Gorgeous Christmas Puddings

With Christmas just around the corner, we've been turning our attention to festive food, and in particular, Christmas puddings!

In advance of Stir-up Sunday this weekend, we asked Jo Evans from luxury handmade Christmas pudding company Figgy’s Puddings to tell us her favourite things about Christmas and the inspiration behind the company.  

What inspired you start Figgy's Puddings? 
My husband and I always fancied working for ourselves, so we could escape the rat-race and spend time together doing something we enjoy. We spent a lot of time day-dreaming, but didn’t really have any idea what kind of business we wanted to start up. We’ve always loved food, and enjoyed making things the old-fashioned way; taking time to enjoy the process of creating something, rather than just rushing to cook and eat something as fast as possible, simply as a means to an end. Of course, the answer to our day-dreaming was looking us in the face (through clouds of steam). Our wonderful homemade Christmas Puddings offered everything we were looking for in a business.

What do you love most about what you do? 
I’m sat writing this while my little boy looks out the window for fireworks (it doesn’t seem to matter to him that it’s the middle of the day and pouring with rain!). I thrive on the work-life chaos that has come to rule our lives since we started working for ourselves. Most people who run their own business will tell you, they don’t do it for the money, they do it for the freedom. That’s definitely the case with us.

What is your favourite thing about Christmas? (now and as a child). 
These days it’s food, wine and a log fire! In my house, we all love good food – making it as well as eating it. Christmas means more time for relaxing in the kitchen, making and eating something delicious, before piling onto the sofa together in front of the fire, and a classic film. As a child it was much the same (although, on the food side, it was more about the chocolate than the Christmas dinner!

Do your children help you stir the Christmas puddings? 
These days, when we make our Christmas Puddings, we use a big mixer instead of a wooden spoon (we’ve nick-named it “Grandma”!). However, we still get the kids involved when we’re making a small batch to try out new ingredients or such like. It’s great to maintain the old traditions and encourage a love of food in our children. 

What's on your Christmas wishlist? 
I haven’t made one yet! We keep joking that we should reschedule our Christmas celebrations to the middle of January because our business leaves us no time to prepare for the big day ourselves! On Christmas Eve we have a big sort out, put away all the business stuff, put up the decorations and collapse in a heap!

What's next for Figgy's puddings? 
We keep making more Christmas Puddings each year, and always sell out, so we’ll just keep going as we are for now. We like the work/life balance we have at the moment!

What would you have both done in another life? 
When I was a teenager I wanted to be an actress and travel the world. I think I prefer the simpler life I have now! Richie says he’d be a brewer and own a self-sufficient small-holding. I don’t know if that counts as ‘another life’ though because that’s probably what he’ll end up doing eventually anyway!

Richie and Jo Evans live in Exeter, Devon.  Their award winning homemade Christmas Puddings are matured and steamed in beautiful Mason Cash ceramic bowls, allowing the flavours to develop to their full potential.  Their puddings are available to order online from their website - prices start from just £10.

ilovegorgeous have 5 of Figgy's traditional Christmas Puddings to give away, the perfect yummy finale to any Christmas dinner! We love eating ours with a large serving of brandy butter, but how do you serve yours on Christmas day?  Simply let us know by posting on our Facebook page for a chance to win!