What kit do I need to make a Christmas pudding?

[PearlyQueenie]

Family of 4, but need things to make a pudding up to 8.

Aside from the ingredients, what kit do I need, and how big a pudding bowl?

Depends if you are making a boiled pudding or a baked Christmas cake?

My aunt makes a boiled pudding every year. She has a large, square of material which has been boiled beforehand. She sprinkles flour on it and once the pudding mix is made, adds it as a large blob in the centre of the material. She wraps it up and ties to the top. She then boils it in a massive pot and uses a wooden spoon across the top, to hang the pudding from.

You need to follow the recipe, but for feeding 8, I'd use my large mixing bowl. I have one similar to this, which I bought for £2 from a charity shop, but a large plastic or glass one would do also. https://direct.asda.com/george/home/ovenware-bakeware/mason-cash-cane-mixing-bowl-29cm/050568609,default,pd.html?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=georgehome&srsltid=AfmBOorJD5vCpcNA8G7-FMfTpdFjpyUxsYFZNqK0Ts7LKdute0Hs6IwJTcU

Pudding bowl to cook it in, can get plastic ones with lids that are fine or can use a ceramic type, if you have an existing pyrex bowl that would do either. You'll need to steam in a saucepan or ideally a slow cooker, much handier in a SC as no topping up of water or steam everywhere. I make small ones in tea cups and actually 'steam' them in the oven in a roasting tin with water and covered fully in tinfoil, handy way too for smaller ones.

Meant to say 2 pt pudding bowl should be plenty big enough for 8, portions are usually small

Not in my house. I’ve 3 strapping blokes in my house.

Then make two puddings. One to look amazing on Christmas Day and the other for slicing and microwaving for extras as needed.

I don’t think pudding bowls come in really large sizes.

This

or

This

Maybe one of these?

The one with the lid will be easier as otherwise you have to deal with tying lids on etc.

They are the two pint size as suggested above so you may want to buy two if you’re worried about how much teens eat.

a slow cooker is heaps easier to cook it with rather than a pot to keep boiling on the stove.

Thx Sandgroper

What kit?
Large mixing bowl
Large wooden spoon (and ideally someone to help with mixing!)
Scales
Pudding basins (I usually make two 2 pint sized)
Steamer or slow cooker or pressure cooker to cook.
To steam, I use a steamer basket on top of a saucepan. Easy and cheap. I steam the puddings weeks in advance of Christmas and put aside. Store somewhere cool if possible. Mine live in a cupboard in the garage, under the bed would do. On Christmas day I portion out as many servings as are wanted, and microwave. None wasted that way. The Christmas before last we only used one pudding, so we ate the other one last year. It had been in store for a year and was absolutely fine.

If you don't see yourself making a lot of use of the pudding bowls then I'd nearly go for the tinfoil disposable ones, they come with a lid as well, mind you I'd give them a second wrap in tinfoil just to be sure water doesn't get in the edges under the lid but other than that they work perfectly.

Under the bed used to be a great place for storage years ago but houses were cooler, in an upstairs bedroom of a centrally heated house it probably won't be that cool, too many wooden floors too and underfloor heating so not as close to cold concrete as before maybe, I'd go for garage too! Under the stairs in my house is the coldest place, badly insulated attic!

My recipe (an old GH one) fills a 2 pint basin. I always use a ceramic one, and a very big bowl for mixing up, but I invariably make 2. Dh and I will usually be eating the 2nd up into the N Year.

My recipe includes orange and lemon zest - if yours does, and you don’t have a little zesting tool, I do recommend getting one. Mine is an Oxo Good Grips, cost about £7.

Don’t forget the brandy butter!

You need greaseproof paper for covering the mix in the basin, then foil (pleated to allow for expansion) to tie around, so string, too. Best to make a string handle at the same time as tying the foil on.

The night before you're going to make the pudding, weigh out the dried fruits and soak them overnight in sherry, brandy or Guinness. This will help the pudding stay moist while it's maturing.