Beyond the Cloth: Bentham’s New-Wave Christmas Puddings for Stir-Up Sunday 2026

Stir-Up Sunday has always had a quiet sort of magic about it. The last Sunday before Advent, the kitchen filled with steam, the whole household taking a turn with the spoon, and a wish tucked into every stir. In 2026 it falls on 22 November, which means the Christmas pudding countdown is officially on. Around Bentham, though, the tradition is being nudged in some deliciously unexpected directions.

Why Stir-Up Sunday still matters

The ritual is simple: make your pudding on Stir-Up Sunday, let it mature through the weeks before Christmas, and serve it up with a decent brandy butter and perhaps a little too much cream. It is one of those food traditions that feels both practical and ceremonial. You are not just baking; you are marking time.

What has changed is the flavour. The heavy, treacle-dark pudding of memory still has its fans, and rightly so, but Bentham’s small bakers are treating the Christmas pudding as a canvas rather than a museum piece. They are keeping the suet, the fruit and the long slow steam, then adding a local accent: a slug of Yorkshire gin, a spoonful of Bowland honey, a handful of dark chocolate. The result is still unmistakably festive, just a little more modern and a lot more interesting.

The new pudding playbook

Yorkshire gin and citrus

The most striking puddings coming out of the local kitchens this year have a botanical lift. A juniper-forward Yorkshire gin is used sparingly, often soaked into the raisins and currants overnight rather than poured in at the last minute. The alcohol cooks off, leaving behind a piney, citrus-edged perfume that cuts through the fruit. Tasting note: think marmalade, rosemary and a warm gin-and-tonic finish. It is excellent with a strong cup of tea and dangerously good with a small glass of something fizzy.

Local honey and orchard fruit

Honey is having a moment in Bentham, and not before time. A dark, runny honey from hives somewhere near the Wenning replaces some of the sugar in the mix, bringing a floral sweetness that feels gentler than treacle. Some bakers add chopped local apples or pears, lightly poached first, which gives the pudding a softer, more orchard-like character. Tasting note: baked apple, heather honey, a little spice. This is the pudding for people who claim they do not like Christmas pudding.

Dark chocolate and black treacle

Chocolate in Christmas pudding is not new, but it is being handled with more care now. The best versions use a 70 per cent dark chocolate, grated finely so it melts into the crumb rather than forming pockets. It adds a bittersweet depth that works beautifully with the treacle and the dried fruit. Tasting note: cocoa nib, burnt sugar, dark cherry. Serve this one with a dollop of crème fraîche rather than brandy butter, and watch the table go quiet.

Where to taste and pre-order around Bentham in 2026

The good news is that you do not have to make your own to join in. Several independent spots around Bentham are doing the hard work for you, and most are taking pre-orders now for collection in the week before Christmas.

Bentham Bakehouse is the obvious first stop. Its Stir-Up Sunday bake has become a local fixture, and this year the team is offering a gin-and-citrus pudding alongside a honeyed orchard version. Small puddings are available as well as family-sized ones, which is handy if you are feeding a sceptical crowd. Pre-order by 1 December to avoid disappointment.

Wenning Valley Chocolate Co. is not a pudding maker in the traditional sense, but its dark chocolate Christmas pudding truffles are a lovely stand-in for anyone who wants the flavour without the steamed suet. The truffles are made with a local cream and a little brandy, and they come in a box that makes a very presentable host gift.

Fellside Farm Shop stocks puddings from a handful of small producers across the Dales, including a properly boozy version aged in Yorkshire gin. It is also the place to pick up brandy butter, rum sauce and the kind of thick double cream that makes a pudding feel like an event.

The Larder at Low Bentham has a small but well-chosen festive range, with a particular strength in honeyed and fruit-forward puddings. Ask at the counter about tasting samples; they usually have one open on Saturdays in November.

A last-minute stir-up recipe

If you fancy making your own on 22 November, this is a forgiving recipe. It makes one 1kg pudding, which serves six to eight people generously.

Ingredients

• 150g raisins
• 150g sultanas
• 100g currants
• 50g mixed peel
• 1 small cooking apple, grated
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 100g shredded suet
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• 50g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp Yorkshire gin
• 50g dark chocolate, finely grated
• A little milk, if needed

Method

1. Soak the dried fruit in the gin overnight if you can. If you are making this on the day, warm the gin slightly and pour it over the fruit for an hour.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the grated apple, honey, eggs and soaked fruit. Stir well. Everyone in the house should have a turn, and yes, you are allowed to make a wish.
3. Add the grated chocolate and a splash of milk if the mixture feels stiff. It should drop slowly from a spoon.
4. Butter a 1kg pudding basin, spoon in the mixture and cover with a pleated layer of baking parchment and foil. Tie with string.
5. Steam for six hours, topping up the water regularly. Let it cool, then store in a cool dark place until Christmas Day.
6. On the day, steam again for two hours and serve with brandy butter, cream or a little custard.

The final stir

Stir-Up Sunday is not really about perfection. It is about making something that improves with time, and sharing the stirring with whoever happens to be in the kitchen. Whether you buy a gin-laced pudding from a Bentham baker or make a last-minute version at home, the important thing is that you have something to look forward to. And in November, that is no small thing.