In between bringing a taste of Irish hospitality to the Irish Pavillions at the Volvo Ocean Race ports of Alicante and Cape Town, Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh has already begin mixing and cooking the 1,000 Christmas puddings he will sell between now and December 25th.
"The secret to a good cake or pudding is to use the best ingredients and not to overcook it," says Ward, who imports his candied and glacé fruits from Spain, France, Italy, Australia and South Africa. A typical Country Choice pudding will be studded with black amarena cherries, thin slices of juicy orange and lemon peel, and a mixture of raisins, currants and sultanas - "it's most important to get a balance of flavour, sweet and tart". If you don't like lemon peel, substitute glacé pears or melons, Ward suggests. "And the sugar and almonds used are just as important as the fruit," he says. "If your recipe uses ground almonds, make sure they're as fresh as possible."
You can order everything you'll need to make your pudding by telephoning Country Choice on 067-32596 or e-mailing info@countrychoice.ie
Otherwise, a family-sized pudding, readymade, costs €29, plus delivery charges.
The logistics of shipping ingredients and puddings worldwide are nothing to Ward, who transported the Irish organic produce - including Bramley apples from his own garden for the apple crumbles - to Alicante for the media events the Good Food Ireland Pavillion hosted at the start of the Volvo race. Next stop Cape Town, where once again Irish produce will be showcased by Tourism Ireland at the race stopover. The ingredients have all been sent on, including, Ward says, "a diplomatic bag", stuffed with country butter for the feast.
See www.countrychoice.ie.
Marie-Claire Digby