MY MUM’S MINCE PIES

My mother was a very good cook and, as I’m fond of saying, I’m always trying to cook the food she made for me as a child because those were the best things I’ve ever eaten. Her mince pies are a case in point. The extreme ‘sandiness’ of the pastry is what makes them

so special. Her recipe has more fat to flour than your average shortcrust and can be too rich in some cases, but not in mince pies. Makes 12 minutes (allow 15 minutes for it to

● 1 jar of mincemeat (see below) come back up to room temperature

● Milk, for brushing before rolling it out).

● Icing sugar, for dusting Roll the pastry out on a floured For the shortcrust pastry board to 2-3mm thickness. Using

● 225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra a pastry cutter, cut 12 discs large

for dusting enough to fill the cups of a

● ½tsp salt shallow bun tin. Use a smaller

● 65g (2½oz) lard or vegetable cutter to cut another 12 discs for

shortening, cold and cubed the lids. Preheat the oven to

● 65g (2½oz) butter, cold and 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.

cubed Add 1tbsp of mincemeat to each

● 1½-2tbsp ice-cold water pastry case. Brush the edges with cold water and put the lids on top, pressing the edges to seal. Make a few slits in each lid to allow steam to escape and brush with milk. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar. If you make them ahead of time, warm them in the oven before serving.

For the pastry, combine the flour, salt, lard or shortening and butter in a food processor and pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in just enough of the ice-cold water to get the pastry to come together in a dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured board and form into a thick disc. Cover with clingfilm and chill for about 30

This pastry is very short , so is delicate to handle. Keep it cool and handle as little as possible. You can re-roll the trimmings but the less you do, the better the pastry.