Birds Brandy Flavour Sauce - 465g

Brandy sauce sits alongside custard and cream in the great British argument over what goes on the pudding. In a lot of houses the Christmas answer is brandy sauce, and Birds is the name on the pack in plenty of those cupboards.

You can make most of a Christmas dinner from scratch over here. What people go looking for is the taste they remember from their nan's table, and for a good many expats that taste is this one.

The pack is 465g, which is a fair bit of sauce: enough for the big day and the Boxing Day leftovers. Keep it in a cool, dry cupboard and follow the instructions on the pack. Pour it warm over Christmas pudding, mince pies, or a slab of fruit cake eaten standing at the fridge when nobody is watching.

Birds is the custard family, so the custard often ends up in the basket too, for the relative who insists on it. Add a Christmas pudding and you settle the argument by serving both.