I Made Victorian Christmas Plum Pudding (It has bird food in it?!)

[@WithLoveKristina]

Hi friends! Because I’m getting a lot of comments about this: please remember I do these videos not to be educational, nor to do things perfectly. They’re purely for fun and I rarely mean to revisit a recipe so I don’t really need it “fixed”. I’m getting a flood of the same type of comment so it would be so helpful if you read what others have said before commenting the same thing 😅 it’s a bit overwhelming. You are all so kind, but I just don’t need 50 comments telling me to eat it with custard just because I didn’t say xyz on screen. We ate it with vanilla ice cream after and it was lovely. ❤❤❤

[@blumblam4813]

People are just engaging with your content. It’s a good thing. ❤

[@lizzaturnbull]

This is wonderful! Made me smile so much. In Scotland the cloth we boil the pudding in is called a ‘cloot’ and a pudding cooked in this way is called ‘a clootie dumpling’ traditionally served with custard, cream or brandy sauce 🥰😂

[@mamasinthegarden7068]

Fellow Scot here. I love a slice of fried clootie dumpling with a full breakfast.

[@TruFlyFox]

I was going to mention the brandy sauce🤣

[@rileyjoyly3950]

I just started the video and I'm dying because of the lightening strike thing 🤣

[@WithLoveKristina]

I literally bought this cookbook because I saw that quote out of it online and HAD to know if it was true!

[@rileyjoyly3950]

What was it doing in a cookbook though, that is the question!

[@domesticpinup3280]

I had to look up the difference between Lard and Suet..While lard refers to any melted pig fat, suet refers specifically to the fat surrounding a cow's kidneys. I learned something today

[@TruFlyFox]

Suet is a very hard fat and won't melt at room temp. Lard often does unless it is partially hydrogenated.

[@keepingupwithkelsey2980]

I watched this while attempting to make my first evergreen wreath. Laughing that I'm making a huge mess in the process too😂

[@WithLoveKristina]

Oh my goodness wreaths are so messy 😂 good luck

[@eileenhildreth8355]

Traditionally every member of the family took a turn mixing the pudding with a wooden spoon. Also a silver thrupunce (small silver coins) was put in the pudding for a lucky person to find on Christmas dinner

[@JoelleGrace]

Yes! Like in the book An old fashioned girl, one of my favorites!🥰

[@rosemarycornwall5162]

Made on 'stir it up Sunday' 5 weeks before Christmas.

[@neilc5192]

My grandmother made an English plum pudding every Christmas. It was served with a “hard” sauce made with butter, powdered sugar & brandy or sherry. Very rich!

[@rbrown6476]

I loved that - what fun! Your husband is hilarious and the two of you together was a lift to the spirits. I’m from a very large family and that’s exactly how our mama would make Christmas pudding or plum pudding. (At one point I wondered if you were going to turn it all into the washing up bowl to mix! 😂😂😂) You’ll have enough to last a while now and maybe freeze some. And yes, we always had it with a sauce. It was called white sauce, basically milk boiled and thickened with cornstarch, flavoured with plenty of vanilla and a little sugar. A bit like custard but less yellow. I think ice cream would be very rich and too sweet, unless you have a very sweet tooth 😊 Lovely video - thank you x

[@TwoFourJoy]

I don’t think your method told you to but my aunt used to make old fashioned steamed suet puddings and she used to line the cloth with greasproof paper, I think you call it baking parchment. This stops the fat boiling out of the pudding. When you took the lid off the pot you could see the fat in the water, I reckon that’s why it was so dry. Suet puddings are known to be super moist and fluffy usually so I think that might be why it was tough going. Suet is the fat that surrounds the kidneys of the animal and melts down when cooked. I loved your and your husband’s reactions though! 😆

[@TwoFourJoy]

Oh and yes, definitely serve with custard or ice cream! 🤩

[@WithLoveKristina]

I was wondering if there was a trick to keep the fat from boiling out thank you for this!

[@TwoFourJoy]

@@WithLoveKristina oh you’re so welcome, I hope it helps! X

[@BeverleyButterfly]

Ooh people telling you how to follow an old recipe for fun is everything wrong with the internet! I love this series xx

[@StephanieCanada]

I am always here for the Choas and taste testing. ❤

[@tessagem]

May I suggest searching on KZbin for Townsends or The Nutmeg Tavern. He has done a lot of 18th century cooking in America. It's interesting and he explains the difference in instruction between modern recipes and theirs. As far as too small of a bowel? I think we've all been there.

[@homemakerhomesteading2836]

The taste test faces cracked me up LOL

[@margaretkaraba8161]

You *can* take solid suet, put it in the refrigerator and grate it (you can do the same with the butter - it'll make it easier to cream with the sugar after it comes to room temp..) It's what was done in great houses. The fine slivers are what creates the "fluffiness". You also mix the shredded suet in with the flour and raisins and stir it in with them (not all cookbooks are right). Next - the Victorian "citron" is now known as candied peel, and comes in tiny cubes (it's somewhat weirdly sweet and bitter), but you're suposed to find the cubes - I hate it, but a lot of people love it (like marmalade - ICK). Modern UK cooking defines Citron as *Italian* candied peel (which you buy in whole chunks of thick candied peel and is wonderful - lightly sweet and a tiny bit floral) - I imagine that cubed citron would be amazing in plum/christmas pudding (it wouldn't make it to mine - I'd eat it out of the packet - yum. last - A cup in the US is 8 fl oz, while a UK cup is 10 fl oz - it makes a difference..

[@valerieclark5552]

You can fry slices of the pudding in melted butter and dust it with icing sugar (confectioners sugar). It is best served with custard when freshly made.

[@oceanheadted]

Fried Xmas pud is amazing.

[@RLiberty94]

I'm dying of laughter. Not at your expense, but at the sheer beauty of this video. I love how authentic and real you are in your videos. Thank you for sharing your real experience and not a Pinterest worthy version.❤

[@MelanieFayJohnson]

You are just wonderful. You make my day and I look forward to seeing you. Thank you for all you do to make the videos. I love your hairdo and your pretty, pretty red dress. You are such a delight. I wish all the best for you and your family...

[@MsMaria990]

Love your book stand and your videos- thank you ❤❤❤

[@WithLoveKristina]

Thank you! The book stand was a gift from a lovely friend!

[@jennil7797]

I make it every year. You make it several weeks before eating it to allow it to moisten and the flavours to mix. Suet is not used in cakes often, but in dumplings and as a crust over savoury puddings, usually with steak and kidney filling. I use only butter and no suet in my Christmas pud. I soak the fruit in the brandy overnight first. Everyone takes a turn of stirring the mixture before it is put in a cloth or pudding basin to cook.and makes a silent wish as they do so. It is usually served with custard or alcohol sauce. I think your recipe was written for a grand house like Downton Abbey where there would be a big group of family and friends to cater for and, more importantly, a fair few kitchen maids helping the cook! It was huge! Mine is always darker than yours turned out and never more than one pound in weight. I think you had too much suet! ( I hate the stuff.) I could send you our family recipe if you can ever consider making it again.....in 5 years, perhaps?

[@tisa6193]

Loved this... watching this. Don't think I could make it! Don't have the 💪 for it!

[@rosemarycornwall5162]

I just visited my 91 year old Aunt. She had a really old saucepan on the stove top with a home made Christmas pudding wrapped in cloth steaming away. i was so thrilled! Suet is lovely, suet pastry for steak pie or a steamed suet roly poly pudding. Or my favourite, broth and dumplings. Done well it's like eating a cloud but if not cooked well it can be like eating grey shoe leather. I pride myself on my light, fluffy dumplings! I'm in the UK

[@margaretforsey7763]

I would love to get a dress from Little Women Atelier someday. It was nice to see yours ( My body has a similar shape to yours, so it helps me know how it could look on me). So pretty! ❤ Also, thanks for braving this recipe to make this video for us!

[@AliciaWickstrom-fg6qc]

It always makes me so happy when I see you have posted a video. You are so welcoming and your videos are so comforting. Thank you for sharing with us!

[@margaretforsey7763]

I feel the same way! ❤

[@mollyhamley]

Wonderful video. I love your historical cooking series.🙂 I make a plum pudding every year for Christmas, but the recipe is a little different. I soak the dried fruit in the brandy for an hour before making the cake. I also put it in a pudding basin, cover it, and then cook it in slower cooker Bain Marie style, for about 14 hours. We then eat it with cream or brandy butter.

[@ΜπεττυΓεωργιτση]

Hi Kristina!when you have the putting out of the liguid,you live it as it is to get. dryied with the towel.3-4 ours,and then you purr whisky or coniac vie versa,for 20 days.keeping it in a bol,covered with towel.Bless you!

[@theloveyourfacegal2773]

Cut it wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap then freeze it & gift it. Wrap it nicely in a classic brown bag & red bow. I had a great aunt who made it for family every year ( fruit cake actually) I never tried plum cake & all the ingredients are healthy so why not share it with your loved ones 😊. This was fun ❤

[@reneebonnell5010]

Yes, suet for cooking is rather pellet like. It's awesome!

[@heidimgentry8004]

I have made plum pudding with suet and the family loved it. But instead of brandy I soaked it with orange juice

[@jennbidwelledwardson2885]

I admire your persistence, switching bowls, putting everything into mixing, and recruiting some help to get it done. This is the first of this series I've seen, and it was great. Thanks for being curious, brave, and lots of fun.

[@hw8919]

“Eat up, we got lots of it.” 😂😂 Y’all’s faces when he said that had me laughing!!

[@thewellnesshomesteader]

What a fun video! I make a lot of vintage dishes on my channel and some are…well…different!

[@The-Vintage-Needlecrafter]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video😂 especially when your husband tried it and said, "eat up we have alot of it". 😂 That face he made was so 🤣 funny. Thank you

[@nykkeebunny4103]

The volume of that recipe is insane, it must have been meant to serve so many. I make bread pudding with raisins and currants sometimes. We put pancake syrup on that.

[@tiffanyvantine3322]

Your husband is always so enjoyable when he’s in your videos, but today, he was absolutely hilarious. Both of your reactions to the pudding had me lolling so hard!😂

[@rachelcluney1014]

I am a fellow American who has made Christmas puddings twice before from different recipes. You are absolutely making a pudding for a very large house or a recipe that makes several smaller puddings. I love your videos. Please keep it up.

[@mrsbigbug]

I loved this video. Your husband is a riot. Laughed when your daughter spit it out in the garbage. Entire thing is priceless. 😊

[@magdlynstrouble2036]

I had to go watch the British Royal chef make their traditional version after this. Then I watched Jamie Oliver's version. It seems to nake much more sense to make a smaller one and use a mold, or say, a Pyrex 402, to steam it, instead of just a cloth.

[@blackbirdpie217]

To the Victorian, "plum" didn't refer to the fruit of a plum tree. It was a term for dried fruit in general, like raisins, figs, and other fruits. At that time, the name plum had not been strictly assigned to the fruit we now know as that from the plum tree. Any and all sweetened fruit was plums.

[@efbauer1264]

I think that plum pudding type of “cake” stores well in a cool dark place. So you can keep it around for a while. Fun video!

[@eileenhildreth8355]

From memory mum made hers months earlier...usually steamed rather than boiled, the taste mellows and matures over time...and with the regular application of brandy if desired, then reheated on Christmas day.

[@lauracgc]

Fun seeing your husband in the video too! Cute dynamic :) thanks for sharing this funny process! I for some reason wanna try it now.

[@mamasinthegarden7068]

I love suet . Suet dumplings in stew are fluffy clouds of delight. Jam roly-poly is another suet thing I really like. Theres always a box of suet in my cupboard.

[@pinkgal2345]

Traditionally I cut suet into a flour base with a large round ended knife. I ways find it easier to use a knife to cut fat into flour and it gives a better texture as well after baking. We love a bit of suet pudding in the UK. I reccomend trying a suet and potato pastry from ww2 and either baking or steaming it with a filling of your choice. So good in winter especially.

[@madzabinga8382]

Loved this!! I giggled and laughed during the whole video. Omg. 😂 I have to give you props for making the pudding. Do you think it's like "Figgy Pudding"? Also, great job on the editing and music!

[@WithLoveKristina]

I’m wondering this! I bet it is!

[@e.urbach7780]

@@WithLoveKristina if you ever want to make figgy pudding, I recommend the recipe from _Warne's Model Cookery_ which was published in 1868 and is available for free online. Number one, it makes a *much* smaller pudding, and number two, it's easier to make because it also has a smaller ingredient list. I like it a lot, and you can substitute frozen chopped butter for the suet; it tastes like dried figs, butter, and brown sugar to me.

[@kimcorcoran7495]

Pour some brandy over it and light it! That's what we do! Helps with the dryness???

[@WithLoveKristina]

oooh THIS would be fun ;)

[@roxannlegg750]

you did a great job! And yes, packet suet can look llike that. Like most men - he will probbably eat it coz you made it. Ive always been a fussy eater and became a very meticulous and selective cook, and when we got married I was only 21. I took pride in being a 1950's style house wife in the 1990's. He was always full of praise for my cooking and said he deliberately married a good cook. Then months after, I was sick, I tried to cook, but it was absolute slop. I was ashamed. He reacted the same way he did just like every other night -"OMG darling, this is incredible - I love it", and he wasnt being sarcastic - I felt so deflated...it was then I knew I could serve anything and he woulld love it. It wasnt my food skills after all - it was the fact I made it, and hes not fussy at all with foods. BTW - i have an Edwardian fruit mince recipe I use every year and would love to share somehow..its wonderful!!

[@TruFlyFox]

I am SO glad I live in a day and age with EMS and hospitals!! Also, I have never commented but you look amazing in orange. It is not a color most can pull off but it's your color. I also like the bright yellows you can wear.

[@zoelane8106]

Your husband is a good sport. Thank you for including the funny reactions. I don't think mine would have tried that 😅

[@SewHealthyWithDiane]

This looked spot on! I watched a documentary about Victorian Christmas, and when they made their Christmas pudding, it looked very much like what you did. Well done!

[@anonymous78546]

I love making Victorian Dickens Christmas foods. Great video Kristina. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.❤🎄

[@WithLoveKristina]

It's very fun! I should make it a yearly tradition, haha! Have a Merry Christmas!

[@massagebyconstance5665]

Really like your hair style 💙

[@christiana_mandalynn]

I have NEVER attempted to make anything like this! So fascinating! Haha! You two are so much fun and I love that your sweet husband came to the rescue with the stirring and how you two tried it together at the end! It put such a smile on my face!

[@AynneMorison]

if you have a bigger stock pot - try that. You may also want to look at the Dutch Whisk - looks kinda funny but is great for mixing heavy dough and batter.

[@wheelingalong24]

So christmas pudding is something that we used to make every year in my house & it is supposed to be hard to mix & very sticky. Usually modern versions get steamed. We always serve it with brandy cream or custard (usually also with brandy in lmao). We also set it on fire (you pour burning alcohol over it & I swear that’s the only reason most people eat it lmao). But yeah, suet is kind of unusual to cook with these days but it’s still kind of easy to find. One of my favourite things in the world though is a steamed pudding with lemon & golden syrup made with suet.

[@whyme7400]

I would be tempted to burn the book! No wonder life expectancy was about 20 years less than today1 You are so brave to taste that! I agree with your little girl that spit it in the garbage. You and your husband make a great team. He always seems up for whatever you want to try.

[@linzybinzy]

I love this video lol. The fork in your husband’s armpit is hilarious as well as everyone’s reactions. Thank you, so fun!

[@waterloobicycleworks]

This was such a fun video! ✨

[@oceanheadted]

Always served with rum or brandy sauce in my experience, although all the Christmas puddings I come across are much darker. The suet description sounds spot on.

[@lisaseidenkranz3211]

I have made plum pudding. We just called it Christmas. It's not pudding like American standard. But the UK dessert is referred to as pudding. Love the culture. We lite our pmum pudding on fire after turning lights down makes such a dramatic statement. Lots of Brandy, I like the custard served with it. It was hit with my family. But heyho must try it once.

[@MissPennyLaFreak]

This was hilarious. I suffered along with you while you were mixing. And then when you and your husband tried it... It was sooo funny. Thank you for this.

[@AngiDas]

I love this video so much because I feel like that it’s very authentic to the chaos of motherhood and trying a recipe in it going sideways. You did a great job. I’m sure it’s just a weird recipe.

[@hawthorngrove3629]

In Australia we serve our pudding with lots of cream, custard or ice cream

[@felixityw8194]

Suet is a cupboard staple for my family, growing up we ate it at least weekly! Does mincemeat..for mince pies.. have the little white bits in in the US, as that is suet.

[@felixityw8194]

I think we tend to add it with the flour or the fruit in a recipe. I much prefer steamed pudding than boiled! Definitely needs custard or similar, it helps with the stodge/peanut butter effect.

[@michellemitchell3524]

This was a fun video. I love to cook and have always wondered about plum pudding when we watch Dicken's A Christmas Carol several times every Christmas season ☺️ My Grandma always used suet in her mincemeat pies. I didn't care for it so now that I make them I leave out the suet. 😁

[@haiku5756]

Love the reaction shots and the music you chose 😆I love the honesty!

[@apace903]

I make plum pudding most years. My family is not a fan but who cares, I Do! Love your videos, they are fun. I put it in a bowl after wrapping in cheese cloth then in the steaming pan. 😊

[@gailbowrn7593]

I love watching your channel so much! Thank you for just being real. It is such a blessing to me❤️

[@careybowman235]

Loved this video 😂

[@aggrammarian6924]

I just discovered your channel a couple of months ago, and I enjoy it very much. But this particular episode may be my FAVORITE. So funny, so relatable. I have never made plum pudding from scratch, but my mother and I one time cooked a small plum pudding that came in a sort of kit. It was pretty good, but the "hard" whiskey sauce that came with it was the best part. I don't even like whiskey, but the sauce was delicious.

[@josielajambe7278]

Oh. My. Gracious. 😳 I have been curious about plum pudding and how it was made. I think you did awesome for not knowing the recipe. You and your hubby are adorable together 🥰

[@rebeccaorin328]

I love your cameo and I wish I still had mine from the 8th grade. I look for a replacement when I’m in antique stores. Lol

[@TrishaWhelan]

My mother made Christmas pudding every year. She called it suite pudding and it was a dark color. She had a special pan for it too. Like someone else said you make a hard sauce to go with it and together they taste great. I think you made a spotted Dick pudding also served at Christmas. I love you and your videos. You are so warm and honest❤️❤️

[@julietokumaru3855]

Hard Sauce. That is what is needed. Sweet, creamy...Yum. I love to watch your videos. You make me feel so good.

[@NeedAdvice2010]

Have it with custard or sweetened condensed milk

[@mysticmeadowshomestead6209]

You're supposed to pour brandy over it and then flambe it. Sprinkling confectioners sugar will make the flambe dance with color. LOVE YOUR VIDS, KEEP MAKING THEM. Just shipped your Amazon. Enjoy the little bit extra.

[@emilysmith2784]

Haha. I was not expecting the bird food ingredient to be suet although I can see that now. Suet is something we always have in our cupboard here in the U.K. for dumplings. It’s just animal fat, pretty sure the bird suet has mealworms and seeds in it. Wouldn’t recommend eating that 😂

[@wyrdfarm]

Gesundheit! Now I want to try to make a Christmas pudding, but definitely a much smaller one!

[@TheCraftyAutistic]

Suet is more familiar in dumplings for me. We also have a Christmas cake mixing bucket... 😋Also, the batter consistency looks perfect.

[@WithLoveKristina]

my husband told me he was going to get me a special giant mixing bowl for Christmas after this LOL also I've got Suet left over, maybe I'll try it in dumplings!

[@eileenhildreth8355]

Mum always used suet in Christmas pudding, suet dumplings in stew, and she made a steamed steak and kidney pudding using suet pastry. All delicious memories. My mum was English, we immigrated to new zealand in her 30s and kept most English traditions. Suet is a dry fat.

[@WithLoveKristina]

I wondered if it was always kind of dry, it was VERY powdery in the packaging I bought. I want to experiment more with it!

[@nancyboruta7060]

The taste test was the best! Eat up! Yum, yum 😅

[@itsacharminglife]

I adore your baking energy, friend! ❤️

[@shelleyturnbull1786]

Try it with custard and pouring cream, it’s delicious

[@shellicooper4944]

Fun !!!

[@grannyvee5789]

That was great! And you get an A for effort, no matter how it turned out! Merry Christmas.

[@crabbyresister9194]

Love the way he swallowed once he said it was dry.

[@laurag3469]

This is my favourite! You and your husband make a great team❤

[@modi2411]

This was so fun! And I laughed out loud. Thank you.

[@ashleyepero]

I love this! I might try it this year. Last year I made a victorian spice cake sweetened with molasses. The instructions said to sprinkle with confectioners sugar. I liked it but my kids did not. Actually I was the only one who liked it 😅

[@jadebrennard1534]

😂😂😂 this made me giggle i love how real your videos are 😊❤x

[@dee4174]

I made a victorian christmas pudding one year. It was the best ever. It was massuve and during the 12 days of christmas i had a piece a day. Cime January I had gained 8lb. 😂

[@mysticmeadowshomestead6209]

I use Spice cake boxed mix.

[@lindaloo6951]

I love your stove! I’m jelly! 🥰

[@RL-pn9hn]

Another wonderful series idea! As an aside, I asked for and rendered my own suet when we bought a side of beef once because several Scottish cookbooks I have call for it. I learned it has a higher melting point than lard or shortening, so is great for keeping things light and airy.

[@tateshevchenko6584]

New video❤❤❤ I am so glad🎉🎉🎉

[@tammyellison735]

You need to check the Townsends videos he makes several kinds of boiled puddings

[@WithLoveKristina]

Oh I had forgotten about that channel!

[@graceinguelph]

There's a youtube channel called English Heritage. They have a video on Victorian Christmas Pudding.

[@k1886-o6x]

Love seeing your husband join you in the video. Looks like you enjoyed yourselves :) Thank you for another great video!

[@stacyneirinckx224]

You look so gorgeous!!!

[@lindaloo6951]

I admire you! 😃

[@lenorebjork2763]

Love this!❤❤❤

[@donnakerstiens9899]

Such a fun video 😂🥰