The history of The Carved Angel

The Carved Angel Restaurant was opened in Dartmouth, Devon in 1974 by Joyce Molyneux, based upon the premise of high quality modern British food using only the finest local ingredients. Over the next three decades The Carved Angel’s stature and reputation grew as it came to be acknowledged as one of the Country’s finest restaurants.

The restaurant was given the name of ‘The Carved Angel’ after the Chef/Owner Joyce Molyneux during refurbishment of the restaurant prior to opening was presented a carving of a wooden angel by a local carpenter. She was so taken by the beautiful carving  that she decided to place it into the central position of the dining room for all her guests to admire.

During the quieter Winter months at the restaurant Joyce would start to steam her Christmas Puddings in preparation for the seasons menu.

She found a vegetarian recipe created by the Victorian Chef Eliza Acton, (Delia Smith of her day!)

Joyce followed the recipe to the book, presented them in old fashioned ceramic bowls, tied with muslin and presented with a greetings tag.

This Traditional pudding was moist, not overly sweet but married beautifully with the spice of stem ginger and nutmeg, complimented by succulent fruit and fine brandy.

It was a lighter colour pudding to your normal dark, heavy and gritty version and was extremely well received by the local community and diners.

Over the years diners would ask Joyce to sell the Christmas Puddings to them so that they could enjoy this traditional dessert at their own Christmas table and naturally she obliged.

Soon the news of this delicious Christmas Pudding spread and in time they became very well known and now enjoy a cult status helped along by glowing annual press reports and sales in establishments such as Harrods, Selfridges and High End Independent food halls scattered around the country.

Today the Traditional Christmas Pudding is still made to the exact recipe and presented in the same way in its ceramic bowl and tied with cloth and is now joined by 6 other delicious flavours. All the puddings are also produced in a 454g and 908g plastic container and attractively presented, shrouded in Gold metallic paper and a presentation sleeve so that larger audiences can also enjoy these wonderful puddings without being obliged to pay for a ceramic bowl too.

The Carved Angel also sources the finest ingredients to combine in our delicious range of condiments. All our chutneys, pickles, mustards and preserves are produced to the highest standards in terms of quality and taste and we don’t stop there. We wanted to add something a little special like Champagne to our Tipsy Strawberry Jam, the tastiest Raspberries to our Blush Raspberry Jam and the finest crunchy vegetables to our chutneys to enjoy everyday with all your food whether used to cook with or simply used as a condiment   to add the wow factor to all your meals. Browse the website to see a full range of our luxury product range and you’ll just have to imagine the taste until your order arrives!

 The Luxury Christmas Pudding

The Carved Angel Luxury Christmas Pudding is a recipe inspired by the Victorian cook Eliza Acton over 100 years ago and still manages to take precedent over the Christmas dinner table through its legendary subtle spicy and sweet taste and remarkably light texture.

The balance of all the freshest and highest quality ingredients together with the finest brandy continue to ensure that this vegetarian luxury Christmas pudding allows you to leave the table with an angel in your tummy and not a rock!

Now you can buy the Christmas pudding online – no need to wait until Christmas, you can enjoy The Carved Angel Christmas Pudding all year round. It’s also a wonderful gift idea.