Turkey with all the trimmings, mulled wine, mince pies, and eggnog are just a few of the traditional food and drink items we might enjoy as Christmas approaches.
You might notice there’s one classic item missing from that list, and it’s all because it’s a dish that Brits aren’t so keen on these days.
The humble on December 25 and beyond, as many people no longer think it’s an essential part of the festivities.
According to a recent YouGov poll, almost 60% of adults (six in 10) who celebrate Christmas no longer think the pudding is important.
The research, commissioned by Royal Mint, also found that a key tradition involving the pudding was dying out, with only 4% of people still taking part in
A whopping 77% of the 2,140 people surveyed had never even heard of the tradition, which takes place on the last Sunday before Advent and sees families, or friends, coming together to prepare their Christmas Pudding in advance.
While the pudding and Stir-up Sunday weren’t deemed important, 13% of Brits said modern traditions like Elf on the Shelf were a must during the Christmas season, showing how times have changed.
Online attitudes towards Christmas pudding are also pretty negative, with many sharing their dislike of the dessert on Reddit. One user branded it ‘vile’, and several said they’d prefer a Christmas cake. Some also thought it was too ‘stodgy’ to consume after eating a large meal.
Others claimed they only ate it as a child to find money hidden inside of it.
Traditionally a sixpence was added to the pudding mix and cooked with it. The person who was served the slice containing it was said to then be blessed with good fortune for the next year.
This sixpence went out of circulation more than 50 years ago, but Royal Mint is bringing them back. They commissioned this poll to coincide with their move to create a more environmentally friendly sixpence, made from recycled silver.
They recently released 100 pieces, all of which have since sold out.
It’s not surprising that the pudding is the latest Christmas food to fall out of favour with Brits, as a number of items have been getting the boot over the last few years.
Ahead of Christmas 2023, it was revealed that Gen Z in particular weren’t keen on traditional Christmas dinners, and would be opting to eat a very different kind of meal on December 25.
Costa Coffee conducted a survey of 2,000 Brits and found that the younger generation is cheesed off with cheese boards, can’t stop moaning about mince pies and want to sack off the sprouts in favour of .
Along with their desire to change up their Christmas meal, Gen Z also has different preferences when it comes to Christmas drinks, with one-in-four wanting to sip on an iced coffee on Christmas day, instead of eggnog or Irish cream.
So what exactly will Gen Z be on the big day? Some want spag bol, while others will be ordering a takeaway, and a few are going to get adventurous by whipping up dishes from different cuisines.
Daniella Abbott, 21, told the researchers: ‘I’m so done with traditional Christmas dinners — turkey is the worst meat, Brussels sprouts can never be nice, and why would I eat a pudding that pretty much lasts for a year AND has raisins in?! It’s now at the point that I have suggested to my family that this year our Christmas dinner should be spaghetti bolognese.
Meanwhile, another survey respondent, who wished to be known only as Anna, didn’t believe that a roast dinner is *special* enough for a celebratory meal. The 24-year-old said: ‘I think Christmas dinner should feel much more special than any other meal of the year. Turkey with roast potatoes is just too similar to your usual Sunday roast, there’s no excitement in it for me.
‘I’d much rather have some fun food combos, dishes like glazed salmon or sticky-toffee pudding flavoured tiramisu.’
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