Causing a stir

Today is the last Sunday before Advent, aka Stir Up Sunday. It's time to make Christmas pudding and  so, let's kick off with a prayer;

 Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord,
The wills of thy faithful people,
That they plenteously bringing forth
The fruits of good works, may
be of thee plenteously rewarded

This is the prayer for the 25th Sunday after Trinity and was synonymous with the cry to rally the troops into getting on and stirring up the pudding in advance of Christmas. Very much a case of sowing now (and allowing the fruit to mature in the alcohol) to reap your reward.

Traditionally the pudding had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his 12 disciples. One should gather the whole family into the kitchen and get each person to give the mixture a stir and make a wish, stirring from east to west to represent the journey of the 3 wise men. Trinkets might then be added to the mixture; a silver coin for wealth, a thimble for the spinster and a ring for a forthcoming wedding. These should be thoroughly cleaned before adding to the mixture and everyone should be given a warning so there are no poisoning nor choking incidents!

Gosh, there's a lot of traditions and superstitions to remember.

I have also taken the opportunity to get cracking with my Christmas cake today and the jewel-like fruit soaking in sherry and orange juice has certainly put me in a festive mood. If only photos of food could be scratched and sniffed! Maybe that should be my wish ...

Stollen a piece of my heart

Today is the start of Advent, a Christian season of expectation and preparation as the church prepares to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is also Hanukkah, celebrating the Jewish festival of light. Judging by the current frenzie in the shops and supermarkets, it's also a time to stock up on the Christmas essentials.

It can be a marmite moment but personally I love Christmas Pudding, Christmas Cake and Mince Pies (check they are vegetarian as some contain non-vegetarian suet).

An Italian treat is Panettone; a sweet bread loaf containing some fruit. Although delicious, it is fairly dry. Many people prefer to eat it toasted or throw it into a trifle or tiramisu. If eaten as it is it should have a sweet wine to accompany.  It appears in the shops well before Christmas and has a long shelf life so ideal to buy in advance.

One of my favourites is German Stollen; a fruit bread of almonds, spices and dried or candied fruit with a marzipan centre and covered in sieved icing sugar or icing.

So whether celebrating Advent or Hanukkah, the proof of the pudding is definitely in the preparation. Whether baking your own or joining a queue at the checkout, like any good scout, be prepared.

Now bring us some figgy pudding!

Figgy pudding originates in the 16th century when it was a kind of porridge. In the 19th century it resembled the pudding we recognise today and was at the height of popularity, also known as Plum pudding and Christmas pudding. Yes it really is like steamed Christmas pudding but made with the addition of dried figs. In days gone by we vegetarians probably could not have eaten it as it would have been made with suet but nowadays the pudding recipes are mostly vegetarian versions.

The seasonal song "We wish you a Merry Christmas" is sung by Christmas carolers who ask to be paid in figgy pudding. And, of course, they won't go until they get some!

In Victorian England, Charles Dickens penned "A Christmas Carol" and wrote about the pudding made by Mrs. Cratchit which would, no doubt, have resembled the figgy/plum/Christmas pudding we know today:

"... the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top.

Oh, a wonderful pudding!"

So, let's indulge ourselves in the past, present and future of Christmas. In the words of the carolers, "We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year".