Mince pies were exactly that; they were made with minced meat or, more traditionally, minced ‘neat’s’ (ox) tongue, enriched with spices and sweetened with dried fruit. Eliza Acton (1845) clearly had a preference for tongue – ‘boiled tender and cut free from the rind’ –  in her ‘Mincemeat receipt’, nominating the ‘inside of roasted sirloin’ as an alternative.

‘Superlative Mincemeat’

Mrs Beeton (1861), however, asked for minced lean beef. Meatless mince recipes were around, with lemons as a key ingredient, but they still wouldn’t have pleased a vegetarian – they also called for beef suet. Eliza couldn’t help herself – in true carnivorous fashion, she closed her meatless but suet-rich ‘Superlative Mincemeat’ recipe with a note: ‘We think that the weight of one lemon in meat, improves the mixture’.

Not necessarily vegetarian…

The meat component slowly dropped away and ‘fruit mince’ has caught on as the accepted term for meatless (but not necessarily vegetarian) mince pies. Suet remained in mince pie recipes well into the second half of the 20th century. It’s still found in some fruit mince mixtures – especially in English brands (that’s what those little white stick-like bits are in Robertson’s jars) – but there are vegetarian versions around (check the ingredients label) or better still, make your own!

Maturing the mince

Mrs Beeton recommends the mince be made at the beginning of December; of course you can whip up a batch of fruit mince to use straight away, but it does improve with age. Discerning cooks make a batch each Christmas, but use the previous year’s supply to fill their pies. It’s a nice tradition to establish, and the fruit mince makes a good gift for friends. Top the maturing mince up every few months with brandy to ensure a rich moist result.

Fruit mince pies

Like the plum pudding, mince pies were an ideal treat for the northern hemisphere Christmas. Dried fruit was a logical option, as midwinter did not afford many fresh ingredients. Lemons and apples are consistently the only fresh fruit in mince pie recipes, as they would have still been available in the winter months. Every recipe author had their own version, but they all followed the same principles. I like Maria Rundell’s version (quoted below) for its low fuss simplicity, but you’ll notice I’ve added a splash of brandy and festive spices to my recipe.

Lemon Mince Pies

Squeeze a large lemon, boil the outside until tender enough to beat to a mash, add to it three large apples, chopped, and four ounces of suet, half a pound of currants, four ounces of sugar; put the juice of one lemon, and candied fruit, as for other pies. Make a short crust and fill the patty-pans as usual.
A New System of Domestic Cookery. Maria Rundell 1816.

Spice, the aroma of Christmas

Christmas not only has a flavour profile but, to me, an aroma that is just as important. Oranges have been associated with Christmas from a time when they were a luxury item imported from Spain. Classic spices, enjoyed since ancient times in festive food, are cloves (essential, albeit used sparingly), nutmeg and cinnamon. A good quality ‘mixed spice’ is a simple solution, or be adventurous and use the more robust French blend, quatre épice sweet (sweet four spice), available from specialty merchants such as Herbie’s Spices in Sydney.