Waitrose runs out of Heston puds... again

Despite tripling orders in September, Waitrose has run out of Heston Blumenthal Christmas puddings again this year.

In 2010, the 1.2kg puddings, which cost £13.99 in stores, attracted bids of up to £250 on Ebay when a surge in demand left Waitrose’s shelves bare.

This year, demand for the pudding and its new 227g version has caught the retailer by surprise again. By the beginning of November, sales had already passed 2010 levels.

Waitrose has now upped total orders of Heston puddings to 10 times last year’s figure in an effort to replenish stocks and keep the puds on shelves through the festive period. On its online message boards, the supermarket promised considerably more stock would be delivered in early December and apologised to those unable to find the pudding in local stores.

“Demand for Heston puddings again this year has been immense,” wrote the retailer, in response to customers asking whether more Heston puddings would arrive in time for Christmas.

One shopper had asked: “With weeks to go, will further supplies be forthcoming? Does this signify we will once again witness the £250 pud on Ebay?”

Over 300 sellers have already put Heston puddings up for sale on the auction site. Prices varied widely on Thursday from as little as 99p to £200.