Christmas Rum Sauce
A warm milk-based sauce for Christmas pudding, based on Delia Smith's all-in-one Christmas Rum Sauce, with the original ingredient measures and sequence.
Serves 8 · Source-based · Not kitchen-tested by Dilay
Based on Delia Smith — Christmas Rum Sauce, from Delia's Happy Christmas. Ingredient proportions and the preparation sequence follow the source; the instructions here are written in our own words.
Ingredients
- 80–100ml dark rum (4–5 of Delia's 20ml tablespoons)
- 75g salted butter, divided into 60g and 15g
- 60g plain flour
- 570ml breakfast milk
- 50g caster sugar
- 20ml double cream (1 of Delia's 20ml tablespoons)
Delia's tablespoon is 20ml: 4–5 tablespoons of dark rum mean 80–100ml, and her tablespoon of cream means 20ml. The source specifies breakfast milk, not a dairy-free substitute. The 10 minutes below are the low-heat cooking stage, not the total preparation time.
Method
- Put 60g of the butter and all the flour into a saucepan, then pour in the breakfast milk. Whisk firmly with a balloon whisk over a medium heat, keeping the mixture moving until it thickens and reaches a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Stir in the caster sugar and cook gently for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the measured dark rum, the remaining 15g butter and the double cream after the 10-minute cooking stage.
- Pour into a jug. Following the source, cover the sauce surface with clingfilm suitable for contact with hot food and keep warm until needed. Whisk again before serving; make it close to serving time rather than assuming it can be held indefinitely.
Alcohol and allergens
The rum is added after the main cooking stage. This sauce contains alcohol and is not suitable for children, during pregnancy or for anyone avoiding alcohol. Warming does not remove all alcohol.
Contains: Milk, Wheat (gluten). Check your ingredient labels.
Storage and serving
Delia recommends making this sauce not too far ahead, around the time the Christmas pudding goes on to steam, and keeping it warm until needed. The recipe gives no chilled shelf life, freezing limit or reheating method; none is invented here.
Changes needing kitchen testing
- Replacing the specified dark rum with Dilay spiced rum, changing its strength or exceeding the source's 80–100ml range needs kitchen testing.
- Changing the breakfast milk, butter, cream or flour, or introducing a make-ahead, cooling or reheating method, is not validated by this source-based version.
Source and testing basis
Delia Online states that its recipes are thoroughly tested in its testing and measurement guidance. This is publisher-level evidence, not a testing record for this particular recipe. Dilay has not kitchen-tested this adaptation, any named rum substitution or alternative storage method.
Read the original recipe · Delia's freezing guidance
More from the rum kitchen
Cooking and baking with rum · Rum for Christmas pudding
18+. Please drink responsibly. Drinkaware.