Interview - Nadene Fox - Grandma's Puddings

Serving Christmas pudding only at Christmas is a crime against good food! Thankfully, you can buy it all year round from Grandma’s Puddings, a family business owned and operated by Glenyce Bonney and her daughter Nadene Fox. We spoke with these lovely ladies and learned more about the history of the pudding and even why it’s called a ‘plum pudding’ when it doesn’t contain plums!

FFW: Who actually is ‘Grandma’?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We all have a grandma. Though not all grandmas make Christmas pudding, the ones that did and still do, have their own unique recipe and method that makes it special to their family.  Our recipe is one of those and we hope people enjoy it as if it was made by their grandma.

FFW: And who is now behind the Grandma’s Puddings brand?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Glenyce Bonney and Nadene Fox, a mother daughter team have been the new owners of Grandma’s Puddings since January 2013.

FFW: We see that your traditional plum puddings are available year-round; do you feel you’re on a mission to have consumers enjoying so-called Christmas pudding any time of year?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Absolutely, it is a plum pudding which can be served as a dessert any time of year but it’s particularly nice in winter.

FFW: What makes your traditional plum puddings so special?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We make our puddings with beef suet and we keep the mixture consistent by only making small batches at a time; this ensures that our pudding tastes the same, every time you eat one.

FFW: Do you use mostly local ingredients?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Yes we do. All our ingredients are made in Australia (with the exception of our spices).

FFW: How are foodservice businesses using your puddings?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We have only just begun to sell to businesses for catering purposes. We have had some restaurants purchase our 125g individual serving size puddings and presented them as their own. One hotel purchased our gluten free plum puddings and was offering it as a gluten free dessert to have all year round.

FFW: Your gluten free pudding seems to be a real winner with consumers; what kind of feedback do you receive about it?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We have had tastings of both our gluten free and traditional puddings available at the markets we attend and have been told by many that our gluten free puddings taste just as nice as the traditional. We are finding that many people are purchasing just the gluten free pudding, large enough to serve to the whole family, confident that it will still be enjoyed by all.

FFW: How would you suggest retailers promote your puddings in store?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We would suggest that a variety of sizes be displayed and that they could possibly be accompanied by our Traditional Brandy Custard Sauce. We have also suggested in the past that a brochure stand be displayed (we can supply the brochures).

FFW: Do you offer any sample sizes of your products?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Yes we do offer samples. Upon request we can send out a 200g pudding so that the retailer can see the quality of the packaging, and of course be able to taste our puddings themselves, giving them the confidence to be able to sell our puddings to their customers.

FFW: What kinds of accolades have you received on the awards circuit?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Yes we have:

• Gold Medal winners (for our Traditional Plum Pudding) - Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards 2013
• Bronze Medal (for our Traditional Plum Pudding) - Sydney Royal Fine Food Show 2013,  2014 & 2016
• Bronze Medal (for our Vegan Plum Pudding) - Sydney Royal Fine Food Show 2016

FFW: One thing we love about your puddings – other than, of course, the flavours – is the packaging. You’ve really made gift giving simple. Are you able to customise packaging for bulk orders?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We sure can. For an additional cost (per pudding), we are able to personalise the ribbon, a swing tag or label to include your business name or logo. The only requirement is that we need enough notice for us to assemble the order.

FFW: What are the most compelling virtues of your brand?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We are family owned, our puddings are made in a home kitchen and we use all Australian ingredients (with the exception of our spices). We also add no artificial, colours, flavours or preservatives.

FFW: What kinds of clients are using your puddings as corporate gifts?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: A variety of businesses purchase our puddings for gifts. They could be a gift to a client, a way to say thank you to their employees or a gift of appreciation for good service etc. Everyone loves a Christmas Pudding and if they don’t, they usually know someone who does (re-gifting).

FFW: What are some of the ways you suggest serving your puddings that consumers may not have thought of? 

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Cold – Our puddings are fully cooked and extremely moist. Slice it and eat it as if it were Christmas cake. Or, cut the pudding into thin slices and fry them in butter (not for the faint hearted). Drizzle over some warmed maple syrup (only a bit) and then finish off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Break it up, roll into pop cake size balls and dip in chocolate.

FFW: Are there any new flavours or products currently in development?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: We are trialling a self-saucing chocolate pudding and a fructose friendly plum pudding.

FFW: Just for fun, who do you think would be a great “face of Grandma’s Puddings”?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Mrs Brown from Mrs. Brown's Boys.

FFW: Why is plum pudding called plum pudding when there are no plums in it?

GRANDMA’S PUDDINGS: Simply because in the 17th century, plums referred to raisins or other fruits. The definition of "plum" in the Oxford English Dictionary is a “dried grape or raisin as used for puddings, cakes, etc.”

Well you learn something new every day, don’t you? Why not give Grandma’s Puddings a call today to find out how you can incorporate their amazing Christmas puddings in your range or on your menu?