Christmas Mincemeat recipe by Lesley Wild, chief cookbook writer at Bettys

Now it’s your turn to flex your crafting muscles with this very timely recipe from our good friends at Bettys.

‘Mincemeat, as the name suggests, originally contained minced meat,’ said Bettys’ chairman – and chief cookbook writer – Lesley Wild. ‘In ancient times, when meat was preserved by many different means, one of the tastier methods was to mix it with fruit, spices and alcohol. It’s said that King Henry V was so keen on mincemeat that he was served a mince pie at his coronation in 1413.

‘This rather special recipe, which contains several unusual and interesting ingredients, was given to me by my mother. It’s easy to make, and so superior to anything that can be bought in a shop.’

Mincemeat

(makes three medium jars)

Ingredients

55g blanched almonds, chopped

110g whole candied peel (orange, lemon and citron), finely chopped

1 medium Bramley apple, peeled and finely chopped

200g shredded suet (beef or vegetable)

55g naturally coloured glacé cherries, chopped

25g crystallised ginger, chopped

25g glacé pineapple, chopped

225g each seedless raisins, currants, sultanas

175g soft light-brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice

grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

grated zest and juice of ½ orange

150ml rum or brandy

Method

:: Sterilise your jars and lids by preheating the oven to 180C/gas 4. Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse – do not dry with a tea towel – and place on a baking sheet in the oven for at least 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before filling.

:: Place all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and combine well. Mix the lemon and orange juice together in a jug, add the rum or brandy and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir well, then pack into the prepared jars and store in a cool place (mincemeat keeps well for at least six months).