Christmas pudding, the cherished festive centrepiece dessert, is at risk of disappearing from our dinner tables in the next 10 years with nearly 1 in 2 Gen Z shoppers admitting they don’t like it, or worse, haven’t even ever tried the traditional dessert.
A new survey commissioned by Co-op reveals two thirds (66%) of Gen Z shoppers aged between 18 – 28 believe that Christmas Pudding is just for older people and therefore it is at risk of becoming a thing of the past as future generations age and turn away from the tradition.
The origins of Christmas Pudding, which dates to medieval England is made with dried fruits, spices and suet, and traditionally featured a ritual of stirring in a sixpence coin for luck.
However, in recent years it has fallen out of favour, particularly with younger generations, with the ‘distinctive taste’ and “heaviness” of the dessert, the top reasons why people dislike it.
But is it really a Christmas dinner without a Christmas pudding? Families admit that when they do offer Christmas Pudding it’s usually for just for one person in the household (55%), often left uneaten or wasted (50%) and is mostly brought out for show (51%).
As a result, nearly one in four no longer serve it on the big day, with Chocolatey or Creamy Desserts Like Cheesecake or Chocolate Yule Log offered instead.
Not all is lost though:
Three quarters (75%) of Baby Boomers and over half (56%) of Gen X-ers still loving Christmas pudding, and research highlighting the vital role family tradition and nostalgia plays in preserving the legacy of traditional festive food like Christmas Pudding.
In fact, 49% of those of us who experienced traditional Christmas food growing up, more likely to continue enjoying it as adults – underscoring the importance of passing down festive customs to future generations
Respondents also said they’d be willing to retry Christmas Pudding if the recipe was changed slightly or served slightly differently – including 54% of Gen Z shoppers.
In response, the convenience retailer’s innovation Chef has come up with ways to reinvent the Christmas Pudding to save it for future generations.
Dai Llewellyn, Co-op’s Innovation Chef, said: “The Christmas pudding has long been an important part of the nation’s festive feasts, symbolising family togetherness and tradition. However, our research shows our love hate relationship with this iconic British dessert highlights the risk of it fading from our dinner tables in the future but by making a few simple changes, we may be able to preserve its legacy for future generations.
“My top, simple ways to reinvent the Christmas Pudding:
- Christmas pudding cheesecake – Use crumbled up Christmas puddings into a cheesecake mix, create a ginger biscuit base.
- Pudding Bites – Break the Christmas pudding into chunks then roll into balls, dip them in a light batter then fry until crisp sere with a custard pot for dipping
- Christmas pudding strudel – Break up the Christmas pudding and wrap up in filo pastry. Brush with butter then bake until golden, serve with apple sauce and vanilla ice cream.
- Christmas pudding ice-cream – Use the Christmas pudding to create a festive ice cream by mashing it up then mixing it through vanilla ice cream to create a festive side treat to a warm mince pie or chocolate cake.
- If you want to change up the traditional and your making from scratch, take a more sticky toffee approach by adding in chopped dates, brown sugar and cinnamon or I like to create a spiced apple and caramel version with flecks of vanilla so a certain crowd please.
“Christmas puddings now come in a range of shapes and sizes so sometimes a small one can offer people a nibble without the fear of heaviness after the main meal whilst also keeping the tradition alive.”
