Christmas Puddings 2026: Organic, Gluten-Free, Vegan and Alcohol-Free

Christmas pudding has been part of the British Christmas for well over a century, and today there is a version for almost every table: organic, gluten free, vegan or alcohol free. Stir-up Sunday, the traditional day for making the pudding, falls on 22 November in 2026. Here is the story behind it and the puddings we have in stock this year.

A short history of Christmas pudding

The pudding started life as something much closer to porridge. The Forme of Cury, the oldest known English cookery book, dating from around 1390, includes a recipe called "fygey", a thick mixture of dried fruit that is often described as an early ancestor of plum pudding.

By the 17th century a spiced, fruity "plum porridge" was firmly linked with Christmas. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary that he ate "a mess of brave plum-porridge" on Christmas Day in 1662. "Plum" didn't mean plums as we know them. It was a general word for dried fruit, from raisins and currants to prunes.

During the 18th century the mixture became firmer, and plum pudding recipes began to appear in cookery books. John Nott, cook to the Duke of Bolton, published one in 1723.

How the Victorians made it a Christmas pudding

The pudding's place at Christmas was settled in the 1840s. Charles Dickens gave it a famous scene in A Christmas Carol in 1843, the same year Queen Victoria served plum pudding at her Christmas dinner. In 1845 Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery for Private Families included recipes she called "Christmas puddings".

In Victorian kitchens every step was done by hand: stoning raisins, shredding suet, grating breadcrumbs and sugar. Families shared out the work.

What is Stir-up Sunday?

Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent. It takes its name from the Church of England prayer read that day, which begins: "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people." By Victorian times it had become the day to make the Christmas pudding, leaving it five weeks to mature.

Each member of the family took a turn to stir the mixture and make a wish. Some households added a silver coin for luck, though more than one person has lost a tooth to that custom.

In 2026 Stir-up Sunday is on 22 November. If you aren't making your own pudding, it's a good reminder to order one.

Our Christmas puddings for 2026

Classic and luxury Christmas puddings

Matthew Walker Luxury Christmas Pudding
Matthew Walker has made Christmas puddings in Derbyshire since 1899. Their luxury recipe is full of sultanas, raisins, glacé cherries, almonds and mixed peel, steeped with cider, rum and brandy. Available in 100g for one, 400g for a small gathering or 800g for the whole family. Contains wheat and almonds.

Thursday Cottage Christmas Pudding, 454g and 112g
A traditional pudding with sultanas, currants and raisins, brandy, cider and Seville orange marmalade, which adds a gentle bitter-orange note. The 112g size serves one. Contains wheat and egg.

Organic Christmas pudding

Roots & Wings Organic Family Christmas Pudding, 454g
Organic sultanas, raisins, currants, dates and glacé cherries with grated carrot and apple, almonds, warming spices and a dash of stout and cognac. Moist, generous and made for sharing. Contains wheat, barley, egg and almonds.

Gluten-free Christmas puddings

The Foods of Athenry Gluten Free Christmas Pudding, 200g and 400g
Made by a family-run, dedicated gluten-free bakery in County Galway, Ireland, using a blend of rice, potato, maize, buckwheat and tapioca flours. Raisins, sultanas, dates and glacé cherries are enriched with butter, Irish cider and brandy. Contains milk and eggs.

Matthew Walker Gluten Free Christmas Pudding, 100g
A single portion made with gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs, sultanas, mixed peel, spices and a little cider and rum. May contain nuts, so not suitable for anyone with a nut allergy.

Roots & Wings Christmas Pudding with Gluten Free Ingredients, 100g
Made with organic ingredients and a gluten-free flour blend of rice, potato, maize and buckwheat. Contains egg, almonds, cognac and cider. Suitable for vegetarians but not vegans.

Vegan Christmas pudding

Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding
The traditional recipe with sultanas, orange and lemon peel, mixed spice and a splash of cider and rum. Suitable for vegans. Contains wheat and may contain nuts.

Alcohol-free Christmas pudding

Matthew Walker Alcohol Free Christmas Pudding
The spirits are replaced with concentrated orange juice, so you still get a rich, fruity pudding with sultanas, candied peel and mixed spice. A good choice for drivers, children or anyone who'd rather not have alcohol. Contains wheat and may contain nuts.

How to serve Christmas pudding

Follow the heating instructions on the pack, as times vary with size and maker. Most puddings can be steamed or microwaved.

To flame a pudding, warm a couple of tablespoons of brandy in a small pan, pour it over the hot pudding and light it carefully with a long match. Turn the lights down first and keep it well away from paper decorations.

Serve with brandy butter, custard, cream or a dairy-free alternative such as whipped coconut cream. Leftover pudding can be crumbled over ice cream or fried in a little butter for Boxing Day breakfast.

If you love the flavour but want it at breakfast, try the Ouse Valley Christmas Pudding Marmalade. Seville oranges and lemons are mixed with brandy-soaked sultanas, currants and glacé cherries and a hint of mixed spice. It won Gold at the Dalemain Marmalade Awards.

You'll find every pudding, plus stuffings, sauces and sides, in our Christmas dinner collection.

Christmas pudding questions

When is Stir-up Sunday 2026?

Stir-up Sunday is on 22 November 2026, the Sunday before Advent begins.

Is there a gluten-free Christmas pudding?

Yes. We stock gluten-free puddings from The Foods of Athenry, Matthew Walker and Roots & Wings.

Which Christmas pudding is vegan?

The Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding is suitable for vegans. It contains wheat and may contain nuts.

Why is it called plum pudding when there are no plums?

In earlier centuries "plum" was a general word for dried fruit such as raisins and currants, so plum pudding simply meant a pudding full of dried fruit.

Sources

• National Geographic: Deconstructing Christmas pudding
• Wikipedia: Stir-up Sunday
• Smithsonian Magazine: A brief history of figgy pudding
• Agriland: Foods of Athenry gluten-free bakery