Events & Entertainment, Wimborne | Posted on November 25th, 2025 | return to news

Stirring opportunity at Museum of East Dorset

Join the Great Christmas Pudding Stir at the Museum of East Dorset on Saturday 13 December, the day of the Christmas parade.

As well as enjoying the Save the Children Christmas parade on Saturday 13 December, people are invited to join the Great Christmas Pudding Stir at the Museum of East Dorset.

The recipe is taken from ‘Beeton’s Book of Household Management’, edited by Isabella Beeton between 1859 and 1861. It took five hours to make and would feed nine or 10 children at an average cost of one shilling and ninepence.

Visitors to the museum in Wimborne Minster are invited to stir in the ingredients and make a wish.

Christmas pudding began as a medieval porridge, evolved into plum pudding and then became a Victorian festive staple.

The dish became firmly established as a Christmas tradition in the 19th century, thanks to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who embraced festive celebrations with gusto.

Cookery writer Eliza Acton published the first recipe specifically called ‘Christmas pudding’ in 1845, cementing its identity as the centrepiece of Christmas dinner.

Charles Dickens also helped popularise it through his writings, linking the pudding with the Victorian image of Christmas. Today, it remains a beloved tradition, rich with symbolism, history, and the flavours of dried fruit, spice and brandy.

The Christmas parade will finish at the museum at 3.30pm.

Leading the celebrations, the Mayor of Wimborne and Father Christmas will guide the children through the museum to the Christmas grotto in the Garden Room. Entrance to the grotto will be free for those arriving with the parade and each child will receive a free, small gift.

Normal museum admission fees apply for all other visitors.

To find out more visit www.museumofeastdorset.co.uk.