stir up Saturday

The traditional stir up Sunday is 23rd November this year but I have always traditionally made my Christmas puddings in September to give them time to mature. I wasn't going to bother this year as not many people at our Kidsmas dinner will eat it and I did have some ingredient issues. Christmas pudding and mince pies are most definitely not on the Christmas menu in French households. I have introduced mince pies to some gatherings but I suspect they are eaten more with interest and out of politeness than anything else. The most elusive ingredient in my trusty Delia Smith pudding recipe was suet. I often buy it in England to make sure I've got it the cupboard as I haven't seen it on any of the English products shelves in the supermarkets but this year I didn't have any. But last week a friend saw some for sale and gave me two boxes so a Christmas pud was back on our menu. I decided to make two small ones, one for Kidsmas and one for us  at Christmas back home




So it was out with the trusty Delia Smith's Christmas - my Christmas cooking bible for decades past - it is one of those cookery books which falls open at the "well used" and somewhat grubby pages.
 The pages with the Christmas day schedule is multi-annotated in the margins - a record of changing meal time patterns and numbers of diners over the passing years.

A bit of creativity with the ingredients and the mix is ready for the traditional family stir up and a day for all the flavours to mix. Tomorrow I'll be getting creative with the pudding bowls - I've only got one but I do have a big French breakfast cup which should do the job for the second pudding.

I wonder what he's wishing for?

That job done its back to the garden for some more tidying up as the sun has come out for the afternoon.

This evening we're going to a Bal Trad, preceded by a "scene ouvert" where Trevor and a friend are planning to play.

Never a dull moment - I suppose that depends on your point of view but it suits us "très bien"