Empire Christmas pudding

[2] Plum pudding became an important symbol of and traditional to the celebration of Christmas in the Victorian era, partially because of the popularity of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which featured the dish in an important scene in which it "came to symbolise irrepressible cheer in the face of hardship", according to the BBC.

[3] Later recipes were similarly criticized; according to the BBC, for the second iteration, "Canada complained that its listed contribution was just five ounces of minced apple; Cyprus grumbled that it now shared brandy responsibilities with Australia, historical Palestine and South Africa; and poor New Zealand was forgotten completely".

[3] In 1931, an annual Christmas market for the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 24 and 25 November.

[4] According to the BBC, the dish's "cultural and political clout have extended far beyond the dining table" which in the early 20th century was "a potent propaganda tool and a boastful symbol of British imperialism" with a message that "just look at the wonders we can achieve when we all pull together".

[4] According to Collingham, "The plum pudding was thought of as 'a truly national dish' not in spite of but because of its foreign ingredients… To be a Victorian Englishman was to possess the power to eat the world.

The King and Queen granted Leo Amery, the head of the EMB, permission to use the recipe in a publication in the following November.