Time to make the pudding - don't forget the sixpence

Christmas pudding is as much a part of the festive season as tinsel, trees and presents.

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This year Stir-Up Sunday, the time to make the dessert, falls on November 23.

Stir-Up Sunday marks the beginning of festive preparations and provides ample time for the Christmas pudding to mature before being served.

The tradition dates back to Victorian times when families would mix the pudding five weeks before Christmas.

Stirring the mixture from east to west is said to symbolise the journey of the Wise Men and some households hide coins or trinkets in the pudding, believed to bring good luck to whoever finds them.