• New survey data reveals that 59% of UK adults who celebrate Christmas don’t think having a Christmas pudding at their festive table is important.
• Only 4% of Christmas celebrators in the UK continue the tradition of Stir-up Sunday.
• The Royal Mint is aiming to revive the tradition with the release of its new Christmas Sixpence, made from recovered X-ray silver.

The Christmas pudding is no longer a key feature of the UK’s festive dining table and is at risk of disappearing, according to new research conducted by The Royal Mint.

A survey has revealed that while 92% of celebrators still enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner, the humble pudding is losing popularity - with 59% of celebrators saying it’s not an important part of their Christmas day.

Coinciding with the low popularity of the festive pudding, over three quarters of the UK adults (77%) have not heard of Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before advent where families and friends get together to prepare their pudding. Just 4% of celebrators say it’s a tradition they follow, with the recent tradition of Elf on the Shelf considered more important 13%.

To encourage the revival of stir-up Sunday, The Royal Mint has launched its iconic silver sixpence with a new sustainable twist. Made from recovered x-ray silver, a limited run of 100 pieces will be available for Christmas 2024, with all sixpence stock using this uniquely reclaimed precious metal from 2025.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said: “The Royal Mint is famous for its rich heritage, and we believe that tradition should never be lost – it can be reinvented. Our recovered silver sixpence is not only a symbol of good fortune, but also a symbol of a more modern and sustainable festive season. We hope our sixpence encourages families and friends to rediscover stir-up Sunday and start new traditions that make a positive impact for years to come.”

Annie Gray, Food Historian and Author said: “Stir up Sunday is a tradition which started in the Victorian era as a tongue-in-cheek play on an Anglican church prayer, which begins: ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord...’. The words were used a reminder to start stirring up the plum pudding – the original Christmas dish - so it had time to mature before Christmas Day.” 

She goes on to explain “The sixpence came from another old tradition, that of hiding tokens in the Twelfth Cake, the precursor to our modern Christmas Cake, eaten on Twelfth Night. Although this was eventually replaced with the Christmas Cake eaten today, families kept to the tradition of taking it in turn to stir the mix and make a wish. The finder of the sixpence was promised wealth, health and happiness for the coming year.” 

Despite the pudding losing popularity, festive traditions still hold significant value for 70% of people in the UK. Opening presents was the second most popular Christmas tradition (after the Christmas dinner), followed by 90% of those who follow festive traditions, 65% enjoyed making and/or sending Christmas cards, with 26% taking part in attending a show or pantomime. 76% of Millennials perceive festive traditions as important – more than any other generation.

The Royal Mint is committed to a sustainable future across its businesses, products and for its customers. The packaging on the sixpence has been reduced and is now made of recycled card. The card is also dateless to ensure that it can be used over multiple years, reducing wastage of any unsold/unused product.

​The sixpence went out of circulation over 50 years ago and despite no longer being in our change, it continues to be an important part of centuries-old traditions. Stir Up Sunday dates to Victorian times, where family members would take it in turns to stir the pudding and make a wish. Whoever found the sixpence in their own piece of the pudding on Christmas Day would see it as a sign that they would enjoy wealth and good luck in the year to come.

Members of the public looking to continue or start their own Stir up Sunday tradition can purchase their own Silver Sixpence from The Royal Mint’s website.

Sixpence coins