A CHRISTMAS pudding created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal will be on sale in the Isle of Man this year.

Shoprite will stock the Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding as part of its trading relationship with Waitrose – the supermarket Heston created the pudding for.

Last year huge demand for the festive dessert saw it sell out across the United Kingdom and even led to some puddings appearing on eBay.

One pudding, which contains a whole candied orange and weighs 1.2kg, was sold on the auction site for £250 despite retailing for £13.99.

Rupert Ellwood, international growth manager for Waitrose, said: "After last year's success the message went around the world that this is a must-have Christmas product. Heston has captured the imagination of the international market."

As well as the celebrity chef's Christmas pudding Shoprite will also be stocking the award winning "Vintage" Christmas puddings from local producer Karl Berrie.

Karl, who owns Cocoa Red, makes the pudding based on an old family recipe that features Manx ingredients including flour, eggs, butter, apples and Bushy's ale.

Andrew Thomas, chief executive for Shoprite, said: "The Heston Christmas pudding is a great example of the quality product that we are able to offer our customers thanks to our trading partnership with Waitrose.

"I'm delighted that we will also be stocking Cocoa Red’s Christmas pudding which is not only an excellent tasting pudding but also confirms our continued commitment to stocking local produce as well."

Heston Blumenthal's Hidden Orange Christmas Puddings are on sale now in all Shoprite stores around the Island priced at £13.99.

Heston's puddings will also be sold in Belgium, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Jordan, Spain, Bermuda and New Zealand.