Waitrose Getting Customers Ready for Stir Up Sunday This Weekend

Waitrose is reporting a surge in sales of key festive baking ingredients as customers get spoons at the ready for Stir Up Sunday this weekend. Stir Up Sunday is a festive British tradition when bakers make their puddings on the last Sunday before Advent to allow plenty of maturation before the big day.

Sales of sultanas and currants are up 44 per cent, while traditional Christmas pudding ingredient suet is up by 29 per cent and plain flour has seen a sales increase of 12 per cent.

In a recent survey conducted by Waitrose, it was revealed that 15 per cent of people thought that making their Christmas pudding officially marked the start of Christmas and almost one fifth of 18-24 year olds said that Christmas baking was their favourite foodie moment of the entire festive period.

Waitrose Baking Buyer, Tim Shaw comments, 'Stir Up Sunday is a wonderful tradition and for many it signals the start of the countdown to Christmas. It traditionally brings families together in the kitchen and there's no doubt that programmes, such as The Great British Bake Off, have reignited the nation's love of baking.'

It is not just pudding ingredients that are on the up, the new Waitrose website waitrosekitchen.com has seen an increase in sales of baking equipment ahead of the weekend. Mixing bowls are up 200 per cent, while the trusty spatula has also seen a surge in sales, up 200 per cent.

For those seeking a little help in the kitchen, Waitrose has a Christmas cake kit which includes pre-soaked fruit and ready-to-roll marzipan and icing to ensure a perfect result.