What is Stir It Up Sunday?

by | Nov 20, 2023

What is Stir It Up Sunday?

Stir it up Sunday is traditionally when the family gets together to make their Christmas pudding. It comes from the Victorians who, on the last Sunday before advent, would gather together and stir their Christmas pudding.

There are some traditions associated with stir it up:

  • The Christmas pudding should use 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.
  • Every member of the family is to stir the mix and make a wish.
  • A silver sixpence used to be added to the mix. Whoever found it in their portion on Christmas Day would have good luck and wealth in the following year. Do be careful, if you’re adding anything to yours… no-one wants a cracked tooth for Christmas!

Here is a great Christmas pudding recipe:

Ingredients:

200g currants

200g raisins

200g sultanas

150ml sweet sherry

175g butter

175g brown sugar

4 eggs, beaten

150g self-raising flour

100g breadcrumbs

50g blanched almonds, chopped

Juice of 1 orange

Grated rind of ½ orange

Grated rind of ½ lemon

½ tsp ground mixed spice

Method:

  1. Soak the currents, raisins and sultanas in the sherry and leave for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight)
  2. Mix butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat in eggs and then fold in flour.
  3. Stir in the soaked fruit, breadcrumbs, almonds, orange juice, orange rind, lemon rind and mixed spice.
  4. Grease a pudding basin and press the mixture into it, leaving a gap of 2.5cm at the top.
  5. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper 3cm larger than the top of the pudding basin. Grease with butter and place over the top of the pudding basin, securing with string (or an elastic band).
  6. Cover the top with two layers of foil (this will help keep the string in place).
  7. Place the pudding basin in a pan and fill with boiling water until it reaches two-thirds of the way up the basin.
  8. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 hours, topping up the water when needed.
  9. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  10. Replace the greaseproof paper and two layers of foil and refrigerate for 2-8 weeks.
  11. To enjoy: steam for 2 hours, as before, then decorate with holly and serve warm with some brandy custard!

If you’ve never made a Christmas pudding before then Stir it up Sunday is the perfect time to give it a whirl and really get into the Christmas spirit. Why not grab your partner,  kids, grandkids or friends, throw on an apron, pop the prosecco and have some fun. You never know it might become a family tradition!