It's no secret that while the idea of completing your holiday meal with a cream-topped Christmas pudding sounds extremely alluring, the idea of making one of these delectable desserts might not be so thrilling for those who are already rushed off their feet prepping for the holiday season.

But did you know that you can easily prepare this traditional dessert with only a few simple steps and no laborious preparation?

You read that right, folks! You can serve a restaurant-grade Christmas pudding by simply using the pre-made option from the supermarket and making a few little adjustments!

The key to making a store-bought pudding taste just like homemade is to make it 'richer', said pastry chef and custard connoisseur Andy Bowdy.

You can whip up a restaurant-grade Christmas pudding in no time using this simple tip. Credit: Shutterstock.

Simply soak the pudding in your booze of choice - brandy, port or sherry would all work well. Then, warm the booze up and ladle it over the cake.

'Giving it a booze bath every hour or so,' Andy remarked.

Finally, Let it sit in the fridge overnight before serving.

A noteworthy trick

If you’re feeling daring, you could also try flambéing the pudding at the table - although be careful when doing so!

'If there is enough booze in the pudding, it can light on fire,' Andy warned.

'Just make sure it is out before anyone cuts it.'

Serve it with…

A proper Christmas pudding isn’t complete without custard, cream, or vanilla ice cream! You could opt for all three, or choose one to be your ‘big gun’.

If it’s cream you’re serving, opt for double cream, lightly dusted with icing sugar. For the most traditional experience, however, you simply can’t beat the creamy warmth of homemade custard.

Key Takeaways

• You can achieve a restaurant-level Christmas pudding with minimal effort by using a store-bought pudding and making a few small adjustments.
• The trick is to give your pudding a ‘booze bath’ and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
• For a traditional experience, serve with either double cream, lightly dusted with icing sugar, or homemade custard.

Now, doesn’t that sound delicious? What are your thoughts about this trick? Better yet, do you have a favourite store-bought Christmas pudding? Share them with us in the comments below so we can try them too!

 

[Gaena]

I love tradditional Christmas food and for the first few years of our marriage my husband went along with my preferences, even congratulating me on the English style Trifle I presented him with, bless him he really disliked all that type of food and is more thanhappy with a bowl full of Prawns instead, took him nearly 5 years to make his confession, now It's easier on me I don't get to spend all day in the kitchen and he just sits and peels all the prawns, win win

 

[JayKay]

My Mum always made our Christmas puddings in the cloth, so after she passed away a few days after Christmas 1995, I couldn't look at Christmas puddings for many years.
Eventually, my sister and I bought a Ray's pudding for a few years.
They are handmade, but tasted just like Mum's version.
They were a stop-gap until we could face doing our own.
They can be heated in the microwave on Christmas Day....so easy.

 

[Estelle Brown]

I make Puddings for all my family at Xmas . I cook in bulk as my Mother was a terrific cook and she did this every Year.
I did the cleaning for her, sadly she lost a leg and was in a wheel chair so she unfortunately could not cook anymore.
Xmas was not Xmas without my mother's Plum Puddings so I asked her one day before the Xmas period could she show me how to make them a little worried but she did.
That Xmas dinner a friend of my brother's said I love the pudding, my brother said I had made them. I froze and then said yes but I could not have made them without my Mother's good teaching that was the right answer my Mother was contented.