Matthew Walker Luxury Christmas Pudding - 28.2 oz (800g)

I'm from the United States and have always wanted to try this, thanks mainly to Charles Dickens and the Cratchit family. I am glad that I did as it was very good! However, if you don't like the flavor of figs or raisins this might not be for you. But I happen to love figs and raisins. I followed the microwave directions that were on the box and it turned out perfectly. I also tried jarred mincemeat this year (the 'None Such' brand that includes brandy and rum as ingredients), and as mincemeat and Christmas pudding have a lot of the same ingredients, the flavors are very similar, with the main difference being the texture. The consistency of mincemeat is similar to the gooey part of pecan pie, and the Christmas pudding has a very moist cake consistency.

I’ve watched all of the classic Scrooge/A Christmas Carol films and lately have grown curious about that Christmas Pudding! Once tried baking goose (too tough for official holiday) but marked CP as another food to try. There MUST be a great reason why that song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” twists into a demand by all to remain guest pests until they get a bite of that dessert! Ordered this box just after Thanksgiving and tossed it into the fridge until a week following Christmas (came down with Covid which delayed the dinner). Inside the box was a white tub, sealed well to keep the pudding moist. Using a saucepan as the heating vessel on an electric stove, placed a steaming basket inside which was 1/2 inch taller than the glass-covered pot. Poured an inch of water inside and when it barely simmered, added the pudding which was wrapped in parchment paper, folding the sides beneath the pudding inside the basket. Covered before dinner was served and the water steam worked perfectly without needing to add any - by the time we were ready for dessert it had been a full 2-1/2hr of slow steaming. I had prepped some brandy butter but let me say two things. The pudding holds up well on its own. Myself, a 10yo child and her mother each LOVED the pudding! It’s decadently rich yet not overpoweringly sweet. The texture was perfectly warmed and moist, and each of us had seconds! Finally, let me say that I was concerned that this might have a similar texture or flavor like fruit cake. Dispel that thought completely. I loathe fruitcake with a passion and Christmas Pudding with is truly dark brown throughout is by far superior to every fruitcake that I’ve ever suffered. Perhaps next winter I might flambé this treasure like Mrs. Cratchit did (flaming brandy symbolizes the passion of Christ while figgy pudding typically has 13 ingredients, the same number as Christ’s disciples). My boy Tiny Tim definitely has good taste.

Oh, figgy pudding—the Christmas dessert everyone pretends to love because it’s in a carol. But wait, this one actually tasted...good? What a curveball! It’s almost insulting, really. I was fully prepared to roll my eyes, choke down a bite, and declare, "It’s an acquired taste," but no. This figgy pudding had the audacity to be moist, flavorful, and downright enjoyable. Rude. The warm spices? Perfectly balanced. The figs? Delightfully sweet. And the texture? Oh, don’t even get me started—dense enough to feel traditional but not so much that it doubles as a doorstop. Who do they think they are, making me rethink my annual figgy-pudding-slander routine? To make matters worse, it made me want seconds. SECONDS of figgy pudding! That’s like asking for more fruitcake—it’s just not supposed to happen. So, hats off to whoever ruined my holiday cynicism with this shockingly delicious dessert. Next year, can we please go back to the dry, cloyingly sweet version I can complain about?

I can't give it 4 stars as it is not my own baking, but we were delighted to be able to serve a plum pudding to our guests again this year. We are in the midst of renovations and baking my own was just not an option. The Matthew Walker was a faithful rendition and we very much enjoyed it. All the flavor was there and we just wished we had ordered a hard sauce to go with it--that was no easy feat to concoct without a full-functioning kitchen!

We wish you a merry x mas must be a drinking song. Figgy pudding must be a drinking dish. This taste like it has real fine alcohol in it. My wife said she could smell it when I brought it to the tv room. This is better than another Brand I also got a week before. It has a very complex taste. Like fine wine good wiskie etc. it has an almost rustic English flavor. If I was in an old pub in England during Christmas and ate this I would probably tell the story of how delicious this was for years and how I have to go back some day. As a bucket list. But I’m in a Midwest town. So it’s very good I’m just not a huge fan but it’s really good. I’ve had two kinds and we own a restaurant so I understand food and flavors. Everyone should try this at some point. I keep wondering if people thought they were getting drunk off of it. My wife feels should could smell reall alcohol but that’s impossible. It is stupid easy to make. Put a hole in the plastic and put in microwave. My only suggestion is. After it cooks and rest for a couple of minutes put a hole in the plastic bottom before you turn it upside down on a plate. Mine broke in half I put a hole and the rest came out. One more thing. It’s more like cake like the consistency of banana bread that is really moist. It’s not pudding like we think of it.

It's not very big but was delicious. A proper Xmas pudding. It served the 8 people we had but small portions. However that was okay.

Mine arrived with an expiration date of less than 30 days from delivery. These puddings usually have an expiration 1-2 years after purchase. And then it says not returnable!

This was absolutely delicious. Just like the homemade Christmas Puddings I enjoyed as a child in the 1940’s from. A very old family recipe.

Très bon gâteau de noël anglais je recommande

Very good

tasted good

Tasty

Really moist and fruit filled very very nice pudding., would definitely buy again.