1- Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hr until plumped up, then drain and set the brandy aside.

2- Mix all the ingredients together in the order given, then pour in the brandy when everything else is well mixed.

3 - Spoon and press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air . Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

METHOD:

What is Mincemeat? According to the name, one would think that it is meat which has been chopped. Is it? Does it really contain meat? In its origins, in Medieval England, it contained beef or venison. So, Mincemeat was basically a mixture of chopped dried fruits, distilled spirits, a combination of spices, beef suet, and chopped meat which was usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Another important fact is that it has always been associated with Christmas in England.

1 - Place 375g plain flour and 260g softened unsalted butter in a bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency.

2- Add 125g caster sugar and 1 large beaten egg, and mix together.

3- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix.

4 - Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10 mins.

5 - Scoop the large jar of mincemeat into a bowl and add 2 segmented satsumas, 1 finely chopped apple and zest of 1 lemon.

6 - Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

7 - Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick.

8 - Using a round cutter (about 10cm), cut out 16 bases and place them into muffin trays. Put 1½ tbsp mincemeat mixture into each. Brush the edge of each pie with a little beaten egg.

METHOD:

9 - Re-roll out the pastry to cut 7cm lids and press them on top to seal. Glaze with the beaten egg, sprinkle with the extra caster sugar, then make a small cut in the tops.

10 - Bake the mince pies for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool before releasing them from the muffin trays and dusting with a little more icing sugar before serving.

1- Place the dried fruit, candied peel, apple, and orange and lemon zests and juices into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.

2- Put the dried fruit, candied peel, apple, and orange and lemon zests and juices in a large mixing bowl. Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint pudding basin.

3- Grease a bowl with butter. In a very large mixing bowl, stir the flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon together. Add the suet, sugar, breadcrumbs, and almonds, and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the marinated dried fruits and stir again.

4- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.

5- Add egg whites to bowl with dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil. Tie securely with string, wrapping the string around the basin, then loop over the top and then around the bowl again. This will form a handle, which will be useful when removing the pudding from the steamer.

METHOD:

6- Add the pudding ingredients in a bowl covered with aluminum foil and tied with a string. Set a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water, place the pudding in the steamer, and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently, so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a dark brown color when cooked.

7 - Place pudding mixture in a covered bowl, inside a pot with water on a burner. Remove the pudding from the steamer and cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer in a few places, and pour in a little extra brandy.

8 - Bake on a cooling rack with a metal skewer and a glass of brandy. Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string.