# How long does Christmas pudding last?



## Bluemam2223 (May 28, 2012)

Hello all,
I am asking for some advice on homemade christmas pudding. My head chef seems to think that the pudding we made in January 2012 will last another 11 months (november 2012). But i'm doubtful that the pudding will last since it has already been cooked and only stored in the walk in fridge.

(If it help it only contains the following ingredients: sugar, self raising flour, raisins, sultanas, currants, bread crumbs, ground almonds, nutmeg, mixed spice, eggs, marmalade, lemon juice, grated apples, milk, brandy.)If its not going to last till next Christmas when do you think it will need to be chucked!?

Thanks,

Liam


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Welcome to Cheftalk ,

He is right Liam.  If it had of been wrapped in  cheesecloth with brandy or rum (re-dipped every week for a month)  it could go a long time.

Petals.


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## Bluemam2223 (May 28, 2012)

It has not been re-dipped or wrapped in cheesecloth. Its just been sat there in cling film.
Thanks again!


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## Bluemam2223 (May 28, 2012)

(The post above was posted twice; Ignore this post)


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

If it is sitting in the walk in fridge , there is no problem, it is good for a year.

Petals.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Listen to your dad.


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I have always made enough Christmas puds to use from one Christmas season to another (2 of my family adore CP, and would eat it weekly, if allowed!)  But then, I always add lots of alcohol to the mix and also 'feed' the puddings from the time I make them until Christmas week, so they are extremely boozy and also keep well.


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## pee dee (Jun 4, 2012)

Hi,

The Pudding will keep very well, and could have easily been kept in a cool larder. See my website for my recipe, and LOTS of feedback from Christmas pudding experts & Pudding first-timers!

(25 year hobby site, *no ads*, just a comprehensive Christmas Pudding site)

http://pudding.denyer.net/

I hope this will help.

Regards, Paul


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Interesting website Paul. By the way, welcome to Cheftalk.

Could be made into petits fours ? I can see it happening but I think it would be a bit heavy for a petit four.

Here is a question for you. _In your opinion_, how long can you keep a pudding or a fruitcake which has been absorbed in brandy/rum for ?

Petals.


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## pee dee (Jun 4, 2012)

Hi Petals,

Thanks for the welcome.

In the feedback over 25 years, I remember one visitor saying that they had boiled up a pudding that was over 7 years old. It had been stored in Muslin and hung on a hook in a larder.

It was described as being like a rock before it was boiled/steamed (for many hours)  before serving, but apparently tasted just fine!

It's really not necessary to keep "feeding" a pudding with brandy, the keeping qualities of a pudding are mostly determined by the amount of sugar (both the added sugear and the sugar in the fruit).

I don't find the taste of pudding improves with too much added brandy, but that IS just my personal taste.

Petit Fours? if you could trim them down to a thin slice, with some sort of brandy butter (or custard) topping, it might just work! Perhaps a sort of sandwich type style?

Regards,

Paul


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Paul,

I make 12-15 fruitcakes a year. They are dense and full of flavor. The oldest one I have in the cold room is 11 yrs.

As far as puddings go, I know they can last quite awhile.

Have you ever heard of "Figgy pudding ?"

When we go to the Islands, the rum cakes and fruitcakes are a delight to eat.

Years ago my family would get together and measure out all the fruit and nuts, spice blends, alcohol, prep the pans & bain maries's , etc. We would make them in huge restaurant metal bowls and the aroma from all the ingredients would fill up the room.....chopped  candied lemon, orange and pineapple and cherry, currants and raisins.....and my sister would be mixing all the dry ingredients.

Dad would put on Westlife (allow us to be Frank cd) and our hearts felt so glad.

The cakes dusted in icing sugar then  wrapped in cheesecloth and then heavily sprayed with rum and or brandy. The is done once a week for 8 weeks, then final sealing.

Petals.


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## mawee (Dec 15, 2012)

So I make puds using a very very old english recipe where the liquid measurements are in GILLS!  I made up a batch a good 4 possibly 5 years ago and the last pud has been sitting in the fridge since that time (I live in Bermuda where it is hot and humid so nothing can be left out and we don't have places like a larder!) and its been topped up with Brandy every few months to keep it moist - it was steamed for a good few hours before storing in fridge by the way.  Question - would you say that if I was to steam it for a good few hours today that it will still taste OK?  I certainly dont want to poison anyone this evening at a party ha ha!!  Thanks for any feedback pls!


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## kippers (Aug 31, 2012)

Re steam for 3 to 4 hrs should do the trick, I have a vacuum packer, so I let the pud settle for a few months in its basin, remove and feed with brandy then vac pac.The booze does not evaporate so you only need to feed once and the last for yrs.

Mawee if you can get suet in Bermuda you should try date and citrus spotted dick, its a tad lighter and eats well after turkey.


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## mawee (Dec 15, 2012)

Thx - I ended up steaming it for 4 hours and it tasted bloody great!  Was sooooo dark fro the stout that goes in it at the beginning.  Its the only pudding I make as its a family tradition - been making it since I was 11 years old!


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## mim100 (Dec 17, 2013)

Hello everyone, thanks for the great tips....my Mum always made the Christmas puds and somehow I never got involved in that so this year I'm trying it on my own....I had left about an inch of space in the basins thinking the pudding would swell and it did but not completely to the top edge...is that air space going to be a problem?

Also, could someone explain "feeding" the pudding...do you simply pour some on top or does it have to go down the sides and to the bottom?  How much do you use?

I used wax paper and white cloth (a cut-up pillow case ) as my Mum used to do...I've read that the wax paper and cloth should be removed and replaced with new paper and cloth...I've also read not to take off the cloth at all, just leave as is...if that's the case, you couldn't feed the pudding...I don't think my Mum fed the puddings...she used to make half a dozen every January and I think they just sat in the fridge all year...will they dry out?

Should I remove them from the bowls so I can wrap them tightly in plastic wrap?

thanks again for your tips, this is a great site!

Mim


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I i use a meat skewer to make holes in the bottom of the puds whilst still in their pudding basins. I then use a tablespoon to spoon over the alcohol. I usually measure it by 'eye'. I've made puds for over 40 years!


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## mim100 (Dec 17, 2013)

Thanks Ishbel....LOL you sound like many of my favourite cooks...so when you're measuring by eye, would you say it's roughly a tablespoon, a shot glass, or fill up the bowl?  How often do you do that?  And do you replace the same covering or do you put clean stuff on?

I so wish I'd started doing this with my Mum all those years ago...we learn our lessons eventually, don't we....seize the moment!


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

My pudding bowls have plastic lids. When I make them I make the lids with alu foil prior to steaming and then, when cooled store with the plastic clip on lids. I probably use 2 tbsp of alcohol for the larger puds per 'feed' and as I make all my Christmas puddings and cakes and Black Bun (for Hogmanay, I'm Scots) on Stir Up Sunday, that's about four feeds.


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## mim100 (Dec 17, 2013)

Thanks Ishbel...is there any air space between the pud and the lid?  I've got about an inch on some of them and a bit concerned that it might be an issue.

Also, I've got rum and brandy that isn't getting used up....which would you use or should I stick with whisky?


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

There's a little space between the puds and lids, maybe half an inch. I usually put a circle of greaseproof paper on the pud, returning the circle after adding the alcohol. I have never had any problems with the gap.

I use brandy, but either rum or whisky would do, but I wouldn't mix them.


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## cookingdiamond (Jul 18, 2014)

Thank you Paul, I never. Feed a pudding, it doesn,t need it. I put beer and brandy In the mix before cooking but that's it!!!. I,ve been making my own for over 25 years and they will keep for ages, at least 2 years. Cakes and pudding do not necessarily improve with age but it s the high sugar content in the fruit that preserves them.xx


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## julia weeks (Nov 6, 2014)

Hi Liam, the high alcohol content keeps it from spoiling. Personally, I make mine a few months ahead and it is wonderful.


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## marylinda (Dec 14, 2014)

Hello! I was given a Fosters Classic Christmas Pudding one year ago. It's been in the kitchen cabinet, not the fridge. I live in the NW U.S., and the highest temperature in the cabinet was probably 78-80 degrees Farenheit (28-29? Celsius). I'm wondering if it's safe to eat.


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Sorry, but I've never heard of that particular brand. If they have a website, it may provide guidance.


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## jaynna (Oct 20, 2014)

For Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding, I suggest a keeping time of up to 6 weeks, or up to 1 year if the pudding is frozen. Actually, the keeping qualities of homemade pudding depends or vary on its ingredients. Sugar and alcohol are preservatives and having a higher level of these in the pudding can make the pudding to last for a long period of time.


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## lesleyjones (Dec 27, 2014)

Hello,

I made two Xmas pud's last year. We have just eaten the second this Xmas. It was perfect. I made it with lots of figs, dates, dark cherries, raisins, sultanas, apricots etc.....I kept it in the cupboard covered with greaseproof paper and occasionally checked it for mould. I had originally steamed it. The fruit and sugar are natural preservatives and were used to preserve meat in old times for the Xmas period. Mince pies are a remnant of this tradition, the mince being the fruit and sugar preservative.

In November I started feeding it a little brandy each week. On Christmas day I steamed it for 3hrs. We ate it with cream. It was divine.

Happy New Year.

LJ


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## nanniecarol (Oct 27, 2015)

Hi ,
This is a long thread regarding Christmas puddings. 
I just googled how long do Christmas puddings keep just out of curiosity.
I always make Delia Smith recipe for Christmas puddings. I usually make them in October half term school holidays as I work in school. I make double quantities and keep one for next year. There is plenty alcohol in them and they always keep well. I steam them in a pudding bowl then change the top cloth for storing. I usually keep them in a cupboard in the garage and as its U.K. They don't get to warm. 
I've never had a bad pudding in fact they are lovely.


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## chrisw (Jun 4, 2017)

Hi, I have been making Christmas Puddings for 10 years and have never had a problem before.

The recipe is the same and the only things that have changed is the way I now steam them, plus the flour and bread is different. 

I used to steam them over the hob and they would last for a good 2 years. I now make a lot more and last year I started steaming them in my Rational Combi Oven, I tested lots of different timings but they are not keeping so I can only give them a short life. I can't work out what is going wrong, does anyone have any ideas please?


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## Xris (Dec 26, 2018)

marylinda said:


> Hello! I was given a Fosters Classic Christmas Pudding one year ago. It's been in the kitchen cabinet, not the fridge. I live in the NW U.S., and the highest temperature in the cabinet was probably 78-80 degrees Farenheit (28-29? Celsius). I'm wondering if it's safe to eat.


Hi, Commercial Christmas puddings can really be divided in to two camps. The basic pudding at a lower cost are best to consume within it's date, it tends to dry out in its 2nd year but ok. On recooking / heating boil the pudding with no cover on a safe bowl ( larger than the pudding ) and cover the saucepan with it's lid and slow simmer for at least an hour, this will reintroduce much need moisture. Remove any excess sitting water in the bowl after 30 mins. The cheaper pudding's dry out a lot quicker, they do not have the quality of fruit / real fat content to retain a degree of moisture, and they contain commercial ingredients ( highly refined flour etc ) and preservatives. You buy basic supermarket fruit cakes and they tend to dry out fairly quickly, same principle of factory made products. You can't beat a Homemade Pudding because you are in control of the better recipe and all the ingredients. The top range commercial puddings should have a better quality of the above two ingredients and retain a slightly better moisture, I give up to two years life on these. A good pudding needs quality fruit to aid breathing, store any pudding in a cooler place. I'm a massive Xmas pudding fan and with Grandmother / Mother who always made their own, they were best had at one to two years old ( fermented and matured and Yum ). Those at three years old, still excellent but slowly drying, so the above reheating is always done.


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