
Easy mincemeat
Make homemade mincemeat for your Christmas bakes. It's a lot easier than you might think, and the recipe can be scaled up or down. This works well as a gift, too
- 150g currants
- 150g sultanas
- 100g raisins
- 75g mixed peel
- 1 lemonzested and juiced
- 75g suet(check it’s vegetarian and gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 small cooking applepeeled, cored and finely chopped
- 1½ tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 100ml brandy
Nutrition: Per tbsp
- kcal61
- fat1g
- saturates1g
- carbs11g
- sugars10g
- fibre0.4g
- protein0.2g
- salt0.02g
Method
step 1
Put all the ingredients, except the brandy, in a large saucepan. Cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and suet have completely dissolved.
step 2
Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature before stirring in the brandy. The mincemeat may look loose at this stage, but it will continue to thicken. You can encase it in pastry as soon as it’s cooled. Alternatively, spoon the warm mincemeat into a large sterilised jar or several smaller ones (see tip, below). Will keep in a cool, dry place for up to six months.