Pudding Coins

In Brittan a traditional food to end the Christmas meal is a pudding. It is a sweet spicy boiled dense cake concoction that is served hot (sometimes served flaming with brandy) with custard or brandy butter etc.. Despite the fact that it is summer time in Australia many families eat Christmas Pudding too. Must be something about our country being colonised by the British and carrying on their traditions from home in this new land.

Now I don't actually like Christmas Pudding, it usually has dried orange peel in it (which I find quite revolting) and I can't really understand why anyone would want to eat a hot dessert when it is 41C outside.

What I do like is the idea of Pudding Coins, a rather old tradition where the discovery of a coin in your slice of Christmas Pudding is considered good luck and provides health, wealth and happiness to the discoverer. Coins used for this honoured Christmas custom are the pre-decimal sixpence and threepence and of course they must be Australian currency. I have always wanted a set of pudding coins. A few years ago the Mint decided to not continue making these available for sale. But last week I decided to go on line and see if I could find some.

The Australian mint had none in stock, the Perth Mint  had them for $29.95 for a set of nine coins. I found them in Queensland and they were just $12 for a set of ten coins (I purchased 2 sets). They didn't come in a cute red bag but were $17 cheaper and I have lots of little bags to keep them in anyway.

Now I just need to find a pudding recipe I like perhaps this site will have something nice.