Traditional Mince Pies

First things first lets make the pastry; weigh the flour into a large mixing bowl and then grate the cold butter into the flour. Lightly mix to evenly distribute the butter and then rub to butter into the flour using your finger tips. 

Next pop the icing sugar and then gradually mix in the egg until the pastry comes together into a loose ball. Add some additional ice cold water if the pastry is not coming together. Wrap in the pastry is cling film and pop into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Whilst the pastry is chilling, it’s time to make the mine-meat filling; pop all the ingredients except the suet and sugar into a bowl. Leave for an hour to allow the dried fruit to absorb the orange juice and rum. Once the dried fruits looks plump mix in the suet and the sugar. You can make your mincemeat a few days in advance and allow the flavours to deepen, simply store the mincemeat in a jar in the fridge until required.

Preheat the oven to 200℃/180℃/Gas Mark 4 and grease a cupcake or muffin tray.

Once your pastry is chilled and rested roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to about 4 mm in thickness and stamp out into rounds about 16 cm in diameter and line a greased cupcake tin. Cut 24 star shapes out of the remaining pastry. Pop a heaped tablespoon of mincemeat into each tin.

Lightly egg wash the edges of the pastry before adding your star design or a design of your choice and egg wash.

Place back into fridge for ten minutes before baking for 25-30 minutes until golden. Re-move from oven on to a cooling rack and leave to cool for five minutes before teasing each pie out gently out of the cupcake tray with a teaspoon.

Sprinkle over some icing sugar and serve for a fabulous festive treat!