Christmas puddings! Either you love them or hate them but they’re not likely to disappear, as they are a tradition for countless people worldwide at Christmas time.

The first recipe I’m sharing today was brought over from England in the 1930s and is a fine example of a traditional Christmas pudding. The second is one of my favourite carrot varieties, a traditional recipe from my mom’s collection. As kids we never really had a taste for this rich fruity pudding, but we absolutely loved the sauce Mom made to pour over it; it was something seldom served during the rest of the year. So in order to have this sauce we had to have at least a rounded tablespoon of the pudding with it. Eventually all eight of us came to really enjoy it, and today I appreciate my mom’s efforts in that regard. The tradition has been passed to one of my sisters who gifts us all with a pudding for Christmas each year.

English Christmas Pudding

3 cups fresh bread crumbs

2 cups  shredded suet (or 2/3 cup butter, softened)

1-1/3 cups  dark raisins

1-1/3 cups  light raisins

1-1/3 cups  currants

1 cup  mixed candied peel

1 cup  granulated sugar

1 cup  milk

1/2 cup chopped almonds

3 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp.  grated lemon rind

1/3 cup  lemon juice

1/3 cup  dark rum

1 tsp.  ground allspice

1/2 tsp.  ground cloves

1/2 tsp.  cinnamon

1/2 tsp.  nutmeg

1/2 cup  all-purpose flour

In large bowl, combine bread crumbs, suet or butter, raisins, currants, candied peel, sugar, milk, almonds, eggs, lemon rind and juice, 1/4 cup of the rum, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.

Stir in flour and remaining rum; scrape into 2 greased 6-cup (1.5 L) pudding moulds or bowls, smoothing tops. Place circle of waxed paper directly on surface of each. Cover with lids. (Or make 1-inch/2.5 cm pleat across middle of large piece of foil and fit over top, pressing down side. Trim edge, leaving 3-inch/8 cm overhang; press down side. Tie string securely around mould about 1 inch/2.5 cm from rim; fold foil overhang up over string.)

Place moulds on rack in deep pot; pour enough boiling water into pot to come halfway up side of moulds. Cover and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, adding boiling water as necessary to maintain level, until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean, about 5 hours. Remove moulds from pot and let cool slightly.

(Make-ahead: Let cool. Unmould, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Or store in cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Christmas Carrot Pudding

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter*

1 egg

1 cup shredded raw carrot

1 cup grated raw potato

1 cup raisins

1 cup dates

1 cup currants

1/2 cup glazed cherries or fruit, chopped

1/2 cup chopped almonds, optional

1 cup flour

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp. each cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

Sift flour and spices.

* Traditionally suet would have been used instead of butter

Cream sugar and butter; add egg, mix well. Add carrot and 1/2 the potato, stir together.

Sift flour, salt and spices together and add with the fruit; mix together. Dissolve soda in remaining potato and add this last. Pour into mold(s) and steam for three hours. Unmold, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Serve with a brown sugar sauce or custard.

Cathi Litzenberger is The Morning Star’s longtime food columnist, appearing every Wednesday and one Sunday per month.