Mincemeat

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without mince pies. They are a must at that time of year. In my opinion, a shop-bought mince pie will never cut it, and jarred mincemeat is never as good as homemade. It is worth the effort!

This is a very light mincemeat loaded with fruit, nuts, brandy, and it’s made without fat. It's also vegan-friendly. This recipe yields a very large batch that should get you through the festive season. It will keep well for quite some time in the fridge thanks to the booze and sugar, but you can also freeze some if you don't think you're going to use it all.

Prep 1 hr

Total 1 hr

Serves 24

Ingredients

450g plums
20ml lemon juice
75g currants
75g raisins
75g sultanas
75g dried cranberries
50g candied orange peel
50g candied lemon peel
100g almonds
6g ground ginger
6g ground cinnamon
6g ground cloves
675g cooking apples (Bramley or similar)
175g dark muscovado sugar
100ml Armagnac

Method

Remove the stones and cut the plums into quarters. Heat them on the stove with the lemon juice for about 15 minutes or so until very soft and juicy, then blend into a purée and put to the side to cool.
Use a knife to finely chop your almonds into small pieces. Mix with the currants, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, and candied peel in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the cooled purée and the brandy and let sit for half an hour for the dried fruits to plump up.
Add the spices, apples and sugar, stirring it all together well. Leave it covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.