Where’s the mince?

Mince pies, like Christmas pudding, were created to be filled with meat, instead of spiced dried fruit enriched with brandy as we know today. Originally made in an oval shape to represent Jesus’s manger, mince pies — the meaty ones — were a status symbol in the Middle Ages when the rich showed off by serving pies in elaborate different shapes. A custom at the time was to eat a mince pie everyday from Christmas to the Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5, which was said to symbolise happiness for the next 12 months. The fruit mince pie tradition continues and today most are purchased rather than homemade. A good mince pie is judged on the pastry which should be rich, not too thick and melt-in-the-mouth with a generous amount of brandied fruit mincemeat filling.