Mince pies

Sweet, spiced, soft and often served warm, mince pies are a perfect Christmas treat. They can look wonderfully homemade and somehow Victorian too which I think is a bonus.

I love mine served with a little soya cream and Christmas sparkle.

Start by weighing out all of the ingredients. Chop any large pieces of fruit and the apple.

Then throw the sugar and butter in a pan along with half of the fruit, the spices, the juice and the rind of the orange and lemon. Allow this mixture to come to a boil and then simmer for ten minutes.

While that is bubbling transfer the nuts to a very large bowl, crush them and set aside.

After the ten minutes you should be able to fit some more of the dried fruit into the pan .

This recipe makes a huge quantity, and I encourage everyone to do that as mince pies are great little gifts or they are a fantastic super quick dessert warmed and then thrown on top of ice cream.

Allow the mincemeat filling to simmer for a further twenty minutes before adding it to the crushed nuts. Stir it all around and allow the nuts to fully incorporate and get covered in the glistening syrup.

Now you can transfer the lot into sterilised containers and store in the fridge or even the freezer, or you can use it straight away to make mince pies, a couple of large tarts or why not use it inside a Christmas pudding instead of the dried fruit? However you use your mince meat make sure that you enjoy it with family or friends and have a very Merry Christmas.

Ingredients

250g mixed fruit ◦ 150g raisins ◦ 150g sultanas ◦ 100g cranberries ✩ 250g dates ◦ 75g morello cherries ◦ 75g mixed peel ◦ 400g mixed nuts ◦ large bramley apple, approx 250g peeled, cored and finely chopped ◦ 250g vegan butter ◦ 400g light muscovado sugar ◦ 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon ◦ 1/4tsp ground star anise ◦ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg ◦ 1 1/4 tsp mixed spice ◦ 30g stem ginger chopped ◦ finely grated rind of 1 lemon ◦ 200ml orange juice and rind ◦

Nutrition

Nope!