THE Victorian kitchen at the Priest’s House Museum and Garden in Wimborne will be brimming with the smells of Christmas Pudding on Saturday from 10.30am to 4pm.

Visitors are invited to take part in the annual Great Pudding Stir as the museum spreads a little festive cheer.

The recipe used is taken from the indispensable kitchen bible, Beeton’s Book of Household Management, edited by Mrs Isabella Beeton between 1859 and 1861.

The original recipe for ‘A Plain Christmas Pudding for Children’ contained: 1 lb. of flour, 1 lb. of bread crumbs, ¾ lb. of stoned raisins, ¾ lb. of currants, ¾ lb. of suet, 3 or 4 eggs, milk, 2 oz. of candied peel, 1 teaspoonful of powdered allspice, ½ teaspoonful of salt.

It took five hours to make and would feed nine or 10 children at an average cost of one shilling and ninepence. Today we add 8oz. of sugar to make it more palatable for our tastes.

Visitors will get a chance to stir a huge bowl of the dry mix and make a Christmas wish, before sampling the final product heated on our coal-fired range. Admission is adults £1.50 and children £1 (annual pass not valid for this event).

The museum, garden and tearoom are currently open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm, normal admission charge applies.

From December 8 to 23 Monday to Saturday (excluding this Saturday), visitors will be able to celebrate the Christmas period with free admission to the museum from 10am to 3pm.

The house and garden tearoom will be festively decorated.

For further information, please contact the museum on 01202 882533 or visit priest-house.co.uk