HUNDREDS of visitors to the Priest's House Museum and Garden in Wimborne will be invited to stir up a little festive cheer next weekend.

The Victorian kitchen will be serving traditional Christmas pudding on Saturday, December 9 from 10am to 4pm.

The recipe 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 tsp of powdered allspice, ½ tsp of salt

It took five hours to make and would feed up to ten 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 a coal-fired range.

Admission to the museum is free. There is a charge of £1 per person to take part in the pudding stir (annual ticket not valid).

On the same day the museum will be holding a Community Fundraising Day to support its Revival Project. During the day, between 10am and 3pm visitors will have a unique opportunity to sponsor an object.

From December 11 to 23 (closed December 13 and Sundays), 10am to 4pm visitors will be able to celebrate the Christmas period with free admission to the museum. The museum’s period rooms will be transformed with traditional decorations. Seasonal refreshments will be available from the Garden Tea Room.

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