Christmas Pudding in Canada: How to Heat It, Serve It, and Set It on Fire (Safely)
It looks like a cannonball.
A small, dark, faintly sticky cannonball in a pudding basin. It is also the reason somebody at Christmas dinner will say they could not possibly eat another thing, then ask for a slice and an unreasonable amount of custard.
If you are looking for Christmas pudding in Canada, start with our Christmas cakes and puddings. Matthew Walker's Classic, Luxury and Gluten Free puddings are on their way to us, with an expected arrival of 10 November. They are coming soon, rather than sitting on the shelf today. The individual product pages show the latest status. See the incoming Matthew Walker range.
Find your bit of pudding
What a Christmas pudding actually is
First, a translation. In Britain, pudding can mean the entire dessert course. Ask what is for pudding and the answer might be crumble, ice cream or a yoghurt somebody has found at the back of the fridge. At Christmas, though, the pudding usually means this particular dark dome.
It is a rich steamed dessert made with dried fruit and warm spices. Traditional recipes often include breadcrumbs, suet and a spirit such as brandy, although ingredients vary between makers and ranges. Cut into one and you get a dense, fruity slice, ready for something creamy to be poured over it.
It is not supposed to be a light sponge. A modest slice after Christmas dinner can do quite a lot of work. If somebody asks for a tiny piece and half the jug of custard, they have understood the assignment.
Is it just fruitcake with a different name?
No. They share dried fruit, but fruitcake is baked and generally served in slices at room temperature. Christmas pudding is steamed and usually served warm, with custard, cream or brandy butter. A ready-made pudding has already been cooked; the job on Christmas Day is to heat it according to its own instructions.
If the Canadian in your house has sworn off fruitcake, give the pudding a separate hearing. Preferably with custard. It deserves proper representation.
Matthew Walker: choose the pudding for your table
The name on the basin has been around for a while. Matthew Walker's own history dates the business to Derby in 1899, and its pudding-making home has been in Heanor, Derbyshire, since 1967.
Our incoming order gives you a choice between a pudding of your own and one to put in the middle of the table. The Classic comes in three sizes:
- Classic 100g: the small one, useful when one person wants Christmas pudding and everybody else has voted for trifle.
- Classic 400g: a sharing pudding without committing the whole household to leftovers.
- Classic 800g: the larger choice when pudding has a proper following at the table.
There is also Matthew Walker Luxury in the sharing size, and an individual Matthew Walker Gluten Free pudding. These are separate recipes, so check the exact product's current ingredients and allergen information when choosing for somebody with dietary requirements.
How far a sharing pudding goes depends on how you serve it. There is a difference between pudding after the biggest dinner of the year and pudding as the main reason everyone came round. Nobody needs to calculate Christmas dessert to three decimal places.
How do I heat a Christmas pudding?
Start with the instructions on the wrapper and basin of the pudding you actually bought. A microwave time for a small individual pudding is not a microwave time for the large one, and packaging matters too. This is one occasion when the side of the pack earns its keep.
Ready-made puddings may allow microwaving, steaming or both. Follow the method, preparation, power, cooking time and standing time stated for that exact pudding. Do not put foil in a microwave, assume every plastic basin is suitable for every appliance, or borrow a timing from a different size online.
- Microwaving: remove or prepare the outer packaging and lid exactly as directed, use the stated power and give it the specified standing time.
- Steaming: use the equipment and water level the pack directs, keep an eye on the pan and do not let it boil dry.
- Turning it out: handle the hot basin with oven gloves and take care with escaping steam. Keep the serving plate ready before the pudding is hot.
There is no shame in choosing the microwave when every hob ring is occupied. The pudding is not conducting a performance review of the cook.
Custard, cream or brandy butter?
All three have their supporters. Custard turns a small slice into a proper bowl of pudding. Cream keeps things simple. Brandy butter goes on cold and melts over the hot fruit, which is a perfectly reasonable thing to arrange for yourself on Christmas Day.
If you want to make a jug of custard, Bird's Custard Powder is the familiar cupboard route. Ambrosia Devon Custard is the ready-made option when the saucepan situation is getting out of hand. Follow the label for preparing or warming either one.
Brandy butter is a sweet butter made with brandy, served in a spoonful rather than poured from a jug. Let it melt into a warm slice. If you want both that and custard, nobody here is taking names.
The bit with the flame
A flame is optional. Christmas pudding does not become less legitimate because you serve it under custard with all the lights on.
If you want the ceremony, follow a trusted recipe's lighting method, such as Good Food's classic Christmas pudding, rather than improvising with a bottle at the table. Have the hot pudding on a stable, heatproof serving dish before you begin, clear decorations and paper away, and keep children back. An adult should handle the spirit and lighting.
One firm rule from Rouxbe's culinary safety guidance: never pour spirits straight from a bottle towards heat or a flame. Measure separately, keep the bottle well away, and have a suitable lid and fire extinguisher available. Do not carry a burning pudding through the room. Let the flame go out completely before cutting or serving.
If any of that sounds like more excitement than dinner needs, leave it out. The custard was going to steal the show anyway.
Stir-up Sunday, or letting somebody else wash the basin
Stir-up Sunday is the traditional pudding-making Sunday before Advent. In 2026 it falls on 22 November. Debrett's account of the tradition connects the name with the old church collect and the custom of stirring the mixture before Christmas.
If you are making your own, our British Christmas baking guide helps with the cupboard ingredients. If you are buying one ready-made, somebody else has already done the mixing and the washing-up. Both routes end with pudding.
Questions people ask us
Where can I buy Christmas pudding in Canada?
Check our Christmas cakes and puddings range and the Matthew Walker links above. Our shop is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and groceries travel to Canadian addresses. The shipping policy has the current dispatch information and provincial rates.
Are the Matthew Walker puddings in stock?
They are coming soon, with this delivery expected on 10 November. Check the individual product page for the latest status before planning an order; an expected stock arrival is not a promised delivery date to your home.
How long should I microwave my pudding?
Use the time, power and standing instructions printed on that exact pudding. Different sizes and recipes need different timings, so a single number for every Christmas pudding would not be useful.
Do you have a gluten-free Christmas pudding coming?
Yes, the individual Matthew Walker Gluten Free pudding is included in the incoming range. Its product page has its own details. Check all the ingredients and allergen information relevant to the person eating it, rather than assuming a gluten-free recipe is free from every other allergen too.
How long does Christmas pudding keep?
Use the best-before date and storage instructions on the exact pack. Once opened or heated, follow that maker's guidance for leftovers, including any refrigeration, freezing and reheating directions. A homemade recipe and a sealed shop-bought pudding do not automatically have the same storage life.
Does Christmas pudding have to be set alight?
No. Heat it as directed, turn it out and serve it with whatever your table likes. The flame is a tradition, not an entrance requirement.
Choose the pudding, put the custard on the list, and leave enough room for a slice. Or say you could not possibly manage one, then have one anyway. That is fairly traditional too.