Traditional mincemeat

Traditional mincemeat

Try making your mincemeat well in advance of Christmas to give the flavours maximum time to mature

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 2kg (4 x 500ml jars)

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

plus soaking

Method

  1. Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hr until plumped up, then drain and set the brandy aside. Mix all the ingredients together in the order given, then pour in the brandy when everything else is well mixed. Spoon and press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air (the easiest way to sterilise jars is to run them through a dishwasher on its hottest setting). Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.

PER TBSP

70 kcalories, protein 0g, carbohydrate 10g, fat 3 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 0g, sugar 9g, salt 0.01 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2009.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • 05 November 2009

    Danceydoo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    forgot to rate - 5 out of 5 from me

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 25 November 2009

    lemony commented on this recipe

    hi, i'm just wondering how ahead of christmas mincemeat should be made?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 09 December 2009

    katyarepina commented on this recipe

    sorry for a silly question but mince pies were new to me but what does suet have to do with sweet Xmas treat?and if i make it without it is that going to make a huge difference to the taste?ta

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Red

    09 December 2009

    Red commented on this recipe

    Hi Katyarepina, Suet is traditionally included in mincemeat (it's the MEAT part) but if you prefer not to include it, that's fine - it gives a mild oilyness to the flavour which is important, but you can substitute a little butter, or if you're looking for vegan recipies, include a little soya butter - Nature Balance is a particularly good one (not sure if you can get that brand in the UK, but it's available in Canada...) or anything that doesn't have a strong "soy" flavour to it. Whatever you include, remember to not exceed the quantity in the recipe that is given for suet - it will get too oily and taste funky. Cheers!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 09 December 2009

    candicegallab commented on this recipe

    helllo, just made this, i know it says can keep in the fridge for upto 6 months, but if you are just storing it for a short time, should it be left out? thanks in anticipation

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 13 December 2009

    seggy muldoon commented on this recipe

    Great

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 27 December 2009

    Minimel rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 07 March 2010

    MrsB rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 22 August 2010

    Lou'sRecipes rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for Christmas last year and it went down a treat with my family. I am planning on making a bigger batch this year as I ran out on Christmas Eve and had to resort to using a jar from the supermarket. It has to be said the bought stuff wasn't a patch on this.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 12 September 2010

    Magic Rocket Day Nursery rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    A lovely recipe to use with children, we made this in the nursery with the children and omitted the brandy. The children enjoyed mixing it with their hands and packing it into one large jar ready to use. We used it shortly afterwards to make mince pies. I didnt think it would keep properly without the brandy.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 29 September 2010

    Debbie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    made this last year made it about 2 months before xmas it tasted great will be making more this year

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 24 October 2010

    Emma commented on this recipe

    You can use vegie suet if you don't want to use beef and I added cranberries as well, which were lovely and very festive. If you are taking out the Brandy replace it with orange juice so that you still get the fruit soaked properly.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 28 October 2010

    rockcakeswales rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I will never use the bought jars ever again this mincemeat was so yummy home made is best FACT!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 12 November 2010

    Lisa rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this last night - was really easy! This mincemeat smelt great, looked great and tasted great! Can't wait to make the mince pies!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 17 November 2010

    Dawn rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 19 November 2010

    Huckleberry commented on this recipe

    it says what the calorie content is per serving but can anyone tell me what size is a serving?? many thanks

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 23 October 2011

    jinjerine rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 07 November 2011

    Jayne commented on this recipe

    i added orange zest as well,i like tangy food.cant wait to use it,enjoyed making it!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 04 December 2011

    Nayaths commented on this recipe

    Im planning on making this for Xmas and making mince pies. Both as a treat for us on Xmas day and Im planning on giving some out to family when we visit over the Xmas time. Im just wondering how much it makes. Just so i have a good idea of how much i would need to make to cover every one. I dont realy like mince pies myself but they get gobbled up by everyone else. Dont want to resort to store-bought.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 04 December 2011

    Nayaths commented on this recipe

    scratch my last comment. I didnt read the note where it says it makes about 2Kg. My mistake

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 2kg (4 x 500ml jars)

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

plus soaking

Ingredients

  • 250g raisins
  • 375g currants
  • 100ml brandy
  • zest of 1 lemon , juice of ½
  • 300g shredded suet
  • 250g dark brown sugar
  • 85g chopped mixed peel
  • ½ small nutmeg , grated
  • 1 large Bramley apple , peeled and grated
Print this recipe
Add to your binder

PER TBSP

70 kcalories, protein 0g, carbohydrate 10g, fat 3 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 0g, sugar 9g, salt 0.01 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, and receive your first 3 issues for just £3

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here

Buy ingredients

With just one click, the full list of recipe ingredients will be put into a basket at your choice of provider. Choose from:

mySupermarket Compare prices and choose a retailer you wish to buy them from.

Ocado Let Ocado deliver all you need for this recipe, right to your door

Tesco Buy all the ingredients from our recipes through your Tesco online shop.

new

Asda Shop with Asda? You can now buy ingredients for our recipes via your Asda online shop.

In association with the above providers. Terms and conditions apply.

Close