sunday.

I shall be making mine, from an old GH recipe - traditional, but not as dense, dark and heavy as shop ones.
It smells utterly gorgeous when mixing up - so Christmassy, I might have to make some mulled wine and play some carols. 🎄

Will be making mine too this Sunday. I've used the same GHK recipe since 2000 - the year I became a mother and bought the GHK December edition to teach me how to "do" Christmas . I wonder if it's the same recipe @GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER ? It's beautifully rich & moist and has pineapple in it. I always hated Christmas pudding until I made my own. My lovely friend laminated the page for me a few years ago as it was getting so battered! I'd be lost without it. The recipe is very generous and I usually get a 1litre spherical pudding and one small basin pudding from it.

Sadly, this year will be the first year that eldest DS isn't home to take a stir and make a wish as he's still away at university. It's funny how bittersweet the family traditions can become as the DC get older.

We're going to join in this Sunday.

Is it too late to make Christmas cake as opposed to pudding? There is only one Christmas pudding fan in the house!

Ds(10) is keen to take charge this year, as there was a Christmas pudding recipe in his week junior magazine last week!

@myhobbyisouting I made Christmas cakes this week. Soaked the fruit for 48 hours and baked yesterday. Nigella's Christmas Cake recipe is a good one for a mid-November bake. Feed it every week and keep it well-wrapped in a cool dark place and it'll be grand.

Yes it's this weekend. Happy stirrings.

@beela oh, we have the week junior. Will have a look!

@EdinaMonsoon thank you. It will be my first venture into Christmas cakedom

Oooh yes. We follow Nigel Slater's Christmas Chronicles that starts early November.

Ooh! I'm making christmas pudding for the very first time due to not being able to go to the folks this year.

My mum's sent me the recipe, so I'll make sure I do it on Sunday.

Noooooo! We're self isolating and I don't have the stuff. Bummer.

I made my Christmas cake at half-term but I've never tried making a Christmas pudding before. I fancy having a go this year for a change - especially as I've got so much more free time as we don't really go out anywhere now.

Can anyone recommend a fairly easy, idiot proof vegan recipe?

@cariadlet

I made my Christmas cake at half-term but I've never tried making a Christmas pudding before. I fancy having a go this year for a change - especially as I've got so much more free time as we don't really go out anywhere now.

Can anyone recommend a fairly easy, idiot proof vegan recipe?

I was about to post exactly the same thing! I'm looking for a vegan Christmas pudding recipe too

Ah yes! A vegan Christmas Cake and pudding recipe would be brilliant. I developed an allergy to eggs earlier this year - completely out of the blue having eaten them my entire life thus far. I've baked the cake & will do the pudding for the rest of the family but would be nice to have something I could enjoy too. I've had some success with using apple puree as a substitute for eggs when baking muffins but no idea if it would work for a fruit cake? I have had zero success with flaxseed eggs though - always turn out sloppy and the cake never bakes.

Mine is in a book published in 1970, so I doubt it, @EdinaMonsoon and it has no pineapple in it. However it’s always relatively light and moist, and people who don’t usually like Christmas pudding do often like it.

The book has a whole Christmas section and was my ‘bible’ when I was new to cooking Christmas dinner - I still use their brandy butter recipe too - v easy and delish.
The book was in such a state - falling to bits - a couple of years ago, I found an identical, new-condition copy on abebooks. 🙂

Yay! So glad there’s lots of us following this tradition.

I’ll be stirring with my toddler DS and DH.

It’s not too late to make the Christmas cakes- I always make mine (Delia recipe) on this Sunday too.

I'm pretty sure stir up Sunday is in October!

Hmm I see now it's Nov bit I am sure I googled a few months ago and it said October. Nov seems late to feed a cake

I know it’s about pudding and cake but neither of those are enjoyed in our house. Anyone got any good ideas for a simple recipe the kids could help stir up? I love this tradition

@Horehound I agree that October is the best time to make a Christmas cake so that you can feed it. Stir up Sunday (in November) is the traditional day for making Christmas puddings.

I've still got last year's pudding, so will be making a sober cake with my toddler & my mum, new tradition for us 😊

Stir up Sunday is always the last Sunday before Advent, so it’s always November.

Our cakes always taste good and we make them in Nov! But it’s personal preference.

Homemade Christmas pudding is MUCH nicer than shop bought- if you think you don’t like it I would urge you to try homemade first!

I'm doing my cake and pudding this weekend. I love the tradition of Stir Up Sunday. I use a recipe a friend gave me years ago.

Nothing beats a homemade pudding. Ours is so much moister, lighter and flavoursome than shop bought.

I watch for Stir Up Sunday every year on The archers but otherwise don't mark it.

The Christmas Cake, however, is currently in the oven.