Stir-up Sunday recipe ideas
Prepare for Christmas in the traditional way by making your Christmas pudding, cake, or mincemeat before the start of Advent and allowing flavours to mature.
This year, Stir-up Sunday falls on Sunday 20 November 2022. Put on your best Christmas playlist, put some mulled wine on to simmer and get mixing with our beautiful make-ahead recipes, including the classic Christmas pudding, mince pies and our popular make & mature Christmas fruitcake…
What is Stir-up Sunday?
Stir-up Sunday is a centuries-old annual tradition where home-cooks spend the last Sunday before Advent 'stirring up' their Christmas pudding. That means it's not on the same date each year, and falls somewhere at the end of November before Advent begins.
Which recipes are made on Stir-up Sunday?
Traditionally, the Christmas pudding is made on Stir-up Sunday, and in its modern form as a dried fruit-based dessert, it would have been wrapped in a cloth and boiled. In earlier times it would have contained meat and been eaten at the start of the meal or alongside the meat. The cloth eventually gave way to basins and moulds, and now we tend to use a basin, which is considerably easier than a cloth.
In the years since the tradition began, keen cooks have not only used the occasion to make Christmas pudding, but other festive favourites using dried fruit too, notably Christmas cake and the mincemeat for mince pies.
For more inspiration, see our collection of Stir-up Sunday recipes.
Stir-up Sunday recipe ideas
Classic Christmas pudding
For Christmas pudding traditionalists, this lighly spiced, fruity sponge will provide the perfect finish to your festive meal. The zesty fruit and nut mixture is soaked in brandy and orange liqueur ovenight, making it plump, juicy and full of flavour, before combining with the dry ingredients. You can then either steam the pudding in a pan or oven for several hours – trust us, it's worth the wait! After turning out, it can be kept for up to a year, before finally serving with our luxurious orange custard cream or vanilla custard or double cream.
Christmas pudding with citrus & spice
Easy Christmas pudding
Short on prep time but still want a classic pud? Our quick and easy spiced version forgoes the need for any kitchen scales - all you need is a cup to measure out the ingredients. It also takes about the half the time of our traditional pudding above but can sill be made several weeks in advance. With a salty butterscotch sauce and nutty topping, it's a fun twist which doesn't stray too far from the traditional Christmas pudding.
Chocolate & cherry Christmas pudding
This is a twist on the classic Christmas pud, served with its own silky chocolate sauce. The recipe has been created using cup measurements, so it's great for beginners or young chefs. Planning on making extra as a gift? Wrap the pudding in a festive tea towel tied with string or ribbon, then write the instructions for the sauce on a pretty tag. You can make the pudding up to two months before eating.
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Chocolate & cherry Christmas pudding
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Make & mature Christmas cake
Looking to keep things traditional this Stir-up Sunday? Prepare this fruit cake in advance and feed it regularly with rum, brandy or whisky to build up the flavour and keep the cake moist. The preparation only takes 25 minutes so you should have plenty of time for a few more Christmassy recipes too…
Make & mature Christmas cake
More Christmas cake inspiration
Golden amaretti Christmas cake
A good mix of trend and tradition, this is one of the easiest Christmas cakes we’ve created thanks to a virtual all-in-one method. Again, the whole thing is measured in cups, so it's a great one for the kids to get involved with making, too. The results will leave your Christmas dinner guests feeling giddy!
Golden amaretti Christmas cake
Find more fruity Christmas cake recipes.
Mincemeat for mince pies
Mince pies are great to have in the house throughout the holiday season and they're easily whipped up if you make the mincemeat ahead of time. We have boozy mincemeat, a traditional mincemeat recipe and even tropical mincemeat. When it comes time to bake, how about a custard and crumble topping...?
Custard & crumble mince pies
Our best ever mince pie recipes
Browse our collection of mince pie recipes for classic ideas and fun twists.
More than just puddings…
If you want to feel super smug come the holiday season, don’t just stop at the Christmas puddings. You can make everything ahead of time from roast potatoes to Yorkshire puddings, sauces and stuffing – just pop them in the freezer until the big day. It’s quite literally Christmas on ice…
Make-ahead Christmas recipes
Freezable Christmas recipes
10 Christmas classics you can make ahead
See our Stir-up Sunday recipe collection for more ideas.
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Our easiest ever Christmas cake recipes
The 12 best Christmas pudding recipes
Top 10 best ever mince pie recipes
How to steam a pudding
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Do you have any tips for getting ahead of the Christmas rush? Leave a comment below...
