Plum Pudding without Plums (Eggs, Butter, Milk or Water)

Searching for the plum...

That catchy little title got my attention as I browsed through one of my older recipe books.

I should have scanned it, but I didn't - apologies.




Anyone who have been reading my blogs (various id's!) over the years already knows about my passion for old recipe books, especially old, handwritten ones.



This one dates from about 1840 and belonged to a cook who lived and worked in a Rectory.




It is in poor condition, has lots of splashes and grease marks, tears, worn edges, loose pages - in other words, it has lived a very useful life.      I treasure it all the more because of the wear.

I followed a few clues within the book and found that it was a country parish, cook certainly had to deal with large hams and gluts of fruit and vegetables.    She also catered enormous Christmas and Easter meals for the village school, as well as the Great and Good of the parish.

Back to this recipe, though.    It is one of the more easily read ones, but just in case you can't make head or tail of the handwriting:

5 tablespoonfuls of Flour, 1 ditto moist sugar, 6 oz of Beef suet chopped very fine. 3 tablespoonfuls of carrot/which must be boiled the day before and mashed very fine/ 1/2 lb Currants and one plum.   Mix all together put it into a tin mould and boil it 3 hours.  Serve with wine sauce.


Shame upon me, I bought our Christmas pudding.  Perhaps I'll make this one next year, but somehow I doubt it, it sounds rather dull.


Whizzing forward through time to the Christmas of 1912, and I have a book in which there is an article about some old Christmas customs and Superstitions.   

Weather Prophecies include A warm Christmas, a cold Easter.       A green Christmas, a white Easter.   and in Nottinghamshire they say 'If ice bears a man before Christmas, it won't bear a mouse after.'    It is said by some weather experts that the twelve days  in this connection following December 25th set the tune for the coming summer, and a curious fact was told me the other day.    The forebears of a Somersetshire farmer had for over a hundred  been in the habit of making notes concerning the weather during these twelve days, and each year the summer proved to be of similar nature to that experienced just after Christmas.       It is also believed that 'a windy Christmas and a cold Candlemas are signs of a good year.'



In Devonshire at Christmas time the burning of the ashton faggot always took place on the eve of the feast, as was a most important ceremonial.   The faggot, which is composed entirely of ash timber, the separate sticks or branches being securely bound together with ash bands is so made that it can be conveniently burned on the hearth, and around it assembled the farmers, with their families and farm labourers, in order to spend a jovial evening.    A quart of cider was called for and served upon the bursting of every hoop or band with which the faggot is bound, and the timber, being green and elastic, a good many quarts were in requisition before the festivities were at an end.