Home-made Christmas mincemeat - Christmas in a Crisis

Home-made mincemeat is dead simple to make though in the past people used to have trouble storing it. This was because the high percentage of apples oozed too much juice and the juice started to ferment. In the following recipe the mincemeat is placed in a barely warm oven and so the suet gradually melts and as this happens it coats all the fruits, including the apples, sealing in the juices. Vegetarians can make this mincemeat happily, using vegetarian suet.

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Delia's Christmas in a Crisis

Method

All you do is combine all the ingredients, except for the brandy, in a large heatproof mixing bowl, stirring them and mixing them together very thoroughly indeed.

Then cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight or for 12 hours, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and develop.

After that pre-heat the oven to 120°C , gas mark ¼. Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours. Then remove the bowl from the oven. Don't worry about the appearance of the mincemeat, which will look positively swimming in fat. This is how it should look. As it cools, stir it from time to time; the fat will coagulate and, instead of it being in tiny shreds, it will encase all the other ingredients.

When the mincemeat is quite cold, stir in the brandy.

Pack in sterilised jars (see below), cover with waxed discs and seal. It will keep in a cool, dark cupboard indefinitely, but I think it is best eaten within a year of making.

NOTE: To sterilise preserving jars, wash them in warm soapy water, rinse and dry, then pop them in a medium oven for 5 minutes.