quick recipe

350g mincemeat
40g golden caster sugar
200g plain flour, sifted
75g ground almonds
125g unsalted diced butter
1 large egg, beaten
dash of milk to glaze

1 First of all preheat the oven to around 200C / Gas Mark 6 / 400F.

2 Lightly butter a 12 hole pie or patty tin.

3 In a bowl place the mincemeat and give it a quick stir so that the liquid is distributed.

4 In a food processor place the flour, sugar, butter and almonds and process until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs, then slowly add the egg and mix again.

5 Gather the mixture together in your hands and roll into a ball, then thinly roll out the pastry onto a floured surface. Cut out 12 circles with a pastry cutter. Press one circle of pastry into each of the 12 holes in the pie or patty tin. Press gently down, then fill each with mincemeat.

6 Next cut another 12 circles out of the remaining pastry, this time make them a tiny bit smaller. Place these smaller circles over the mincemeat and firm around the edges so they stick together.

7. Make a small slit on top of each of the 12 mince pies and brush each one with a little milk so it will glaze them and make them look more attractive when served.

8 Bake the pies in the oven for around 20 minutes until nice and golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool. You can even sprinkle a little icing / frosting powder over each one and decorate before serving should you wish to.