Somewhat Christmassy

For all you pudding makers out there, via the National Archives of Australia online collection:
You can’t cook your coin and eat it too

"The introduction of decimal currency in February 1966 had the latent, and somewhat un-Christmassy knock-on effect of inadvertently taking the gloss off one of the great Yuletide customs – coins in the Christmas pud!

Why? According to this News Release and the accompanying photograph, the new 5 and 10 cent coins were made of cupro-nickel, not silver alloy. And they would turn green when cooked.

But for those who wanted to continue hiding coins in the Christmas pudding, the recommendation was simply to insert the new currency immediately prior to serving … after all, who would know?

Some of us were lucky enough to have grandmothers who kept their superseded threepences and sixpences for the express purpose of feeding the Christmas pudding, thereby ensuring the tradition continued and the thrill of discovery lived on for many a year. "




Of course, now 1 and 2 cent coins are just history, sometimes you find them down the back of the couch. But never in the Christmas pud.