Hello!
Guess what?
Mincemeat is one of the easiest things to make on this planet. There are quite a few ingredients but basically they all go in to a big bowl, sit there for a bit, and then get put in to a jar. OK, there’s a teeny bit more to it than that but not much more.
And with Stir Up Sunday only a week or so away it’s time to gather your friends in the kitchen, pour a glass of something, pop some Christmas tunes on to Spotify and spend the afternoon making my Mincemeat.
These quantities will make almost three kilo’s of mincemeat. Which is a nice amount as you can fill some mince pies and also give a jar or two away.
Equipment –
- x6 500g (or equivalent) preserving jars – basically this means a jar that can be sealed in an airtight fashion so that the mincemeat will keep. Le Parfait, Mason and Kilner jars are all now readily available.
- A large bowl
- Tongs
Ingredients –
- 150g glace cherries – chopped in to small pieces
- 100g pecans – chopped in to small pieces
- 100g hazelnuts – chopped in to small pieces
- 3 lemons – zest and juice
- 2 oranges – zest and juice
- 450g bramley apples (or other cookers) – peeled, cored and chopped in to small pieces
- 220g shredded suet ( I used beef, if you’re veggie used vegetable suet)
- 350g raisins
- 12 medjool dates – chopped in to small pieces
- 220g sultanas
- 220g currants
- 350g dark muscovado sugar
- 220g mixed candied peel
- 5 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 4tbsp amaretto
Put all of the ingredients in to a large bowl.
Stir well (whilst watching your seventeen month old son try his hardest to get in to the fridge) *I wrote this a while ago*
At one point I got really stuck in and used my hands to stir the lot together, this is absolutely fine as it really does need to be mixed well.
The aroma at this point will be making your mouth water.
Pat down in the bowl, cover, and set aside overnight.
The next day empty the bowl in to a large saucepan and heat very gently on a low heat.
Stirring often.
Don’t let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pan or burn in any way. This process is only to gently melt the suet.
It’s a beautiful looking recipe. And it fills the house with the smell that only comes at this time of year.
When the mixture has been heated all the way through and the suet has melted, coating all the ingredients, keep it warm while getting your jars ready.
Wash them in very hot soapy water, rinsing them thoroughly.
Then put them in to a hot oven for a few minutes.
Lift them carefully out of the oven……
..and while still warm fill the jars with the mincemeat.
Close the jars (see note on the types of jar to use) and allow to cool in a cool dark place.
OK, a few notes on all of this to demystify it all.
- This mincemeat will keep well for about a year if the jar is airtight, thoroughly steralised before hand, and left in a cool dark place. But I’ll be using all of mine this Christmas.
- If you don’t like some of the ingredients then feel free to swap them around a bit. But if you play too much, add loads more nuts or fruit etc, you’ll find that the result is either too dry or far too soggy. This recipe is really lovely, not too sweet, bit tangy, and rich even after only one day of sitting around. So I would urge you to give it a go.
- Stir Up Sunday was yesterday. But if you were busy or missed it then please don’t worry. This mincemeat is fabulous for making at the last minute. As I said Louise and I left our bowl overnight, heated it up as per my recipe and then made some mince pies out of a portion of it before putting the rest in to jars. The mincemeat was gorgeous and several other people who were at my house for lunch yesterday loved it. So even if you make it a week or the night before Christmas you’ll be OK.
- If you only have time in the evening for these kinds of kitchen shenanigans then do the first step one evening and heat it and put in to jars the next. It’ll keep.
It is so foggy here right now. The fog arrived yesterday morning, went away and then returned just as folk were leaving our house yesterday evening. This morning it’s white as far as I can see, like snow!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Have a great end to the week. Huge love to you all and thank you so much for reading.
Cherry x
just heavenly. I don’t have your patience for doing things like making my own mincemeat, plus I’d muck it up in some way, I know I would. I’d love to though, because I can totally imagine the smell.
been spookily foggy in East Anglia too. Enough messing around now, bring on the snow! 🙂
x
Lovely, thank you Cherry – the delicious aromas that float around the kitchen (and then the whole house) whilst making mince pies is one of my all time favourite things xxx
I can almost smell the aromas coming from your photos!
I hope the fog clears off – flying to New York on Wednesday (hopefully!)
Kx
This looks gorgeous! I have a recipe for mincemeat to make and blog about too, I can’t wait! I love mince pies but hate the candied peel in shop bought ones so if I make my own I can leave it out! 🙂 PS: It’s foggy up here too, I drive through the country side to get to uni and it was so thick!
Really fancy making mincemeat this year. apart from mince pies, what else can you make with it?
Thanks for this – I was saying to the girl at the supermarket checkout yesterday that I might have a go at mince pies and i’d love to make my own mincemeat and voila! as if by magic – here’s the recipe.
Not sure when i’ll manage this as I have weddings away from home the next 2 weekends and then another one 2 days before Xmas (where the couple have asked for a Xmas decoration for their tree rather than presents – lovely idea I thought) so it will definitely have to be squeezed in to an evening.
How should I adapt if I leave out the nuts? I only ask as I would like to give some to a friend who has a nut allergy, and my niece does too, so would like to be able to do a nut free version.
Thanks as usual! Take care, Bex.xx
PS. Pomegranates are drying ready for wreath making. Fa la la la la la la la la!
Your post has made my mouth water!! I could almost smell the zesty goodness.
Like Bex, I would love to know what would be a good substitute for all the nuts. My son has a severe nut allergy and gets told he can’t have so many things. But I don’t want to fiddle with it and mess the balance up. Thanks
This sounds irresistible. For one who has never tasted mincemeat, I’m completely intrigued.
My father loves mincemeat pie. I think I’ll give this a try this year! He also loves greengrape pie. Have you ever heard of such? Might try my hand at that as well! Have a lovely week!
It’s true English people do only talk about the weather. Yes it was definately polythene bag weather here yesterday too, the fog didn’t lift all day. Love your Rachel Weiss look. Those eyebrows of yours are special Cherry and the mincemeat’s good too. Where did you get the tank top?
I love making mincemeat as you can adapt it to your taste/preferences – very satisfying. Have you tried the Delia Smith Mincemeat Cake in her Complete Cookery Course book? A great way to make an easy christmas style cake – and can be done very last minute.
We missed Stir up Sunday, in our house, so we had Mix Up Monday! I have to say that it smells divine, after years of Delia’s mincemeat, I am giving yours a try Cherry, if it tastes half as good as it smells, we are in for a treat!
Cherry, you’re post inspired me to get into the kitchen and and rustle up the first batch of mince pies for the husband, housemate and hangers on talking computer games in the living room. Didn’t make my own mince meat as I by the home made stuff from the charity stall on the market but did follow the Nigella recipe which calls for orange juice rather than water in the pastry and it turned out brilliantly. Happiness is impressing a room full of hungry boys with warm fresh mince pies and tea.
Have just bought my first box of “well known brand” mince pies. The mincemeat was hard and tasteless, I’m sorry but I had to spit out hard chunks. Sorry everybody. I will definately be making my own this year Cherry. Mince pies are such a crucial part of Christmas and I will let you know how I get on with the recipe.
Hi, Just had to write and tell you I have just finished ‘jarring’ up my mincemeat following your recipe. I am trying so hard not to eat it especially as yesterday was the start of my pre xmas diet (believe it or not Im carrying it on through christmas as well, as too many years have passed when I realise I have put on a whole stone over the festvities!) but its soooooooo difficult as it smells so yummy, so instead I shall sell it on my stall at the local craft market! and will sing your praises as I do so!
Love reading your updates and Im doing quite the opposite having wooden flooring fitted today. Lots of Love. X X X X
Thank you so much for this. I finally feel happy enough to jar my own mincemeat! All the other recipes I’ve seen say to jar it cold but this made me nervous as I didn’t think it would keep so well, especially since I’d planned on giving it away as gifts. I so didn’t want my fruit to go to waste as it’s been flavouring my Christmas vodka for a week. Looks like this year people will be getting drunken mince pies in my house! 🙂
Wow, that is quite a list of ingredients. I bet it will taste heavenly though.