7 top tips for Stir-up Sunday 2022

Festive tunes? Check! Enough candied peel and sultanas to feed an army. Check! It’s time to roll up your sleeves and join us for Stir Up Sunday.

When is Stir-up Sunday 2022?

Stir Up Sunday is a British tradition that always takes place on the last Sunday before Christian advent, and the start of the festive season. This year it falls on November 20th.

7 top tips for a perfect Christmas pud

The tutors at Bettys Cookery School share their top tips for your Christmas baking day on 20th November

1. Don’t make a pudding when you are in a bad mood – you’ll taste it!

2. Use the finest quality ingredients you can find.

3. To get the best flavour, buy brand new bags of the plumpest, best quality dried fruit you can find. Any already opened bags of dried fruit use for making your mincemeat.

4. Pre soak the dried fruit the night before making your pud. We soak our fruit in sherry but if you like a non-alcoholic cake, soak the fruit in a strong cup of black Yorkshire Tea or apple juice. If you put more moisture into your dried fruit, this creates steam when the pudding is baking and will give it a moist texture.

5. Our secret ingredient is to add a small amount of glycerine to our mixture. It holds on to the moisture and keeps it moist while it is maturing

6. We use slightly salted butter to balance the sweetness of the dried fruit. When creaming the butter and sugar, we recommend doing this by hand and with a wooden spoon so not to over aerate the mixture. This also prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

7. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon – it acts like a knife, allowing you to cut and fold in the flour. This ensures the gluten in the flour is not overworked which could produce a tough pudding.

Best-Ever Christmas Pudding Recipe

Christmas Day wouldn’t be the same without Christmas Pudding, a rich, stodgy pud made with apples, dark sugar, candied peel and mixed spice. For a true celebration, make sure you flame it by soaking it in brandy! Serve with a dollop of brandy cream or homemade custard

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Delicious Homemade Mincemeat

Mince pies are one of our favourite Christmas treats here at Great British Food, especially when made with homemade mincemeat. Contrary to what the name suggests, mincemeat is actually a sweet mix of apples, currants and other dried fruit simmered with suet, sugar and spices to make a sticky-sweet flavouring. This version, from Matthew Jones of the iconic Bread Ahead bakery, contains some extra ingredients that really elevate the dish!

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Mulled Gin

A lighter, more refreshing alternative to traditional mulled wine, this cocktail is a real winter warmer. One to enjoy while the kitchen slowly fills with the scent of cinnamon and citrus from your Christmas cooking!

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