The 10 Best Christmas puddings 2013

If you haven’t found time to make your Christmas pud, don’t despair. We select the finest of this fruity festive staple

{1} Marks & Spencer Collection Sugar Plum Christmas Pudding

An elegant pudding topped with fruits and glitter. The gooey fruity sauce hidden inside is a stand-out point, as is the rich flavour of the Armagnac soaked and sun-dried plums it contains.

£14 (907g), christmasfood.marksandspencer.com

{2} F&M King George Christmas Pudding

Key ingredients include Turkish sultanas, Marcona almonds and pruneaux d’Agen, as well as Fortnum’s Cognac and Pusser’s full-strength Navy Rum. There’s also a royal sovereign worth £200 in one of F&M’s puds this year.

£25 (454g), fortnumandmason.com

{3} Aldi Connoisseur Christmas Pudding

Aldi’s puddings came top of this year’s Good Housekeeping Institute taste league, beating the likes of Harrods and Fortnum’s. This one did best of all and is a gorgeous golden colour and stuffed full of plump, juicy fruit.

£3.89 (907g), aldi.co.uk (in store only)

{4} Selfridges Pear and Ginger Figgy Pudding

This is lighter in flavour and colour than most and packed with fruits including pears, figs, apricots and golden raisins, as well as honey and stem and ground ginger. It’s rounded off with generous slugs of perry and Somerset cider vinegar.

£16.99 (800g), selfridges.com

{5} Figgy’s

Hand-made at a small bakery near Exeter in Devon, this award-winner uses a hearty real ale and fine brandy for a fantastic boozy kick and after-dinner relaxation. It is matured for several months in a ceramic bowl to lock in flavour, then wrapped in traditional cotton pudding cloth.

From £10 (350g), figgys.co.uk

{6} Tesco Finest Christmas Pudding

This is a traditional moist pudding that’s lovely and soft with a zesty flavour. Packed full of fruits and flavoured with brandy, port, cider and sherry, it is a good all-round crowd pleaser, as is the price tag.

£3.20 (454g), tesco.com

{7} Roots & Wings Organic Christmas Pudding

If you find Christmas pudding too heavy and rich, this light and fruity option may be for you. The moist and very moorish pudding is gently spiced with cinnamon and boasts a generous amount of fruit and nuts and a strong boozy, but not overpowering, flavour.

£6.89 (454g), natureshealthbox.co.uk

{8} Harrods Luxury Christmas Pudding

This one contains Chilean flame raisins and Greek Vostizza currants, as well as brandy-soaked cherries, pecans, almonds, walnuts blended with Thatchers Cider, aged brandy, French cognac and rum. Despite all this, it’s actually quite plain, so a good one for traditionalists.

£7.95 (454kg), harrods.com

{9} The Co-operative Truly Irresistible Whisky and Orange Christmas Pudding

This is a handsome pudding, thanks to the sliced glacé oranges. It is slightly on the bitter side, but still moist, with a rich mix of vine fruits, glacé cherries, almonds, walnuts and spices, laced with a single malt whisky.

£7 (907g), co-operativefood.co.uk (in store only)

{10} Heston from Waitrose Hidden Chocolate Christmas Pudding

Heston’s Christmas puds fly off the shelves and sometimes straight on to eBay. This year, there’s another break from tradition with a hot chocolate sauce in the centre. While that might sound ghastly, it works a treat.

£14 (900g), waitrose.com