Easy mincemeat
Traditional homemade mincemeat is a real treat for mince pies and it is so easy to make! No cooking, just combine the ingredients and let time work its magic. Make it once and you'll never go back to jars.
Ingredients
- 225g/8oz vegetarian suet
- 225g/8oz Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 125g/4oz candied peel, chopped
- 225g/8oz sultanas
- 225g/8oz raisins
- 225g/8oz currants
- 175g/6oz demerara sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 orange, zest and juice
- 60ml/2fl oz brandy
Method
To make the mincemeat, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to stand overnight for the fruit to absorb the juice and brandy. You can use the mincemeat the following day, or store in jars for later.
To sterilise the jars, preheat the oven to 110C/100C Fan/Gas ¼. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water, rinse thoroughly, then put them on a baking tray (rim side up) in the oven for 30 minutes. To sterilise the lids, put them in a small saucepan of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.
Pack the mincemeat into sterilised jars, pressing down to try to remove any air bubbles. Seal the lids. Store in a cool dark place until you want to use it. It will taste even better after two weeks or so. The mincemeat will keep for up to three months.
Recipe Tips
You can substitute 800g mixed fruit and peel for the raisins, currants, sultanas and candied peel, as this mixture is roughly the same proportion.