Mince pie recipe

Name: Mince pie recipe
Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins (+1 hour chilling and 8 hours soaking)
Cook time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 30 mince pies
Ingredients: 300g chopped apples; 350g sultanas; 350g currants; 250 soft dark brown sugar; 400g minced beef (best if from aged meat); 200g suet; 2 oranges (zest and juice); 2 lemons (zest and juice); 125ml brandy; 125ml rum; 50ml port; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ teaspoon ground allspice; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 400g plain flour; 300g very cold (and preferably cultured) butter, diced; 100g ice-cold water; 5g fine sea salt; A pinch of demerara sugar for sprinkling on top

Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without a proper mince pie. If you fancy making your own this year, try this classic recipe by Helen Evans of Eric’s bakery

By Helen Evans

23 October 2025

Image may contain Pastry Food Dessert Dish Meal Bread Confectionery and Sweets

This mincemeat recipe, which I developed while working at Flor Bakery, is a very traditional one. It is made with minced beef from retired dairy cows, dried fruits hydrated in rum, port and brandy and a house blend of warm spices. Encased in rough puff pastry made with cultured butter, these mince pies are a rich and decadent Christmas treat. I usually serve them warm with clotted cream, but they’re just as tasty cold, perhaps with some mulled wine.

This recipe makes approximately 30 mince pies. The filling keeps for several months in the fridge.

If time is of the essence and you need to find some excellent ready-made mince pies, your local independent bakery is a good place to start. Or, if you’re looking for a gift for a foodie, consider a traditional Christmas hamper featuring mince pies and other festive delights.

And if you are going to be doing the cooking on Christmas Day, it’s time to brush up on all the best Christmas dinner recipes, from the turkey and Brussels sprouts to Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and even Christmas cookies.

MAY WE SUGGEST: More sweet treats by Eric’s bakery founder Helen Evans

Recipe notes