A family recipe, born at the Christmas table and perfected over 20 years.
In 2004, Sandra McLaren set out to make a Christmas pudding her family would actually want to eat. The result was lighter, richer and completely different from the traditional pudding she had grown up with.
Our story began with Sandra McLaren,
a brilliant confectioner and award-winning dessert designer, who noticed that not one of her four children would eat the Christmas pudding she served. Glancing around the candlelit table, she realised that barely an adult had touched it either!
Already renowned for her outstanding carrot cake, one day Sandra decided to take on the humble Christmas pudding.
After much experimentation she discovered she could cut out all the stodgy suet,
and remove a lot of the dense flour. Instead, she added a very generous dollop of butter, some zesty oranges, lemons, prunes and flaked almonds. She drenched it all in fine French Brandy and Guinness Stout, steamed it for eight hours – then then let the pudding mature to perfection for 6 months.
The result was a lighter, fluffier Christmas pudding, packed with fruit, spice and flavour.
Having won over family and friends, the pudding went further afield.
Since 2004, when our story began, Sandra's pudding has attracted a growing number of Christmas pudding aficionados and converts.
A Christmas pudding tradition at Borough Market
Since 2004, McLaren's Christmas pudding has been a favourite at Borough Market in London, as well as at Christmas fairs and markets further afield. That same family recipe is now beloved by people who receive our puddings as gifts around the world.
Today, it's Duncan, Sandra's son, who runs McLaren's Christmas puddings. Lighter, fluffier and completely delicious, they're still enjoyed by Sandra's grandchildren, as well as every adult at the Christmas table.