Home Made Mincemeat and Mincemeat & Apple Parcels

For the last few years I've been making my own mincemeat at Christmas, and I don't know why I didn't start making it sooner, as it's one of the simplest things. All it takes is a little soaking and mixing and then into sterilised jars, ready to use over the holiday period.

My first mincemeat was chocolate flavoured, which added to the richness of it, and it was great in recipes such as mincemeat palmiers, mincemeat pancakes, mincemeat ice cream and mincemeat slices. 

You don't need to be a culinary genius to make mince pies, especially if you use ready rolled puff pastry to make these mincemeat and apple parcels. If you want to have a go at making your own mincemeat, my recipe can be found at the end of the post.

Mincemeat & Apple Parcels - makes approx 20 small parcels

320g pack of ready rolled puff pastry

200g mincemeat

1 small Bramley apple, peeled, cored & finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

caster sugar

• open out the pastry and cut into approx 20 equal squares 
• mix together the mincemeat and Bramley apple
• spoon a small amount (approx 1 tsp) of mincemeat/apple into the centre of each square
• brush around the edge of the pastry with beaten egg
• fold one corner of the pastry diagonally across to the other corner and seal around the edges with a fork
• lay onto a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with a little caster sugar
• (at this point you can freeze a few to bake at a later stage)
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 15 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up

Home Made Mincemeat - makes approx 6 large jars (recipe can be scaled down as required)

1500g dried mixed fruit (raisins, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel, currants)

450g soft brown sugar

200ml dark rum

200g vegetable suet

1 Bramley apples, peeled, cored & grated

juice & zest of 1 lemon

juice & zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp mixed spice

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger

• mix the dried fruit, sugar & rum together in a bowl
• cover and leave overnight to soak
• stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined
• spoon into sterilised airtight jars and store in a cupboard until needed

Mince Pies Two Ways

Years ago my Mum worked as a tea lady for a large company (before she was replaced by vending machines), and at Christmas she would make around 200 mince pies to give out to the staff on her floor with their morning cuppa. A couple of decades on and she still makes more than enough mince pies, but now we receive the benefit of her mass baking session, meaning that I very rarely make any of my own. When I do I usually make them one of two ways; either with a custard inside a shortcrust pastry case or in a puff pastry case (my personal preference).

The first batch I made this season were for Great British Chefs, using A2 milk in the custard. Since I first started using A2 milk a few months ago in my baked mini doughnuts with rhubarb & custard sauce and apple and custard tarts it has become Jack's favourite milk to drink, and he loves it when I have some 'special blue milk' in the fridge. You can find the full recipe for these Mincemeat & Custard Pies  here.

For my second batch of mince pies I used ready made puff pastry, which is great for having in the fridge over Christmas ready for when guests arrive - they will be very impressed when you nip into the kitchen & return less than 30 minutes later with a plate of warm and crispy mince pies.

Puff pastry mince pies - makes 12

1 pack of ready made puff pastry

mincemeat (shop bought or recipes here and here)

milk

demerara sugar

icing sugar

• Roll the puff pastry out to about 3mm thick
• Using pastry cutters, cut 12 discs large enough to line your 12 hole bun tin & 12 smaller discs for the lids
• Place the bases in the tin & top with a spoonful of mincemeat
• Brush with a little milk around the edge of the pastry & place on the lid and seal
• Sprinkle with a little demerara sugar before baking in a preheated 180C oven for 20 minutes, until golden, puffed up & crispy
• Dust with a little icing sugar before serving

Easy peasy, and never be without mince pies again. Oh, and don't go throwing those scrappy bits of puff pastry away - just trim them into bitesized pieces, brush with milk, scatter with sugar and cinnamon and bake in the oven - delicious dipped in chocolate sauce.

recipe for mincemeat & custard pies commissioned by Great British Chefs