When it comes to Christmas cooking, I love making everything I can from scratch – and am always keen to learn a new recipe every year.
For the past couple of years I’ve been working on my mincemeat recipe, and am now confident that it’s fruity, rich, and, let’s face it, boozy enough to share with you all!
Ingredients
- 200g raisins
- 200g sultanas
- 200g currants
- 100g mixed peel
- 150g apple, chopped into small dice
- 150g butter, cut into cubes
- 50g blanched almonds, chopped finely
- 250g light brown sugar
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp mixed spice
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 200ml of spirit of choice, I tend to go with Jack Daniels or brandy for this, but spiced rum works well too!
Method
- Melt the butter and the sugar in a pan until lightly caramelised, then add all the other ingredients except the alcohol.
- Stir the ingredients frequently to get everything coated in the caramel mixture, and make sure everything is cooked down and piping hot. You’ll probably find that the pan doesn’t feel big enough when you put everything into it, but trust me, the mixture will shrink down to a more manageable amount as it cooks!
- Take off the heat and allow to cool completely before adding the alcohol and stirring to combine.
This mixture should fill three or four 400ml jars, so it’s perfect for making a few batches of mince pies for yourself, or for gifting to family as early Christmas presents!
Natalie Tipping 