Christmas Mincemeat recipe

The mince pie season is almost upon us as all the shops gear up for Christmas and pile tempting boxes of ready made pies at the end of each aisle. But it’s hard to find a shop mince pie that is just right, with perfect crumbly pastry and a rich but not cloying mincemeat filling.

Making your own Christmas mincemeat is the answer. It has a fresher flavour, though is still rich and satisfying, and you can easily leave out the traditional suet to make it suitable for vegetarians without affecting the taste. It keeps well in the fridge for a month or two even without the suet. You can make your own shortcrust pastry or use bought puff pastry to make delicious mince pies that beat shop-bought ones hands down.

Recipe for Home-made Christmas Mincemeat.

5 or 6 medium green apples peeled and coarsely grated
350g / 12oz raisins
225g / 8oz sultanas
225g / 8oz currants
225g / 8oz mixed candied peel chopped finely
35g / 12oz soft brown sugar
zest and juice of 2 oranges
zest and juice of 2 lemons
50g / 2oz almonds chopped fine
4 teaspoons mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ nutmeg grated
6 tablespoons brandy
225g / 8oz shredded suet (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together except the brandy. It works best to grate the apples straight into the orange juice, so that they don’t discolour.

If you are using suet: cover the bowl with foil and leave everything to soak together for at least 12 hours. Then put the bowl in a low oven 120C / 225F for 3 hours to gradually melt the suet and coat all the ingredients. This will prevent fermentation if you are going to be storing the mincemeat for a long time. Allow it to cool, then mix in the brandy and pack into clean dry jars. Seal well if storing.

If you are planning on using the mincemeat over the next few weeks the suet isn’t necessary and you can mix the brandy in straight away. Leave the bowl covered in the fridge overnight and then pack the mincemeat into clean jars and refrigerate until needed. It needs at least a day, preferably a week, for the flavours to meld and develop, so make it in advance.

This will make enough mincemeat for about six dozen mince pies, enough to keep you going over the Christmas season.

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