Christmas with Pippa: Favourite family traditions (2024)

By Pippa Middleton

Updated: 00:01, 2 December 2012

One of the best things about Christmas is the anticipation. There’s something in the air, and it’s not just the cold weather…

When I was a child, my December weekends were spent making cards, decorating the tree, hanging the wreath and preparing brandy butter and peppermint creams. Bowls brimming with walnuts, shiny, wrapped chocolates and piles of clementines would appear around the house. There was always a distinctive smell, too: pine and cinnamon and the heady aroma of mulled wine and pomanders that merged into a festive bouquet. No matter how much we may adapt other celebrations, come December we tend to repeat our own familiar customs year after year and this is perhaps the key to the magic of Christmas. Looking back, I don’t remember the presents I received, nor whether the sprouts were overcooked or the turkey dry. But what I do remember are the small rituals we revelled in.

Christmas pudding
Serves 8-10
The enjoyable ritual surrounding Christmas pudding might spur you on to make one yourself rather than buying one. Ask everyone to take a turn stirring the mixture (from east to west to echo the journey of the Three Wise Men) while making a wish. Even if official Stir-Up Sunday, the traditional day to make Christmas pudding, has come and gone, a pud made now will still allow time for the flavours to mature.

In a large bowl, mix together 600g (22oz) mixed dried fruit, 125g (4½ oz) chopped candied peel, 1 large peeled and grated cooking apple, 1 teaspoon each of mixed spice and ground cinnamon, the finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, 150g (5oz) soft brown sugar, 75g (3oz) halved glacé cherries, 1 large peeled and grated carrot, 150g (5oz) ground almonds, 2 tablespoons black treacle, 50g (2oz) plain flour, 125g (4½ oz) vegetable suet, ½ teaspoon salt, 100ml (3½ fl oz) brandy or Calvados, 25ml (1fl oz) stout or dark ale and 2 beaten eggs. Give everything a good stir and leave the pudding mixture for 2 hours or preferably overnight. Pour the mixture into a 1.2 litre (2pt) pudding basin. Cover securely with a lid or foil, stand the basin on a metal trivet to stop it touching the bottom and steam the pudding in a large pan half full of boiling water for 7 hours. Keep the water topped up. To reheat, steam for 1-2 hours until warmed through, or wrap in clingfilm, pierce holes to allow steam to escape and microwave for 5 minutes or until heated through. Allow to stand for 3 minutes before serving. Accompany with cream or brandy butter.
Make ahead May be stored cooked, kept covered, in a cool dark place for up to 6 months. Reheat as above before serving.

Edible gifts

Home-made sweet treats can be served as dessert canapés or wrapped to give away. Gingerbread stars look lovely hanging from the tree

Christmas truffles
Makes 12-15
Break 150g (5oz) good-quality dark chocolate
(70 per cent cocoa solids) or milk chocolate into small pieces. Put 150ml (5fl oz) double cream and 75g (3oz) light brown sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and simmer for 1 minute, then cool for about 30 seconds. Pour the cream on to the chocolate a little at a time and mix well, working quickly until smooth and glossy. Don’t over-mix. Allow this chocolate ganache mixture to cool, then put it, covered, in the fridge for at least an hour or until fully set.

Remove from the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature – this will make it easier to handle. Sprinkle your hands with a little cocoa powder, then scoop out teaspoonfuls of the ganache and roll in your hands to make balls. Don’t take too long over this, as the chocolate mixture will begin to melt. For after-dinner nibbles, roll the truffles in cocoa powder, chopped almonds or desiccated coconut and store in the fridge. For Christmas pudding truffles, dust them with cocoa powder and decorate using white fondant icing shaped to look like snow. Use an icing pen to stick the fondant to the truffle. Finish with mini red Smarties for the berries and use green icing pens to draw on holly.
Make ahead You can prepare the ganache up to three days ahead or freeze it for up to a month.

Peppermint creams

Makes 40
Whisk 1 large egg white in a clean bowl until it forms stiff peaks. Add a few drops of peppermint essence and 400g (14oz) icing sugar and a few drops of green food colouring if you like, and mix until it combines to form a stiff paste. Dust your work surface, your hands and a rolling pin with icing sugar and roll out the paste to 5mm (¼ in) thick. Use small cutters to cut out shapes, place them on a tray or plate and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
MAKE AHEAD Make up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container.

Gingerbread stars

Makes 15-20

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3 and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Melt 130g (4¾ oz) butter, 100g (3½ oz) dark muscovado sugar and 6 tablespoons golden syrup in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat. Sift 350g (12oz) plain flour into a bowl with 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger and a good pinch of mixed spice. Pour the melted ingredients over the dry ingredients, stirring together to make a dough. Cover in clingfilm and place in the fridge to cool for 20-30 minutes. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of about 5mm (¼ in). Dip star-shaped biscuit cutters into flour before cutting the dough. Place the shapes on the baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes until light golden brown, then remove from the oven. (If hanging them from your tree, use a skewer or co*cktail stick to make holes in the warm biscuits to thread ribbon through.) When completely cool and hardened, finish with glacé icing and decorate. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

MAKE AHEAD Freeze the uncooked dough for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before rolling out.