Mince Pies

One of the best bits of Christmas is all the delicious food. I love any excuse to use food for an occasion (I regularly like to cook food to match the film we are going to watch!) and Christmas has to be the ultimate food occasion. For me it normally starts in September when I make christmas cakes for both halves of our family and also mincemeat, the earlier you can make it all the longer it has to mature (e.g. have brandy liberally added to it). So I thought I would share my recipe for mince pies, once I start making these I know Christmas is almost here.

Ingredients:

Mincemeat
Plain Flour
Butter/Lard
Egg
Icing Sugar
You need double the weight of flour to butter, I normally find 8ozs flour to 4ozs butter makes around 12 mince pies.

Rub the butter and the flour together until you have a crumble like mix. Then add 3 tbsps water and work into a dough. I would then suggest chilling it for 30mins if you have the time.

Then roll out your pastry and cut out your mince pie tops and bottoms. Push the bottoms into a greased cupcake baking tin and fill each one with a generous teaspoon of mincemeat.

Then pop their lids on and brush with a beaten egg so they go nice and golden

Bake them in an oven at about 180 C for about 20-25mins until all golden. Dust them with icing sugar and serve. I love eating them when they are still warm from the oven sat by the fire with perhaps a cheeky sherry to wash them down! Enjoy