Mince Pies (British Christmas — Traditional Method)

Mince pies — small, pastry-enclosed tarts of sweet mincemeat (a mixture of dried fruit, suet, spices, and brandy, with no actual meat in the modern version) — are the most quintessentially British Christmas preparation, consumed in enormous quantities from December 1 through January 6. The mincemeat tradition is ancient — the original 'mince pies' of medieval and Tudor England contained actual minced meat with spices and dried fruit (a preservation technique), and the gradual removal of meat over the 17th and 18th centuries left the sweet, spiced dried fruit preparation we know today. The quality of a mince pie depends on two things: the pastry and the quality (or home production) of the mincemeat. An all-butter shortcrust that achieves the correct ratio of crumbly-to-crisp, and a mincemeat that has been stored for months with suet and brandy — these produce a mince pie worth the tradition.