Over the years the core ingredients of the mince pie have been tested, altered and adjusted. One of these interchangeable ingredients is the pastry casing. Make sure you follow the reheating instructions on the box. Of course, you could always simply dust them with icing sugar and serve with a sprig of holly, while throwing another log on the fire and listening to Silent Night...

Place the flour, sugar, almonds and butter in a food processor and process briefly until resembling breadcrumbs, then slowly add the egg through the feeder tube. (Or rub the butter into the dry ingredients by hand and stir in the egg.) The early mince pie was also known as a mutton pie or a Christmas pie and was filled with meat, such as lamb, beef and game, rather than the dried fruit mix they are today. The pies were bigger and oval shaped then and came about as a way of preserving the meat. They don’t have a traditional tree as it’s summer but she hangs her collection of oddball ornaments around their apartment and it makes them smile and think of home 😆 You want to get your pastry thin enough to cut out the 24 shapes you are going to need. Try and roll the pastry big enough so you can cut as many of the shapes for your mince pies out in one sitting. If you run out you'll have to screw the remaining pastry up into a ball and re-roll it. But any re-rolling isn't great for your pastry's health, so try and avoid it. 6. Cut out 12 circles Nuts - Depending on what your tastes are, adding almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts will all work with your mincemeat. If you’re a real nut lover then why not add all three?

Bake at 180C/fan oven 170C/gas mark 4 for 30-40 minutes, cool slightly and serve with a dusting of icing sugar, or with rum butter and vanilla ice cream. For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl, add the softened butter, icing sugar and orange zest and gently incorporate with your hands until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg yolks and then add 2-3 tablespoons of water to help bring it together. Squeeze the pastry together gently until you have a soft ball of pastry. Flatten to a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Combine all of the ingredients for the mincemeat in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover with cling film and leave for 24 hours. Taken from the method she used to bake traditional pies when she was still in school, this recipe can be followed by everyone. Place the 12 large pastry circles into the bun tin. Add a teaspoon of mincemeat to each bottom. Then place one of the stars on top of each.

Tips for living well – get our free Food & Health newsletter - shop savvy, eat well, stay healthy How to make easy mince pies Chocolate - If you really want to experiment then try stirring in a little grated chocolate or melting it into the mincemeat.Cut out another 12 slightly smaller discs and use to cover the mincemeat. Press the edges together to seal. Make a small slit in the top of each, then brush lightly with milk. Chill for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Using the uncooked pastry shells, evenly apply around 400g mincemeat for the large tart or 50g to individual tarts and smooth the top. Brush the lids with beaten egg and then use a small knife or skewer to make a slit in the top of each pie. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and then transfer the tray to the fridge for 30 minutes. And once you’ve mastered those, keep reading. We have some fancier alternative mince pie recipes for you too. A food writer friend suggested putting a slice of the best cheddar on top. It's like apple pie and cheese… so good. But another is with double cream whisked into soft peaks with brandy, a little sugar and vanilla.

Nowadays, the classic mincemeat ingredients are a lot sweeter and include a variety of fruits such as apples, dried raisins, lemon, currants and brandy. But like all long-serving recipes, they can be open for interpretation. Here are some tasty additions to jazz up your shop bought mincemeat... Lightly butter a 12-hole pie or patty tin. Tip the mincemeat into a bowl and stir so that the liquid is evenly distributed.This is known as leaving your pastry to rest. You do it to try and minimise the pastry in your baking tins from shrinking once you cook it. You can simply leave it in the bowl and pop it into the fridge. 5. Lightly flour table top and roll pastry out on it We talked to our food editors to find out what their top tips were for mince pie pastry additions. Suggestions included lard in the pastry, marzipan balls and icing sugar in the flour. But our favourite was tangerine rind. This citrus twist tastes delicious and makes for a ‘zingy outer shell’. The mince pie filling Rub your fat and flour together with your fingertips until they become crumbs. Add in the rest of the pastry ingredients and mix to a firm dough. You might need to add a splash or two of water as per above.