Setting Christmas Pud Alight...

[Bluestone]

What do you put on Christmas pudding to set it alight?

Is it brandy or whiskey?

[aelmpvw]

brandy in our house

[Bluestone]

I was thinking brandy, but I was wondering if I could just use the whiskey I have here. Save me buying brandy - which I don't drink.

[coccinelle]

You can use any drink high in alcohol content. If you like whiskey then use that. Personally, I prefer rum.

[ethandron]

Coccinelle is right, any spirit will do. And don't forget to put the spirit in a metal ladle, ignite it in that and then pour the flaming liquid over the pud.
(hi coccinelle, how's things?) eth x

[coccinelle]

Hi ethandron! Doing OK, not the best time of year, though. Having a French Xmas this year so no Christmas Pudding!!

[Bluestone]

Oh! Thanks for that. I would never have known about the metal ladle bit. I was just going to pour it over the pud and set that alight.

Ta :-)

[humbersloop]

get the ladle as hot as you can before you put the alcohol in, it helps to ignite it because it starts to release the vapours

[coccinelle]

The reason you need to use the ladle is because the spirit has to be warm to light. Sometimes the pudding is hot enough to warm the spirit but sometimes not!! So to be on the safe side, heat the ladle (this can be done in hot water but dry it well) and then pour the spirit on the pudding and light or as ethandron says ignite the spirit in the ladle.

[coccinelle]

humbersloop I was typing as you answered!

[Bluestone]

That's brilliant. Thank you all :-)

It sounds a bit dangerous. Nothing can go wrong... right? :/

[coccinelle]

No! Don't do what some people do and heat the ladle with the spirit in it over the gas hob; instant flames guaranteed!!

[FredPuli43]

No, nothing can go really wrong, but I did wish. last year, that nobody had let the budgie out of its cage..

[humbersloop]

my turn to type there coccinelle :o)

[Bluestone]

Well that's what I thought. Common sense told me that a ladle full of alcohol, over the hob, was not a clever idea :-)

lol. My budgie would fly straight into it!