Making your own mince pies is always outstandingly better than anything ready-made you’ll get from a shop even if it’s with bought pastry and bought mincemeat. But push it up a notch with homemade mincemeat and you are absolutely a domestic Christmas goddess. I always make mine vegetarian, I see no reason why one would want to use beef suet and it means they’re suitable for everyone.

Ingredients:

1kg mixed fruit/peel – choose whatever you like here 

250g vegetarian suet

100g flaked almonds

One lemon

Three big fat cooking apples 

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp mixed spice 

150ml honey rum

150ml amaretto 

200g brown sugar 

Method:

No cooking needed. Combine fruit/peel/almonds/suet/spice/sugar in a large glass or ceramic bowl. 

Grate over the zest of your lemon, cut in half and add in the juice. 

Peel your apples and then grate using coarse side of your grater leaving just the core. 

Add your alcohol (feel free to sample a cheeky snifter, Cook’s perogative) and mix everything together thoroughly. 

Cover with cling film and leave for 48 hours stirring whenever you walk past.

Spoon into warm sterilised jars and cover with a wax disc before popping on the lid. 

Ready after a week, but better still after a month 😉

Make your mince pies with shortcrust or puff, or make a plait or a large filo mincemeat pie!