A British Christmas in Traditional Fats: Suet, Dripping, Lard and Butter

Quick answer: a British Christmas needs no seed oils at all. Beef suet goes in the pudding and the mincemeat, lard and butter make the pastry, beef tallow or dripping roasts the potatoes and the Yorkshires, and butter does everything else. Every recipe below is cooked that way.

This is the whole season on one page, in the order you will actually cook it: the make-ahead bakes first, then the big day, then the cold-weather suppers for the days after. Nothing here asks for vegetable oil, shortening or spread.

Start now: the make-ahead bakes

Stir-up Sunday is the Sunday before Advent and has become the traditional day for making the Christmas pudding, because it needs weeks to mature (Wikipedia). In 2026 it falls on Sunday 22 November, so late November is the time to get the pudding steaming.

• Christmas pudding with beef suet and brandy butter: fruit soaked overnight in brandy, stirred with suet, breadcrumbs, dark sugar, spice and treacle, steamed for 7 hours and left in the cupboard until Christmas Day.
• Suet mince pies with lard and butter pastry: homemade beef suet mincemeat in a short pastry made with lard and butter.
• Shortbread in butter: three ingredients, butter, flour and sugar, and a tin that keeps the biscuits ready for visitors.

Christmas dinner

• Tallow roast turkey: tallow rubbed over the skin for colour and crunch, herb butter under the breast skin to keep it moist.
• Compound herb butter: the butter for under the turkey skin, and for finishing the vegetables.
• Turkey gravy with a tallow roux: made from the roasting-tin drippings, with make-ahead notes so it is not a last-minute job.
• Tallow roast potatoes: golden and crisp outside, fluffy inside, roasted in beef fat.
• Yorkshire puddings in beef dripping: tall and crisp, for anyone serving roast beef instead of turkey, or anyone who simply wants Yorkshires with everything.

The days after: proper winter suppers

• Toad in the hole with beef dripping and onion gravy: sausages baked in a tall batter in hot dripping.
• Shepherd's pie with beef dripping and butter mash: lamb mince browned in dripping under a golden butter mash.

Which fat does which job

• Beef suet is the raw, hard fat from around the kidneys. It melts slowly, which is why it belongs in steamed puddings and mincemeat. Our tallow vs suet guide explains the difference.
• Tallow and dripping are rendered beef fat, for roasting potatoes and baking Yorkshires. You can render your own tallow at home.
• Lard is rendered pork fat and makes short, flaky pastry. See what lard is and how it compares in lard vs shortening.
• Butter greases the pudding basin, makes the brandy butter, enriches the mash and goes under the turkey skin.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make a British Christmas dinner without seed oils?

Yes. Every recipe on this page uses beef suet, tallow or dripping, lard or butter, from the pudding and mince pies to the roast potatoes, gravy and Yorkshire puddings.

What fat goes in a Christmas pudding?

Beef suet. It melts slowly during the long steam, so the pudding stays moist rather than greasy. Our Christmas pudding uses shredded beef suet and a well-buttered basin.

When is Stir-up Sunday in 2026?

Sunday 22 November 2026. It is the Sunday before Advent, the traditional day for making the Christmas pudding.

What is the best fat for roast potatoes?

We roast them in beef tallow, which gives a crisp, golden outside and a fluffy middle. Beef dripping works the same way.

What is the difference between suet and dripping?

Suet is the raw, hard fat from around a cow's kidneys, used grated in puddings and pastry. Dripping is rendered beef fat, used hot for roasting and for Yorkshire puddings.

Part of: Traditional Cooking Fats Guide — Tallow, Ghee, Lard, Butter · Shop the pantry →

Try next: roasted Brussels sprouts in bacon fat, with chestnuts for Christmas dinner and no seed oils.