Christmas - 100 years ago

Bush Christmas 100 years ago:

From Sunday Times (Perth) 3 December 1911 - Below we give the recipe for Bush Christmas Pudding, which was printed before in our issue of October 22:-

1 lb. flour

1 lb stale bread soaked

1 lb raisins stoned,

1lb currants

1 packet mixed spice

½ lb beef or mutton suet finely chopped,

½ Ib. dripping

1 cup black treacle

1 lb darkest sugar you can get

8 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder,

2 teaspoons salt

If eggs cannot be got you must use double quantity of the baking powder. –

Mix all the ingredients into a moist dough with milk or water, and boil in a cloth which has been dipped in hot water, then in cold, and then sprinkled with flour. Do not tie it too tightly, as it will swell a little. - Be sure the water is boiling hard be fore you put the pudding into the pot, and first put in a plate or saucer for the pudding to rest on, or it will burn to the bottom. The longer you cook it the better and richer it will look. If you can let it boil all day and then hang it up somewhere to drain, and put it on again in boiling water for an hour or two on the day you wish to eat it that win be enough. Remember that the water must not stop boiling at an. Keep a kettle of boiling water ready to fill up as it boils away; and when you dish it up first plunge the padding into a bucket of cold water for a second. This will prevent the cloth from sticking. Kerosene tin will do as well as anything else to boil the pudding in, especially if you can find something to form a lid, say a bit of board or tin.

Menu for Christmas Dinner for 10 in 1911. For the recipes see the Sunday Times 17 December 1911. Cost in 1911 £1/18/6d!

MENU

Carrot Soup

Boiled Fish and white sauce

ENTREE

Stuffed Tomatoes

POULTRY

Roast Duck and Apple Sauce

JOINTS

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Ox Tongue and Ham

SAVORY

Macaroni Cheese

PUDDING AND SWEETS

Plum Pudding and Brandy Sauce

Banana Cream

Pineapple Jelly

DESSERT

Almonds and Raisins. All fruit in season