It’s arrivederci the traditional Christmas pudding; salve panettone.
The steamed pud, based on a recipe that has changed little since Victorian times, has gone stale. Fewer of us, it seems, are prepared to end Christmas lunch with a stodgy, fruit-filled, flame-burnt, brandy-sodden dessert. British consumers are opting for more exotic sponge puddings or foreign alternatives.
Demand for panettone, Italy’s sweet bread loaf, has been growing for years, with demand up 17% on last year in supermarkets.
Falling demand for the traditional pud has seen several manufacturers discontinue their lines or cut production. The supermarket giants are scrambling to offer exotic alternatives, promoting sponge puddings filled with white chocolate, salted caramel or clementine.
“Demand for a sponge alternative is growing,” said Tesco cake buyer Abigail Watson. “Last year one in five Christmas puddings bought was a sponge and this year we reckon that number will grow to one in four.”
Watson suggested that declining demand for the traditional pudding was down to shifting demographics.
“Tastes are changing and younger people are not so keen on fruited puddings so they are generally declining in popularity. We now have three times as many Christmas pudding alternatives as we did 10 years ago and if demand carries on at its present rate it might not be too long before the festive sponge takes over.”
The traditional pudding’s waning popularity says much about the UK. In the last decade the number of Christmas pudding variations has grown exponentially as vegetarian, nut-free and alcohol-free lines give customers increased choice.
The greater number of people living alone has seen an increase in single-person Christmas puddings on offer while the needs of a time-conscious society are also being met: a family-size pudding can be steamed in one hour and 45 mins instead of two hours and 15 minutes.
Aidan Brooks, sous-chef at Eelbrook, the Fulham restaurant that promotes British and Mediterranean-influenced cooking, suggested a more cosmopolitan society might also be changing the nation’s pudding choices.
“The decline of the Christmas pudding isn’t just a reflection of changing palates, but a changing nation,” Brooks said. “Britain has a diverse, multicultural community. It was exotic to get a satsuma in a stocking back in our parents’ day, but today’s generation has access to so many different flavours and cuisines, it’s no surprise we’re opting for more decadent, exciting options.”
However, it will be some time before the Christmas pudding becomes extinct. Last year an estimated 18 million were sold in the UK.
