Unlike making a jam or chutney, making your own mincemeat for mince pies is a cinch. The only skill that you need is the ability to mix ingredients together - it is that easy.
Personally I find commercial mincemeat sometimes rather heavy and solid. This is our recipe which we think is far lighter and fruitier. Unlike most commercial products it doesn’t contain any suet.
This will make about 1.3kilos or about 3 large jars full
Ingredients
- 225 g apples (preferably a sharp apple like a Bramley or Cox)
- 1 x large orange (unwaxed)
- 1 x lemon (unwaxed)
- 225g currants*
- 110g raisins*
- 110 g sultanas*
- 110 g candied peel
- 110 g unskinned whole almonds
- 50g ground almonds
- 110g demerara sugar
- 75ml brandy, or whisky, or port or Cointreau, or orange juice
Instructions:
Wash and pare the rind off the lemon and orange, then shred the rind finely.
Simmer the rind in boiling water for ten minutes in a pan. Remove and put it aside.
Juice the lemon and orange and pour the juice into a bowl
Wash, peel and core the apples, then chop them into chunks, as you do so chuck them into the lemon/orange juice (you don’t have to do this but it will slow the apple browning and keep it whiter)
Mix together the apples, juice, currants, raisins and sultanas in a bowl, then taking small quantities at a time give them a quick whizz in a food processor to break them up a little.
Chop the candied peel and coarsely chop up the whole almonds.
Then in a large bowl add the apples, juice, currants, raisins and sultanas that you prepped before then add the ground almonds, rinds, candied peel, chopped almonds, sugar and the alcohol (or orange juice if you prefer) and give it all a really good stir.
And it’s done! Pot up into sterilised jars and seal them up, or just leave in a plastic tub in the fridge. You can use it straight away but given a week or more for the flavours to mature it’ll be even better. It’ll keep in the sterilised jars for about three months.
And if you want to join us on our baking class where we'll make them, join us on 14 December at Weaverham 6pm-9.30pm.