Dating back to Victorian times, Stir-up Sunday is a British tradition that pinpoints the EXACT day to make your Christmas pudding. Each year, it falls on the last Sunday before Advent in the Christian calendar, so in 2025 that's Sunday 23 November.
The beauty of a Christmas pudding is that it needs time (and patience!) for its incredible flavours to mature, so making it a month in advance means it’ll be rich and full of gorgeously plump, flavoursome fruit by Christmas Day.
Stir-up Sunday is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season – so gather your nearest and dearest, grab a glass of mulled wine and fill your home with the aroma of festive spices!
Jamie’s favourite Christmas pud
Christmas pudding can be divisive – you either love its rich, fruity flavour or you…don't! Here at Jamie Oliver HQ, we can’t get enough of it, and Jamie has been making it for years. One of his favourite versions is based on his dear Nan’s recipe. It gives you a lighter result than the traditional, more dense pudding, so give it a go if you need to please a range of people.
MORE: Christmas pudding recipes
Stir-up Sunday traditions
- Stir-up Sunday gets its name from the Christian religion. “Stir up; we beseech thee, O Lord” is a prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. It’s used the Sunday before Advent, which then became associated with reminding churchgoers to stir up their plum pudding mixture.
- When you stir the mixture, make a wish for the year ahead. Stirring up all that fruit and flour can be hard graft, so gather your nearest and dearest – many hands make light work.
- The mixture should be stirred from East to West to honour the Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus in the Nativity.
- Adding silver coins or other charms to the mixture is said to bring good luck to whoever finds them once the pudding is served. Although it isn’t the safest of traditions as far as your teeth are concerned, so we’d recommend avoiding this one!
- Traditionally puddings would contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.
Get prepped: essential Stir-up Sunday equipment
To make your Christmas pudding dreams a reality, you'll need a few key pieces of kitchen kit.
For a truly elevated centrepiece, steam your pud in Jamie’s retro-inspired Big Love Proper Pudding Bowl. Made from durable (and beautiful) stoneware, it’s designed to help you create a perfect steamed pud with total ease.
Then, take your festive table to new heights by serving your masterpiece on the Showstopper Stand – it’s a thing of beauty.
For Stir-Up Sunday success, you’ll need:
- Jamie’s Big Love Proper Pudding Bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Scales
- Wooden spoon (for all that stirring and wishing)
- Steamer or a large pan with a tight-fitting lid
- Greaseproof paper and foil (to cover your pud)
- String or twine (to secure the cover)
- Your friends and family (you can’t stir alone!)
Get stirring: how to make a Christmas pud
Making a Christmas pudding generally involves bringing together a beautiful mix of dried fruits, spices, suet (or a vegetarian alternative), breadcrumbs, eggs, and a touch of booze – often brandy or stout. You’ll mix it all together, traditionally with everyone taking a turn to stir and make a wish, before steaming it for several hours. This long, slow cooking process is what creates a dark pudding that’s bursting with festive flavour, just like in his Joyful Christmas Pudding recipe.
Get ahead: how to store a Christmas pud
Make sure you carefully store your cooked Christmas pudding, so you don't run the risk of it going mouldy. Once you've steamed and it’s completely cooled, replace the greaseproof paper and tin foil with a fresh set and seal it super tightly, so it's airtight. Then store it in a cool, dry place (a hot steamy kitchen is not ideal) until you're ready to reheat it on Christmas Day. Happy stirring!
Now you know all about Stir-Up Sunday, check out more of our Christmas pudding inspiration, including the best recipes for...
- Gluten-free Christmas pudding
- Nut-free Christmas pudding
- Vegan Christmas pudding
- Plus, clever ways to transform leftover Christmas pudding into other festive, fabulous puds!
