After years of it being overtaken in popularity by other dishes such as panettone, this British festive classic has now seen a resurgence especially among younger shoppers who enjoy its fruity taste
A traditional festive dish is making a comeback among British shoppers after years of dwindling sales.
But Tesco has now predicted that purchases of Christmas pudding will rise for the first time in more than 10 years. It comes as sales of the dessert were up 20% last week compared with the same period last year.
This is believed to be down to the popularity of Italian panettone, for example Waitrose said in 2023 that demand for the former was up 40% on 2022 and was outselling Christmas pudding. Tesco said the booming demand for panettone was now inspiring younger consumers to try other fruit-based desserts for Christmas.
Jordan Blandford, Tesco’s Christmas puddings buyer, said: “For centuries the Christmas pudding ruled supreme and was unchallenged as the nation’s favourite festive dessert. But about ten years ago we noticed a demand for seasonal sponges brought on because younger people, aged under 40, didn’t favour the heavier fruited puddings.While sponges have continued to be popular, it’s interesting to note that on the back of surging demand for the fruited panettone we are seeing a slight revival for traditional puddings compared to the last few years.”
However, the dish has got pricier. Recent data from NetVoucherCodes has found the average cost of a 400g Christmas pudding in supermarkets is now £3.37 compared to £3.25 – a 7% year-on-year rise.
The Christmas pudding has its origins in medieval England, with early recipes making use of dried fruit, suet, breadcrumbs, flour, eggs and spice, along with liquid such as milk or fortified wine. In 1845, cookery writer Eliza Acton wrote the first recipe for a dish called “Christmas pudding” and it soon became a staple in Victorian England.
In recent years there have been innovations such as microwaveable puddings and single-portion ones – in 2015 Tesco said demand for the latter had overtaken family-sized versions for the first time. It said this showed that older members of the family preferred the traditional dessert while younger people were going for other dishes such as sponges.
