Christmas Delights: Your Guide to Festive Sweet Treats

As we gear up for the festive season, anticipation builds for the culinary highlight of the year—the Christmas feast! With our app poised for imminent launch in Wiltshire, we're delighted to present a thoughtfully curated guide showcasing some of the finest small-batch Christmas dessert producers in the region - and slightly further afield.

Prepare to satiate your sweet cravings with the quintessential stars of the festive dessert table—the Christmas pudding and the Christmas cake. These delights, destined to grace millions of tables on 25th December, traditionally presented with flaming brandy or adorned with marzipan and a delightful array of festive figurines, await to add a touch of magic to your celebrations…

Little Bag of Herbs Nestled in the shadow of Basset Down outside Wroughton, Little Bag of Herbs is a haven for preservation enthusiasts. Utilising the finest natural seasonal produce—whether homegrown or locally sourced—their array of preserves, spanning teas, chillies, and fruits, is lovingly crafted in small batches through traditional open-pot methods.

As a once-a-year treat, Little Bag of Herbs unveils their Homemade Traditional Plum Pudding. Meticulously handmade in small batches, this customer favourite follows a cherished family recipe, with a minor sustainable twist by substituting beef suet with vegetarian suet. The ingredients include local organic free-range eggs, dark brown sugar, citrus fruits, mixed spices, Stout, barley wine, brandy & Dark Spiced Rum. Steamed to perfection and elegantly presented in a traditional mason bowl, each pudding comes with a lucky sixpence, adding a touch of whimsy to your serving ritual. Priced at £14.50, with a minimum weight of 450g, this pudding is a delightful centrepiece suitable for 4-6 people. Kimmi’s Cakes Based in Cheney Manor on the outskirts of Swindon, Kimmi’s Cakes offer a wide variety of styles, honed over two decades, and are dedicated to crafting the perfect cake for special occasions. Their Christmas shop is now live on their website, where they’re offering everything from Artisan Shortbread Advent Calendars to Giant Hot Chocolate Bombs. It’s their Luxury Fruit Cake Slice that really piques our interest, though.

A perfectly matured, all-butter fruit cake with plump vine fruits, glacé cherries and nibbed almonds, laced with brandy. The 7.5"x 2.5" approx. slice of luxury fruit cake is made using spices, currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, almonds, fresh lemon and orange zest and VSOP brandy. Available to purchase at £19.99 with local delivery only. Collection options are also available. Goody's Goody's bakery, based in Swindon, specialises in crafting bespoke cakes, high tea grazing boards, cookies, and more. Beyond their culinary creations, Goody's exemplifies the spirit of community support by actively collaborating with local businesses, sourcing the “absolute best products from the community” including a local jam maker and a talented local florist for their floral cake decorations. The bakery has recently unveiled a sneak peek of their 2023 Christmas cakes. The first glimpse showcases a 6-inch rich fruit cake, adorned with marzipan and icing—a true festive treat. The price is yet to be confirmed, so stay tuned to Goody's Bakery's socials for more exciting updates. Casting the net further afield... The Carved Angel When it comes to Christmas puddings, The Carved Angel Restaurant in Dartmouth, Devon, has earned itself cult status. Following its opening in 1974, the restaurant adopted a vegetarian Christmas pud recipe, from Victorian Chef Eliza Acton, for its winter menu. The subtly spicy, sweet, and remarkably light pudding became a firm favourite amongst diners and news quickly spread about this festive treat.

Today the Traditional Christmas Pudding is still made to the exact recipe, but is now joined by six other delicious flavours including Double Chocolate Cherry and Cranberry White Chocolate.

These puddings, moist and vegetarian, come in traditional ceramic basins or reusable plastic containers, elegantly presented and ready for gifting or personal enjoyment. Prices range from £4.95 for a single serving to £40 for a 1.65kg pud, serving 12-14. Also in their festive repertoire is this 1.7kg Rich Fully Iced Handmade Christmas Cake at £49.50. This handmade treat is packed with Sultanas, cherries and almonds - and of course a good splash of whisky. Topped with luxurious marzipan and fully covered with festively decorated icing, it’s an ideal partner for a Christmas cuppa. Looking for something on the smaller side? Their handmade christmas loaf cake is a less sizable 550g, and a purse friendlier alternative at £13.95. A Gluten free option is also available. Meg Rivers Meg Rivers describe themselves as the bakers of happiness. This second generation family business is based in Shipston in Warwickshire on the very northern edge of the Cotswolds. Mum remembers receiving their delicious Christmas cakes from happy customers, back in the day – so a great reason to give them a go. Prices range from £24 for a 4 inch, 500g Christmas cake, to £45.60 for a 2kg Christmas cake. For those with a dabhand for decor, they also have a number of DIY decoration options, including this 1.1kg fruit cake, priced at £26, as well as this 2kg fully-iced Christmas cake at £45.60 - both awaiting some festive flair! Meg Rivers also has a number of Christmas pud options, including a hand-made traditional 800g Christmas Pudding for £18.20. They use fine French brandy (rather than the more commonly used stout) for a lighter taste. They also use Bramley apples and whole, fresh oranges and lemons to give extra juice and zest. The puds are baked slowly overnight for the perfect finish. If you are indifferent to the taste of brandy, they also do a gin version for £18.00. Nana Lily's Nana Lily’s Christmas pudding, a cherished four-generation recipe originating from the West Coast of Ireland, marries fruit, spices, and Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, retaining its timeless taste despite evolving from open peat fire steaming to modern 21st-century methods.

Passed down through generations of Lilies, this festive delight gained fame among family and friends, leading to its commercial production. Today, handmade from the unchanged recipe out of their new HQ in Worcestershire, Nana Lily’s festive favourite is available to purchase from £5 for a 120g pudding, to £20 for 908g. Following the success of the luxurious moist fruit filled pudding, the Nana Lily’s team have branched into a range of products including a Gin Christmas pudding and traditional Christmas cake. The Seville Marmalade Gin Christmas Pudding, made with homemade gin infused with botanicals like elderflower, orange peel and juniper combined with the luxurious puddings' warm Christmas spices, creates an epic modern twist on a historical recipe. Prices range from £15 to £20 for a medium or large pud, respectively. Their luxury Christmas fruit cake, priced at £26.50 for 1.2kg, is infused with brandy, filled with sultanas, apricots and cherries; covered with marzipan and soft icing. McLarens The business, based in Chelmsford in Essex, was started by Sandra McLaren and is now run by Duncan, Sandra’s son. Her recipe, after much happy experimentation I am sure, cuts out the suet and much of the flour. Instead, Sharon’s recipe uses butter, oranges, lemons, prunes and almonds, drenched in French brandy and Guinness…steamed for eight hours and then left to mature for 6 months. Mouth-watering! Their Christmas puddings won a Great Taste award in 2020, AND have been described by the FT as possibly the best Christmas Puddings on the planet. The puds are available in three sizes from 450g for £15 through to 1kg for £30, and they sell miniatures too (2 for £8), for those who want to extend the pleasure without the hassle of a second large pudding...dangerous I know, but Christmas only comes once a year! Plum Duff and Stuff

Steeped in tradition and flavour, Plum Duff and Stuff’s traditional Christmas puddings are a testament to a bygone era. With a family marmalade recipe handed down since 1849, the team have perfected the art of blending tradition with contemporary taste. Handmade with love from a purpose-built commercial kitchen in Taunton, Plum Duff and Stuff ensure the highest quality by using organic flours, ethically sourced suet, free-range eggs, and delectable vine fruits. Wrapped in sustainable materials, their Christmas puds are available in six sizes, 14oz - 5lbs, starting at a very reasonable £11, and cater to various dietary needs, from vegetarian to gluten-free and even options for diabetics. Bettys

Bettys, based in Yorkshire, was founded in 1919 by a Swiss baker who then emigrated to England, married a local girl and set up his own shop. Today, Betty’s has six tea rooms and a successful online business selling cakes, biscuits and a range of other goodies.

Their Christmas puddings range from £9 (150g) - £24 (800g). You can buy mince pies (£18 for a box of 12). Deliveries of up to 2kg cost £4.95; £6.95 if the order is above 2kg. Betty’s also offer a great range of Christmas cakes. At the value end of the range you can buy a 500g iced Christmas cake with soft icing (in a tin) for £22, or upscaling considerably on the weight, £55 for a 1.5kg version.

No Adde-tives Nestled in Stype, just outside Hungerford, No Adde-tives is a local gem celebrated for its homemade delights, especially their coveted Tomato Ketchup and delightful range of jams. But when the festive season arrives, they turn their hand to crafting Christmas desserts that capture the essence of tradition. Their brandy-soaked Christmas cakes are adorned with marzipan and festooned with festive frosting. You can get your hands on a 1.3kg cake, feeding approx 10-12 people, for £25. They also do a slow steamed christmas pudding, with rum, stout and barley wine. These 225g puds will serve approx 1-2 people. And one for the woofers… Sir Woofchesters Don’t want your four-legged-friends missing out on the festivities?! Barrow-in-Furness’ Sir Woofchester offer a dog-friendly ‘pup’cake as part of their festive pack for dogs. Priced at £10 and also including a Three Bird Roast Festive Treat Pot, a Tennis Ball Toy and a Party Hat, the pack makes for the ‘paw’fect Christmas gift for your pooch. WeFarmShop invites you to savour the diverse delights of Christmas this year, supporting local businesses and celebrating the joy of the season with every bite. Whether you're seeking traditional Christmas puddings, festive cakes, or pet-friendly treats, Wiltshire and its neighbouring regions offer a delectable array of options for every palette.