Christmas comes but once a year, so the saying goes, but the memory of a real English Christmas pudding is enough to last a lifetime. This dark, dense and fruity dessert deserves a better fate than to be drowned under a dribbling custard jug.

For the adventurous, it should arrive at table swathed in the blue flames of burning alcohol: it takes a surprisingly modest ladle half-full of spirits to get a spectacular ceiling scorcher. Once the “oohs” and “aahs” start to subside with the guttering flames, it is time to review the final serving options.

Traditional English trimmings for this classic include brandy or rum butter on an extinguished pudding. Custard is safe, but lacks interest: time to look for the alternatives. Most creams in the UK are too bland to have any impact, but for those who can get hold of Isigny Sainte-Mère’s Crème Fraîche with Calvados, it is the answer to a maiden’s prayers.

This smooth crème fraîche brings a tangy, note of fruit that floats above the silky sensation, before it melts away into the hot pudding. The Calvados lifts the flavours of the dried fruit, with a little edge in the cream, too.

For those celebrating Christmas in France, there is no problem in finding the cream: just remember to take a Christmas pudding with you, since there may not be a lot to choose from in French supermarkets. In the UK, it is a harder undertaking to find the cream. However, for those in the south of England, you can even have it delivered to your door by the Ocado home shopping delivery vans. It’s good enough to want Christmas more than once a year.