The pudding club
Making Christmas puddings from scratch can be a fiddly process. Not only is this seasonal dish labour intensive, it also requires forward planning well ahead of the festive period
Coupled with this comes the problem of storage and the likelihood that home-made puddings will take up several months of valuable space.
Healthy eating trends have also taken their toll on this market. Nowadays roast turkey and all the trimmings are just as likely to be followed by a light dessert as a traditional Christmas pudding.
Faced with these difficulties many caterers are understandably reluctant to put time and effort into a product which is chosen by a declining number of diners. At this point the viability of the commercial product comes into play.
The tasters who gathered on a hot summer's day at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre had all made their own puddings at some stage in their career, but now for the most part favoured buying in.
Some were in the process of planning their Christmas menus but had decided to postpone their choice of pudding until after the Caterer & Hotelkeeper tasting.
The tasters
Peter Griffiths, head chef De Vere Manor Hotel, Meriden, West Midlands and Salon Culinaire director, Fast Food Fair, World of Hospitality and Hospitality Week
Last year the De Vere Manor served around 3,000 portions of Christmas pudding during December. All Christmas menus throughout the month carry an alternative sweet to Christmas pudding. Griffiths believes it is not viable to make his own puddings when good-quality commercial alternatives are available. He favours the Matthew Walker product bought through nominated supplier Nuttalls. (Griffiths rated the Matthew Walker luxury product highly during blind tasting).
Steve Brogan, head chef, Selly Oak Hospital, Selly Oak, Birmingham
Brogan still favours making his own puddings at this 350-bed hospital. In the week before Christmas, staff consume about 250 puddings over three days. Patients are served pudding on Christmas Day only. However, with changes to the health system in Birmingham and more staff cuts on the horizon, Brogan anticipates having to buy in products such as Christmas puddings in the near future.
Jonathan Price, product development manager, Homepride Foods
Price has crossed the divide from chef to product development and now exercises his skills on sauces. Formerly second chef at the Arundel House Hotel in Cambridge, he now looks at bringing more fresh ingredients and added taste to commercial products. Prior to the tasting Price's view of puddings on the market was that many lacked moisture.
Bill Brogan, catering manager, catering marine division South-east, Sutcliffe Catering
Brogan is responsible for catering on six ships taking primarily cargo across the Irish Sea. Some six thousand covers are achieved per month per ship. Last year puddings were bought from Booker Fitch. Brogan intends to buy in again for 1994 but to make his own puddings for Christmas 1995. He plans to make a lighter pudding using sago and buttermilk.
Darryl Thomson, catering manager, Bass Taverns
Thomson co-ordinates marketing activity for Bass Taverns' 1,050 unbranded outlets. Last year all outlets saw a decline in Christmas pudding sales but some 500,000 portions were still sold across unbranded outlets and the Toby operation.
Peter Cooper, centre core catering manager, NEC, Birmingham
Cooper buys in most of his Christmas puddings for an operation which ranges from self-service to à la carte to private suites. He prefers a traditional round pudding because it is easier to portion control than a loaf. Cooper's preferred supplier is Matthew Walker. (Cooper rated the Matthew Walker luxury product highly during blind tasting).
Brief
The brief was to taste Christmas puddings without accompaniments. The following companies submitted products for testing:
V Benoist, Pettigrews of Scotland, Brake Bros (Irchester Grange)
Matthew Walker (luxury and traditional products), Countrywide Catering Distributors (Country Range),
Saxby's, Booker Cash & Carry
Methodology
Products were all steamed according to manufacturers instructions. Tasters were asked to rate the products on different aspects. So that no particular significance was attached to any one product, puddings were tasted in random order.
Puddings were assessed on the following criteria:
Eye appeal. Tasters were looking for a dark, rich colour and a pudding that glistened for instant appeal.
Smell. Was the pudding rich and fruity and able to cut through a full stomach of turkey and trimmings?
Texture. Tasters wanted evidence of a loose, open texture that would break easily when cut with a spoon or fork, but not so loose that it would not portion well.
Moisture. Had the manufacturer achieved the right balance, neither too dry nor too sticky?
Sweetness. Christmas pudding is traditionally a sweet pudding with all the fruits in it but it should not be sickly sweet through added sugars. Again tasters were looking for a good balance.
Fruit content. Did the puddings have recognisable whole fruits? Broken fruit or pulp could be a sign of poor manufacture.
Overall impression. Tasters were asked to judge the pudding overall not by home-made standards but by their experience and expectation of a manufactured pudding.
The results
Matthew Walker, Luxury Christmas Pudding (round). Portion cost: 30p. Verdict: commended
This was top of the puddings for the tasters. They favoured its traditional round shape, with plenty of visible fruit. Moisture was spot-on, with one judge reporting: "The fruit oozed with flavour." Balance of fruit and pudding was also just right. It narrowly missed out on a five-star award because of its appearance, which although appetising, needed to have a little more shine. Most of the judges agreed they would buy this pudding.
V Benoist, Traditional Christmas Pudding (round). Portion cost: 36p. Verdict:
The judges praised this pudding, saying it looked home-made and moist. It portioned well, suggesting that the right texture had been achieved and was not too sticky. It was perhaps a little sweet, suggested one judge, but had good fruit content which achieved a good overall balance.
Pettigrews of Scotland, Rich Traditional Catering Pack (log). Portion cost: 31p. Verdict: *
The judges liked the fruity appearance of this product but had mixed opinions about its colour which was felt to be rather light. Although the overall flavour was found to be of an acceptable quality, portioning proved a problem. The pudding was so crumbly that it was extremely difficult to cut accurately, leaving a substantial amount of waste. The judges suggested this was probably because it contained too much fruit.
Countrywide Catering Distributors, Christmas Pudding (log). Portion cost: about 35p Verdict: *
This product won universal praise for its colour and a good size and shape which was thought to be ideal for large banquets. The smell was rich, fruity and sweet but needed to be more alcoholic, the judges decided. The texture, however, was a bit sticky. A little more citrus would enhance the overall product, it was decided.
Matthew Walker, Traditional Christmas Pudding, (log). Portion cost: 26p. Verdict: *
This pudding held together well and portioned well, but was thought by some of the judges to be too light in colour and lacking in glisten. The balance between fruit and sugar was good and our tasters decided that overall it was of an acceptable quality and good value for money.
Booker Cash & Carry, Chef's Larder (log). Portion cost: 21p.Verdict: *
This had a pleasing eye appeal with one judge describing it as the best-looking log. It needed, however, to glisten more. It had a rich alcoholic aroma which the judges liked. Where it fell down was on moisture, with all the judges deciding that it was too dry. Consequently it was rather crumbly and fell apart too easily. At 21p per portion it would be a good buy for caterers buying on price alone.
Brake Bros, Irchester Grange, Christmas Pudding Loaf. Portion cost: 37p. Verdict:
Although they liked the fact that the pudding glistened, the judges felt this product was too dark. It had an aroma which did not lend itself to a traditional pudding. It also needed more fruit, commented several judges.
Saxby's, Christmas Pudding, (log). Portion cost: 30p. Verdict:
The judges liked the healthy glisten of this product but overall wondered whether it was too dark. They also experienced problems in the serving. It did not portion particularly well and crumbled too easily,0 suggesting that the balance of fruit to pudding might need to be addressed. The fruit was broken, which the judges did not particularly favour.
Star ratings explained:
* outstanding
very good
* good
quite good
\* needs improvement
