Puddings

I've got two individual artisan made Christmas puddings. I bought them in a food fair last month. DS is coming for the day and he doesn't like Christmas pud, so I'll make or buy him something else. No idea what yet.

It depends on how many people do not like Christmas pudding. On Christmas day this year it will just be DD and her dessert of choice is a banana split.

On Boxing day it will be a full house so I will make a Yule log and serve that alongside the Christmas pudding.

Christmas pudding for us including a home made vegan one.
Will have to get recipe out
all can remember is, quite quick to make with orange marmalade (as the the thing that holds it together).
homemade Brandy sauce and/or homemade rum butter.

Boxing day trifle
Apple strudel

Having made large Yule Logs for several years now ( not the easiest things to make either) I want something different this year.
Never bought any M&S puds, but may look at what they have ( hopefully frozen) also Waitrose puds.....any recommendations at all?

M&S White chocolate bomb, is delicious. We had one last year for the Boxing Day get together and I plan to get one again this year.
That’s if all the GNs don’t get there first, maybe I should have kept it a secret!

Thanks J52 that sounds ideal for my guests, will look for it.

I'm impressed by the bakers here. We will buy a Christmas pud which only I will eat. There will also be a fruit salad and an apple strudel, which I'll buy from the German shop down the road.
I do make a good trifle, which is a Christmas favourite here.

For those that don't want my home made Christmas pudding, I will do two layers of meringue sandwiched together with a chestnut and chocolate filling, will go down well with the children.

I am still shuddering from the one Christmas I spent at my daughter's house, I lit the brandy in the saucepan to pour over the pudding, and it leapt over the top of the pan and the whole of her new work surface lit up! Mercifully it seems burning brandy isn't actually that hot, and no damage was done, but I was utterly mortified!

I will provide a trad Xmas puds (inc. 1 GF) and DD2 is making trifle and chocolate Yule log. There will be mince pies and cream & brandy butter. That will last us a week or so!

No Christmas pud here as none of us like it, we usually have a home made gateau with ice cream.

I make a meringue (Pavlova) with brown sugar, so it comes out a caramel colour, served with red berries and cream and I use pomegranate seeds scattered on top. It's pretty spectacular and very popular.

The meringue can be be made weeks in advance.

I also make winter pudding. Same method as summer pudding, but preferable brown bread and fill with blackberries (I have lots in the freezer for mine).

Warm the puddings through before serving and pour over a hot jam sauce made with blackberry/bramble jelly, to which I usually add a generous slug of sloe gin. Serve with pouring cream

I’m making an iced Christmas bomb to take to DD’s , I vary the dried fruit , instead of mixed dried fruit I use dried apricots, pineapple and mango as well as dried cranberries. When you remove it from the freezer, you pour chocolate over it, it’s delicious !

Joelise that sounds yummy, which recipe do you use please?

We're not that keen on Christmas pudding, especially not after a filling Christmas dinner. The last couple of years I have made a sort of trifle instead, using stewed peaches or some other kind of stewed fruit.

Grannyknot , it’s a Good House Keeping recipe, you can Google it , I promise you it’s worth looking up !

I buy 2 or 3 desserts for Christmas Day. I love traditional Christmas pud with cream, DH and my dad have it with custard. My DD loves a Pavlova or lemon tarte with cream and I buy a Morrison’s festival cake (marzipan covered sponge with cream) . Some very greedy people might have a bit of each

I always make syllabub (sp? That looks weird!) in cut glass sherry glasses! Aldi do some nice roulades too.

I always make a tiramisu it always goes down well

This yeaer I'm gong to make a Rum & Raisin Christmas Bombe (neither of us like Christmas pudding - too stodgy). A friend of mine did it for us recently and it was delicious (and boozy). Recipe is on the BBC Good Food website.

Apple crumble? Not sure what I'll do, but Apple Crumble is loved by all the family and Christmas pudding upsets some people's digestion.

I make Eton Mess with mincemeat. I serve it individual glasses. Always goes down well.

The upmarket frozen food shop Cook have some amazing seasonal puddings which I recommend, including delicious pavlovas, roulades, and chocolate logs. Every time I’ve served them everyone has enthused. And one less thing to do - except making sure they’re defrosted! I don’t work for Cook btw.

Kittylester Please can I come to yours for syllabub?