Kate Green talks to Wizz Gambier, the woman who lives and breathes Christmas puddings, in our series on the people who make Christmas in the country the joy it is.
Wizz Gambier was living in Tasmania and facing an impecunious festive season when she decided to rescue her finances by selling marmalade and Christmas puddings at fairs, made to old family recipes faxed over by her mother. The one for marmalade dates to 1849, since when generations of the Gambier family have used the original — very sharp — knife to cut the peel.
Back in the 19th century, they lived in the Bahamas and would have a particular species of orange tree from Kew sent by sea; today’s jars, made by Ms Gambier’s company, Plum Duff & Stuff (she wanted to call it Up the Duff, as she was pregnant at the time of the launch), are labelled with a picture of that same fruit. ‘The marmalade recipe was amazing, but the original Christmas pudding was horrific: a lot of breadcrumbs, flour and mixed peel — revolting — with cone sugar and beef suet, but that’s what they were like in those days,’ says Ms Gambier.
During her first year back in England, she made 50 puddings; now, it’s nearly 5,000 a year, all from a delicious-smelling, tiny unit within a barn in the Quantock village of Bagborough, west Somerset; she even takes calls on Christmas Day. The puddings, which have won Great Taste awards and came third in a Country Life taste-off in 2016, are individually handmade, using no plastic: ‘I find the use of plastic in cooking a strange thing to do, you end up with a chemical transfer.’ They serve from three to 16 people and come in vegan, gluten-free and diabetic-friendly iterations. ‘People ask me why I bother to make all these versions, but I’m determined to keep the tradition going,’ she explains. ‘I don’t want people with dietary preferences to be barred from eating Christmas pudding. I want everyone to eat it — I love the historical tradition of it.’
Ms Gambier’s late parents were very much involved; they grew fruit organically for the preserves, her father kept bees for honey and her mother cut the calico and designed the pudding labels. Now, her daughter, Robyn, assists her, and sons Angus and Sid will come on market days. It helps that the family adores Christmas pudding in all forms; Ms Gambier even makes a turkey stuffing with it, as well as frying it on Boxing Day. ‘If you’re going to make something, you’ve got to love it,’ she says.
Christmas treat ‘As a family, we love games, crackers with bells — anything noisy. Dad would wave a “speaking stick” to shut us all up because we’re very loud.’
www.plumduffandstuff.co.uk
This piece is extracted from an article in Country Life’s 2024 Christmas double issue — see what else is inside and order a copy here
