Dorothy and the Christmas Pudding

For as long as I can remember, before she left us in 2004, my maternal grandmother Dorothy would make a plum pudding for the family Christmas. It was the same routine, the same recipe she'd followed that her mother, Alice taught her. My mother and aunt share the same cherished memories of Alice's pudding.

Christmas plum pudding is traditionally made on the last Sunday before Advent, which is five weeks before Christmas but they can be made up to a year ahead! The tradition has, of course, been passed down. Now Dorothy's daughter, my amazing aunt Wendy, is the bearer of the standard and has confirmed she will be making it this year.

The very thought of Dorothy's pudding fills my mind with the aroma of spices and dried fruit, soaked in brandy for a day or more. A rich, moist pudding with all manner of dairy accompaniments. The ritual soaking was a prelude to what was invariably a very lively Christmas with my cousins, nine of us within less than 10 years. Dorothy would measure currants, sultanas, mixed fruit, and golden raisins into a large mixing bowl, splashing the brandy generously over the fruit. She'd stir the mixture and cover it with a cloth, allowing it to sit, occasionally peeking beneath the cloth to give it a stir, maybe adding a dash more brandy at our prompting.

When she bought a house in Valla Beach in the Nambucca Valley in her 80s, Dorothy found a new ingredient to add to her tradition: macadamia nuts. They are the perfect addition with their crunchy creaminess.

Dorothy would tip the spices, flour, and sugar - and brandy-soaked dried fruit into a bowl. Once the mixture was ready, she poured the fruit-heavy batter into a special greased bowl and tied the whole thing up tightly with muslin, placing it in a pot of simmering water. The pudding would boil for hours, filling every corner of her house with the comforting smell of Christmas.

It would be ready when it was given another few hours of boiling on Christmas Day. Dorothy would then unwrap a collection of pre-decimal coins, shillings, sixpences, and pennies from an era long past and press them carefully into the pudding. "Good luck for whoever finds one!" she'd declare. We'd watch, eager for a chance to find a lucky piece at the Christmas table. In later years, I think regular currency may have been used, but it's the old coins I remember, so let's leave them there.

Dorothy would make her hard brandy sauce, whisking it until it was rich as can be and pop it in the fridge. It would be served with the pudding, ice cream, cream, and custard - trimmings for every palate. Every bite tasted of tradition, love, and a hint of adventure, wrapped in the warmth of family and memories. At Christmas, Dorothy's, now Wendy's, and once Alice's pudding is more than just dessert. It was a slice of her.

Decades on, I will be with many  of my sisters and cousins again for what promises to be another boisterous, wonderful Christmas at Valla. I can't wait for the pudding, and these days, I always hope I will get a few pieces of macadamia.

Nambucca Macnuts has just launched a new product especially for the kitchen: Raw Natural Macadamia Pieces. Wendy is using these this year in our Christmas pudding. Why don’t you try them too?

Click here for the recipe