any ideas for Christmas puddings that aren't Christmas pudding iyswim

[hatwoman]

no-one in our house likes it much...so wondering about something else instead

There is a v nice looking meringuey thing on the front of the Waitrose mag this month - I think maybe poached plums, with meringues and cream.

Nigella's baked plums are lovely and wintry - maybe with marscapone or with her Barbados cream, which is 'delish'.

Little orangey sponges, with orangey custard and a slug of Grand Marnier?

I've actually just found a lovely looking recipe called spiced toast with braised cherries - the toast is slices of baguette fried in butter then sprinkled with sugar and cinammon...abd the cherries are, well, braised - so could all be done in advnace and constructed at the last minute...but I don;t think I'll get fresh cherries in December...so am wondering about a substitute...maybe plums?

meringue is another good one for making in advance

Three words.

Chocolate
Fudge
Cake

Can't bleddy stand christmas pud. Revolting things.

I always do a big trifle for those that don't want xmas pud.

It's still festive and very easy to make then we have the rest of it for tea.

Uugh, can't stand trifle either. In fact, I also hate mince pies, Christmas cake... any traditional fave Christmas dessert. I usually forego dessert altogether actually - straight for the Quality Street. Much easier.

half way through my pile of back-copies of waitrose food and still not inspired. dds don;t like any sort of cooked fruit, dd2 doesn;t like chocolate

Delia has a recipe for a light christmas pudding which always goes down well as it is more if a traditional steamed pudding, is great with her boozy punch sauce she also has am orange trifle recipe which I love even though I don't like trifle .

Buche de Noel - one of those big squishy chocolate logs full of cream and covered in chocloate buttercream. It doesn't even need to be smooth - it's supposed to look like bark.

Oh, just seen your dd doesn't like chocolate (weirdo).

In that case I reckon something meringuey is your best bet - how about a baked alaska (might be a bit traumatic on Xmas Day, mind you.

At school we do our own christmas puddings and a chocolate pudding which is very popular.

It is the same size and shape as a christmas pud but made of choc! Yum!

I hate traditional Christmas pudding. I like some light and fruity, preferably with a reliable laxative effect

she likes white chocolate...
I'm wondering whether to do a stickey toffee pudding - warm and spongey and could even have some brandy butter with it...but then again, I too prefer something lighter anyway. I did so some nice meringues recently with chestnut cream recently - and that's no-effort on the day.

Cooked cheesecake

Little sticky toffee puddings a la Delia?
Nuts in sauce optional.

Ooh Lily - I was just going to link to that recipe as well!

She also has a lovely sponge recipe that uses Ginger Cake - will see if I can find that one.

I have to make sticky toffee pudding for DH for Christmas Day - it's pretty easy to make in advance.

hopeforthebest...sounds very good...off to google...if unsuccessful I may be back...

LadyPeter - when you say it's easy to make in advnace how far do you go...as it were? I have a lovely sounding recipe, and the sauce can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days - so that bit's easy. but I wasn;t sure about the sponge bit - do you mix it, cook it, and then reheat? or can you mix it in advance and keep it for say a day before you cook it?

hatwoman - I cook it and then reheat it. I think I've even frozen it before and then defrosted it and warmed it in the microwave. I think it's a pretty hardy sort of pudding really.

brilliant - I like the idea of freezing it. I wasn't thinking really, because I know full well you can freeze cake - and it's not that much different

Pavlova.

Though, is there a national shortage of greaseproof paper atm? I've been to two supermarkets in 10 days, neither of which had any.

Could just miss out the pudding course and go straight to the dessert?

xmas pud-shaped ice cream. Make your own, or slightly soften some bought stuff and re-freeze in a pudding basin.

Redcurrant sorbet in this house. Yum - and much lighter and more refreshing after a heavy goose lunch.