It's one of those odd but endearing traditions: finding a coin tucked inside your slice of Christmas pudding. You're told it brings luck for the year ahead, and everyone laughs nervously as they chew carefully, hoping not to crack a tooth on a surprise sixpence.

But where did this custom come from? Why did we start putting money in a dessert in the first place? And why is the tradition fading - or being reimagined - today?

Putting coins in Christmas pudding isn't just something I've researched. It's a tradition in my own family, passed down through generations - and more than 20 years ago it unexpectedly led me to make a set of silver pudding coins for my mum, which eventually became one of my most enduring - and unusual - products.

So let's take a stroll through the origins and meaning of this quirky Christmas custom. Along the way, we'll look at the history of Christmas pudding itself, and how you can still carry on the tradition safely and beautifully in a modern way.

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A Very Brief Primer on Christmas Pudding

If you grew up having Christmas pudding, you probably have strong feelings about it - especially if you were one of the lucky few to find a coin. But not everyone is familiar with this often dense, rich dessert that's typically steamed or boiled and packed with dried fruit, spices, and sometimes suet or alcohol.

Christmas pudding is traditionally served in parts of the world with strong British ties, including Australia, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. It's usually the finale to Christmas dinner, sometimes brought to the table with brandy set alight and often with a sprig of holly on top.

My family has always served our more simple pudding with an indulgent brandy cream sauce passed down from my grandmother. And if you're curious, I've shared our quick and easy Christmas pudding recipe that's perfect for reviving the tradition, even if you're short on time. This recipe has been in my family for generations - it's a little bit unusual, but a lot delicious.

From Pottage to Pudding: A Short History

Christmas pudding wasn't always a sweet dessert. In medieval times, it began as a savoury dish called pottage: a soupy mixture of meat, grains, and dried fruit. Over time it became thicker, richer, and sweeter - especially by the late 16th century when prunes and raisins took centre stage.

By the mid-1600s, the pudding was already a Christmas staple, but it briefly fell out of favour when Puritans in England outlawed most Christmas celebrations altogether. Thankfully pudding at Christmas made a comeback in the early 1700s.

It was during the Victorian era that Christmas pudding really settled into its current form. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were champions of Christmas traditions, and their influence helped cement the pudding as an essential part of the festive meal.

Stir-Up Sunday & Other Pudding Rituals

In many families, the pudding tradition starts before Christmas Day, often on what's known as Stir-Up Sunday, which is traditionally the last Sunday before Advent. This is when the pudding mixture is made, and everyone in the household is invited to take a turn stirring the bowl and making a secret wish. It's a moment of shared anticipation - and sometimes a bit of mess - that adds to the magic of the season.

In my own family, we usually make our pudding on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (we use a more simple recipe), but we still keep the ritual alive: everyone who is present gives the mixture a stir and makes a wish.

Why Put Coins in Christmas Pudding?

Adding coins or charms to Christmas pudding is a time-honoured tradition - and one of the most fun parts of serving it. Finding a coin in your slice is said to bring good luck, prosperity, or even love in the year ahead.

This custom has roots going back centuries. In medieval times, people sometimes baked small charms, silver rings or even a dried pea into festive cakes or puddings. The person who found the token might be crowned 'king' or 'queen' for the night, or just receive a good dose of luck.

Later it became common to use silver coins instead as the luck-bringing treasures (especially threepences and sixpences in Australia). Some families made sure everyone found one; others left it to fate. Either way, it added excitement and a bit of theatre to the end of Christmas dinner.

When base-metal coins replaced silver ones, the tradition began to disappear as modern coins aren't safe to put in food. But with the right genuine solid silver replacements, you can bring it back.

How Christmas Pudding Coins Became Part of My Jewellery Story

Christmas pudding coins have a surprisingly personal place in the history of my long career as an Australian jewellery maker.

My grandmother had a treasured set of old threepences and sixpences that our family used at Christmas. When those coins were eventually inherited by another family member, my mum found them difficult to replace and asked if I could make a special set for her instead.

I sourced a collection of vintage Christmas illustrations and used them to create six different silver coins for use in Mum's pudding. She showed them to other people, who began asking if I could make sets for their families too. Eventually I realised there was a market for them and added Christmas pudding coins to my range, along with our family pudding and brandy sauce recipes.

That was more than 20 years ago. The coins have evolved a little since then, but the idea is still essentially the same: six reusable silver pieces designed to help families continue an old Christmas tradition in their own way.

(Reading this on a website that isn't simonewalsh.com? Be aware that the content has been stolen, infringing the copyright of a small business. ABN: 65108844126)

Wrapping It Up

Christmas pudding is more than just dessert: it's a tradition rich with history, symbolism and shared joy.

Whether you're using an old family recipe or trying a quick and easy pudding like our own, adding a few silver coins is a simple way to bring a bit of magic and meaning to your Christmas table.

Looking for more festive season inspiration? Visit our handy Christmas Gift Guide, where you'll find gift ideas, handy articles to help get you through the season, and more besides.

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