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The best Christmas pudding to finish your meal in style
The GHI reveals this year’s best puds to round off your feast
Tested by Callum BlackFood and Drink Testing Manager
If you’re planning to make your own Christmas pudding this year, you’ll need to leave plenty of time to allow the vine fruit to soak up any alcohol you may have included (brandy, rum and cognac are all popular choices).
However, if you're going to miss Stir-Up Sunday (which takes place on 24 November this year, just FYI), or are just too busy eating mince pies, we’re confident these shop-bought Christmas puds will do an excellent job of impressing guests.
Best Christmas puddings 2024
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Is it better to steam or microwave Christmas pudding?
All the puddings in our round-up can be either steamed or cooked in the microwave; however, many brands recommend the former for the best results.
Microwaved puddings can overheat, making them a little tough in the process. If time allows, steaming should result in a lighter texture.
How to light a Christmas pudding
For the ultimate grand finale to your festive feast, you’ll want to light your Christmas pudding. Follow these instructions for a guaranteed flame.
- Once you’ve cooked your pudding, turn it out onto a serving plate and ensure a clear surface area.
- Gently warm the brandy in a small saucepan, before pouring it over the pudding — this way you can be confident it will ignite when you put a flame to it.
- Tip the brandy to the side of the pan before lighting.
- Point the pan away from you when pouring over the pudding.
How we test Christmas puddings
The Good Housekeeping Institute tested 19 classic Christmas puddings, including those from supermarkets through to more luxury offerings. To avoid brand bias, all were tasted blind and cooked according to instructions.
Not so keen on the traditional? We’ve also found the most exciting Christmas puddings with a twist for 2024 too, for those who prefer their puds with more unusual ingredients such as chocolate, gin and Cointreau.
Score: 85/100
Our winning Christmas pudding wowed the panel with its “authentic, warming” aroma, and they loved the contrast of crunchy walnuts in the moist, sticky sponge.
Made with French brandy, sweet apple chunks, and fresh oranges and lemons for an extra zesty hit, it was the cloves that most noticeably lingered on the palate, for a spicy festive finish.
Bettys Large Classic Christmas Pudding 800g
Score: 84/100
With a nod to its Yorkshire heritage, this Bettys pud includes a glug of local ale in its classic Christmas pudding recipe. Testers loved the deep, brown sugar sweetness and generous fruit, with zesty citrus coming to the fore and a lick of ginger on the finish.
Score: 82/100
Asda took top spot in the supermarket stakes, winning the panel over with its “rich, deep spicing” and “perfectly sweet and sticky” sponge. Cherries, citrus, and crunchy almonds add a moreish texture that we reckon the whole family will love.
Score: 81/100
A longer maturation period means this Christmas pud is packed with festive flavour; from the dark treacle note to the intensely tangy vine fruit, it’s a certified party for your taste buds. All it needs is a lick of double cream – delicious.
Score: 81/100
Prefer your Christmas pudding on the citrussy side? You’ve come to the right place. There's a pronounced note of sweet clementine and lemon peel at the fore, followed by warming cloves, cardamom, and ginger. A heady combination of brandy, sherry, rum, and cider make this a great go-to for grown-ups.
Score: 81/100
This budget-friendly pudding certainly doesn’t cut corners when it comes to quality ingredients – every bite is packed with almonds, pecans, and jammy candied fruit. The brandy and spices are more subtle, but we reckon this moist, treacle sponge would prove very popular with sweet-toothed guests this Christmas.
Score: 80/100
Co-op's lightly spiced sponge is rich, buttery and studded with almonds and generous vine fruit; perfect served with a dollop of brandy cream.
Available: 23rd October 2024
Score: 78/100
Tesco’s take on the traditional dessert has an intense boozy kick, thanks to a combination of brandy, Amontillado sherry, and Ruby port – hic! It’s packed with flavour, from rich vine fruit to sweet molasses and light spice, while slithered almonds add welcome crunch.
Score: 77/100
This Sainsbury’s sponge proved popular with our testers, thanks to its dense texture and golden syrup sweetness (think: a cross between sticky toffee and suet pudding). The spices and citrus are well-balanced, and there’s a “healthy dash” of brandy and cognac on the finish.
These also passed...
- COOK Christmas Pudding, £13 for 900g, Score: 76/100
- Riverford Organic Farmers Christmas Pudding, £14.95 for 450g, Score: 76/100
- Lidl Favourina Large Christmas Pudding, £3.79 for 800g, Score: 76/100
- Booths Sherry & Cognac Infused Christmas Pudding, £14 for 800g, Score: 74/100
- Morrisons The Best Christmas Pudding, £5.50 for 400g, Score: 74/100
- Harvey Nichols Traditional Christmas Pudding, £12.95 for 454g, Score: 72/100
- Cartwright and Butler Traditional Christmas Pudding, £30 for 910g, Score: 72/100
- Made in Oldstead Christmas Pudding Box, £49 for 900g, Score: 71/100
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
Millie is freelance journalist and editor with five years’ experience writing product reviews, buying guides, breaking news and about the latest trends.
Millie has also reviewed countless restaurants and written travel features for British GQ, The Telegraph and the Independent, and has interviewed a number of leading chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Raymond Blanc.
Founder of creative catering brand @grazeandgorge, Millie also spends her time creating seasonal recipes and tablescape content, as well as planning her next golden retriever-friendly getaway and rearranging her own home bar cart (... again).
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
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