The best Christmas fruit mince with cherries recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many mince pies should you eat on each of the 12 days of Christmas? ›

There is a tradition of eating one mince pie each day over the 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Eve to 5 January.

Remove from the heat and let cool; stir in the grated butter and the nuts, if you're using them. Store in a sealed container or jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for 6 months.

The mince pies will keep well for at least 1 week, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The pastry will soften a little in that time, but they'll still taste glorious. Switch out the dried fruit for what you like best – just keep the volume the same.

Most mincemeat is stored in sterilised jars but this recipe for mincemeat is made to be stored in the freezer. It's really easy to make and tastes so much better than anything you can buy. Make it in advance and will last for 3 months.

It has been claimed that eating the snack is illegal in England if done so on Christmas Day. The tradition comes from the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, when mince pies were banned at Christmas, along with other tasty treats. Cromwell wanted to tackle gluttony in England.

Pumpkin pie is America's favorite holiday pie.

Versions containing animal fats should be cooked before use but those including butter can be used as they are, perhaps stirred into an ice cream mixture. You could even serve an especially tasty version with whipped or clotted cream as a sumptuous festive topping for warm scones.

Oxygen exposure changes meat colour

When myoglobin comes in contact with oxygen, it forms oxymyoglobin, which has the bright, red colour of beef. After several hours or days of exposure, the oxymoyoglobin can convert to metmyoglobin, which has a brown-grey colour.

Vegetable shortening: Vegetable shortening has a mild flavor like suet and hardens in the refrigerator, making it simple to shred and add to foods that call for shredded suet. Shortening consists of sunflower oil, palm oil, and wheat flour, which create a similar, crumbly texture to suet.

If a pie contains eggs or dairy products, it should be stored in the refrigerator and not left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Pies that do not contain dairy products, such as fruit pies can be stored, loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days.

Can you freeze homemade fruit mince pies? ›

Get ahead: Freeze uncooked pies in their tins for up to three months, wrapped in clingfilm. Bake from frozen as in step 4, allowing 5min extra. Or, pack cooked pies (without icing sugar) into freezerproof boxes. Freeze for up to three months.

I simply use clean sterilised screw-top jars saved from bought marmalade or jam. PREPARING AHEAD - Make the mincemeat up to six months ahead and store in a cool place. It's not necessary to freeze mincemeat as it stores so well.

Mincemeat genuinely is surprisingly quick and straightforward to make and makes a delightful homemade christmas present. Store in the fridge in tupperware or in sealed sterilised jars for a gift.

In fact, mince can be cooked from frozen and its pretty much the same as cooking it from fresh! Simply pop your frozen mince into a pan and keep it moving over a low temperature as it begins to thaw and separate. Once your mince has come apart you can turn the heat up and continue to stir the mince until evenly cooked.

Having surveyed 2,000 people, the London-based company found that, on average, each person in the South West eats 24 mince pies across the festive period. Christmas consumers in Scotland and the North West followed closely behind, polishing off 21 and 20 pies respectively – higher than the national average of 19.

Christmas in numbers

Brits eat approximately 175 million mince pies over Christmas, using 175 tonnes of aluminium packaging. The UK uses 227,000 miles of wrapping paper each year.

Simplified, a family should have one full pie for every six guests at the table.

According to tradition, you should eat one mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas to bring good luck. It's technically illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in England. In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas pudding, mince pies and anything to do with gluttony.