New pudding club for gentlemen launching in Llandrindod Wells in the new year
Traditional puddings, lashings of hot custard and the chance to meet other people – what a fine way to start the new year!
A unique new club promising a monthly celebration of traditional desserts is set to launch in Llandrindod Wells early next year.
Victor Holmes, 84, is the mastermind behind ‘The Gentleman’s Pudding Club’, which will hold its first meeting on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at the Indoor Bowling Club on Spa Road.
The club will meet every third Thursday of the month at 7.15pm to indulge in “old-style puddings” reminiscent of days gone by.
For Victor, this is a long-time dream finally coming to life.
“This club has been on my mind for a good few years, and now I am bringing it to fruition,” he said.
“There has been a pudding club near Stratford upon Avon that meets every Friday and has done since it's inception in 1985! I have not been there but have tried a few times to go but in November I was told they are fully booked until February!
“I love the 'old-style puddings' that my mother and grandmother used to make. Puddings such as Manchester Tart, Jam Roly Poly, Syrup Sponge, Apple Charlotte, Bachelor Pudding, Gooseberry Cobbler, and many others.”
A firm believer that “all hot puddings deserve hot custard,” Victor has planned for six different puddings to be served at each meeting, with participants encouraged - though not obligated - to sample them all. Those who do will receive a certificate to mark the achievement.
Membership is limited to 40 gentlemen to maintain a cosy atmosphere and ensure the caterer can manage.
The club’s annual membership fee is set at £45, with a £35 charge per meeting, covering venue hire, catering costs and publicity.
“This will be a chance to meet with other men who wish to enjoy the delights of old-style puddings,” Victor said.
Meetings of the club promise to be both social and indulgent.
Victor has been in antiques for 40 years but in 1971 launched the third free newspaper in the UK in Sudbury, Suffolk, did Christian Mission work and then went into advertising sales.
For more information or to join, interested gentlemen can contact Victor Holmes directly at 01597 829093 or visit him at Those Were The Days Antiques, located on Park Crescent in Llandrindod Wells.
