Is this Pakenham’s pudding queen? Rae Webster with some of her Christmas creations.By Paul Dunlop
RAE Webster says there is no magic about her puddings.
But one taste and — hey presto — it’s Christmas.
Mrs Webster has made her traditional plum puddings for 60 years.
Using a recipe cut from the pages of an old cookbook, the sweet treats have been a staple of festive celebrations for generations of her growing family.
Mrs Webster’s husband Ranald loves them and they also have a loyal following among the couple’s children and grandchildren.
Mrs Webster recently began offering her puddings for sale as a fundraiser for Pakenham Uniting Church after they were a huge hit at last year’s fete.
With four weeks to go until Christmas, she has already made more than 40 plum puddings and is preparing to make many more.
“I’ve used the same recipe for all the time I’ve been making puddings,” Mrs Webster said.
“The recipe is out of a very old cookbook. There is no magic to it or secret ingredient, just fruit, butter, breadcrumbs, golden syrup, flour and eggs.
“It’s all still in pounds and ounces so last year my youngest daughter weighed everything out again as I did it and wrote the recipe measurements up in metric for the grandchildren.”
Mrs Webster makes several puddings at a time in the kitchen of her and Ranald’s cosy home in James Street.
She boils the puddings for several hours in an old Fowlers preservative steriliser and rests them overnight. They are then ready to be re-heated and served.
Mrs Webster’s pudding will be served at the church’s Christmas lunch and at the organ club’s festive dinner.
They will keep for several months and can warm up a winter feast as easily as they brighten Christmas Day.
Mrs Webster said her family’s lunch still featured Ranald’s sixpences and threepences that were used to entice young mouths to eat their pudding in years past, but most food lovers need no such inducement.
Despite insisting there is nothing special about her puddings, Mrs Webster does admit to one extra flourish.
“Ran’s mum always made a delicious golden syrup sauce to go on the puddings so I put a little recipe for that to go with it. It’s great with custard, or cream or ice cream,” she said. Or all of the above.
People wishing to order a pudding can place orders on the noticeboard in the Uniting church foyer.
A $10 pudding serves six people.
Got a great Christmas recipe? Let us know at www.starnewsgroup.com.au or email paul.dunlop@starnewsgroup.com.au
