Betty's plum pudding

I have never made a Christmas pudding in my life, this is not something I grew up with as a child. Christmas puddings were things that happened in books. As a child, I was fascinated by the description of the triumphal entry of the Christmas Plum Pudding topped with a sprig of holly. Plum pudding was so very Dickensian and absolutely alien to me, brought up in the Soviet Russia with its own customs and traditions. Fastforward the clock, many years later, I am celebrating Christmas and serving a Betty's Christmas Plum Pudding to my family and friends.

It was thanks to Karen from Lavender and Lovage blog (if you are a foodie, you might want to follow this blog, it is full of inspirational recipes) that we were able to discover this quality pudding and enjoy a traditional Christmas meal. What represents a traditional Christmas meal for many Brits, for us was quite an unusual choice, as typically I would cook a mix of Italian and Russian dishes for Christmas.
I was enchanted as soon as I opened the parcel. This luxurious pudding comes in its own collectable ceramic pudding basin. And it is a very nice ceramic bowl indeed.
Once you unwrap the pudding, the aroma is deliciosly sweet and enticing.

The pudding itself is made with dried whole plums, cranberries, apricots and sultanas soaked in Yorkshire Stout, what a great combination of flavours and textures. It is very dark in colour, and very dense, but at the same time you can see the actual dried fruit in its glory.
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I read with great interest on Karen's blog that this pudding has been featured in “House Beautiful”, “Country Home and Interiors” and “Eat In Magazine”.

We had our plum pudding with the brandy cream. Even my husband, who was at first a bit apprehensive (as a true Italian, he was secretly hoping to have a slice of panettone, which he also had later in the day), enjoyed it and even asked for a second helping. Total success.

Thanks to Betty's, we have discovered the pleasures of a great tasting plum pudding, and when the next Christmas comes, I would know where to get the best Christmas pudding.