As the days are getting shorter, and a little cooler, we are jollying ourselves up by planning ahead and doing a little happy-dance around the house as we celebrate our good news!
Regular readers and subscribers will know about our good friendship with Country Living Magazine, both through my monthly column, The Good Life in The City, and as we partner with them for their live events. Unfortunately, as expected, the live events have not been able to take place this year, but looking back to the fun that we had last Christmas, I had a little idea a few months ago…
Last November I was supporting the Country Living Kitchen Theatre, working with Chef Joe Hurd (from BBC’s Saturday Kitchen), demonstrating how to make Christmas Puddings. I’d selected a lovely mix of apricots, dates and cranberries steeped in spiced rum and, after the demo, had tasters (of one I’d prepared earlier) for the audience to try.
“I don’t like Christmas Pudding” said Joe, “I’d rather have Tiramisu…” Have a taste, I encouraged him… “Hey, that’s really good”
Many other similar responses followed from the French and Indian chefs that were helping themselves to tasters with the team backstage…
Mmm, have we stumbled on a perfect combination? We’ve never used suet, preferring butter, and love a good range of fruit as a festive treat. Well, let’s put our pudding to the test, what would the Guild of Fine Food think of it?
Well, we haven’t been particularly discreet with their thoughts have we? They gave our pudding a Great Taste Award!!!!! We are so excited…
“This is seriously good – love the big pieces of rum-soaked fruit (so much more interesting than just vine fruit), and the lighter crumb.”
Great Taste Awards
“The flavour is great, with a subtlety that allows for the fruit to shine.”
“Overall, a great tasting pudding that is a welcome riff on a classic.”
We think that we have discovered the ultimate Christmas Pudding and would love to share it with you in one, or more, of the following ways…
- You can buy one here, for your family and/or as gifts for others this Christmas. This year, we are also planning to post them throughout the mainland UK.
- You can join us on Tuesday 3rd November for our Christmas Pudding Virtual Course (via Zoom)
- You can come here to Hen Corner, for Stir Up Sunday, 22nd November, and make your own with us.
- You can gather some friends together and we can arrange a private Christmas Pudding Party (via Zoom), get in touch here.
So join the celebrations with us and get your spoon out!
Other news:
- We have continued to run face to face courses with ‘Just Three Plus Me’ and are welcoming guests every week
- I’ve gathered in all the tomatoes, the red ones are gorgeous and the green ones are going in the chutney
- A cheeky squirrel started sneaking the olives off our tree, so I beat him to it, picked 1kg of olives and have them in brine ready for Christmas
Jobs for the week:
- Tune in to The World Bread Awards on YouTube tomorrow, Tuesday 13th October, 6.30pm
- Pack up a sample kit of floristry equipment and trimmings in preparation to send out to our Christmas Wreath virtual guests
- Propagate raspberries, gooseberries and loganberries from the garden to grow on and transplant to the allotment
Have a good week yourself!
Sara
1 comment
I wonder if the cheeky squirrel was mates with the one whose tail Catorze allegedly lopped off? Is this turning into a huge Squirrels v Chats Noirs war?