On day three of the Meery Christmas Advent Calendar, a Christmas Pudding is revealed, but what exactly is Christmas Pudding?

Simply put, it’s a stodgy, sweet, sticky combination of treacle, suet, dried fruits, and potentially wine or even milk, which is prepared by mixing it all together with breadcrumbs (and older recipes might include eggs), and then steaming it, often for many hours. It can be served cold, or hot (the traditional method involves steaming it again), and it has become something of a trend to soak it in brandy, and set it alight, just prior to serving (for a bit of theatre). In many households, coins might be placed within the pudding during preparation, invoking a long-standing practice going back a long time. It is prudent to warn people there may be coins inside, lest they end up, erm, passing a penny!

Do I like Christmas Pudding? I don’t dislike it, but there are more enjoyable festive desserts out there. We sometimes have it in our household, but we’ll buy one ready-made, as the process of making one is long-winded. Lashings of cream are usually required, to help balance the sickly-sweet nature of the pud. Ultimately, I can take or leave it.