The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the significance of the mince pie? ›

They were made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples and were all symbolic to the Christmas story. As well as dried fruit such as raisins, prunes and figs, they included lamb or mutton to represent the shepherds and spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) for the Wise Men.

TAKE ONE COFFIN…

Our mince pies undoubtedly have medieval origins, although we would not immediately recognise them. Pie crusts were known as coffins, and used as a vessel to cook delicate foods or house pre-boiled meat fillings. Pastry was little more than flour mixed with water to form a mouldable dough.

Some speculation has it that mince pies were illegal to eat on the day of Christmas. However, the only Christmas Day where eating mince pies was illegal was 1644 due to December falling on a day of fasting. Eat all of the mince pies to your heart's desires!

According to tradition, you must always make a wish on the first mince pie you eat during the Christmas season.

Many believe the idea for the mince pie originated with Middle Eastern cuisine in the 12th century, when spices and fruit were often used in savory and sweet meat dishes. Before refrigeration, spices and sugars were used for preservation to slow down spoilage.

The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.

The Myth of the Christmas Ban

As with most Commonwealth/Protectorate legislation, the Christmas ban was removed in 1660 with the Restoration.

20th century

By the mid-twentieth century, most mincemeat recipes did not include meat, but might include animal fat in the form of suet or butter, or alternatively solid vegetable fats, making it vegan.

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.

Mince pies are best served warm but not hot, dusted with icing sugar and with a dollop of cream, homemade brandy butter, or a drizzle of custard on the side. So, what do drink with it? Sherry is the traditional tipple-of-choice for mince pie lovers in Britain.

Can you microwave a mince pie? ›

Instructions: 800W / 900W 10 secs / 10 secsRemove all packaging, including foil case. Place a pie on a microwaveable plate and heat on full power. If heating 4 or more pies at a time, heat for 30 seconds. Leave to stand for 2 minutes after heating.

The name "mincemeat" originally referred to a combination of ingredients that included meat in the recipe. Alcohol was incorporated into mincemeat to act as a preservative for the meat, along with the addition of sugar. The mincemeat mixture also contained suet and was used as a pie or pastry filling.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, mincemeat pie went beyond just a holiday treat and also offered significant symbolism. Around Christmas, it was popular to bake an elaborate pie that had dough resembling baby Jesus and included spices and sweetmeats as representatives of the gifts from the visiting Magi.

Symbolism and Tradition

Mince pies have long been associated with Christmas and are an integral part of holiday celebrations in many countries. In England, it is believed that eating mince pies on each of the twelve days of Christmas brings good luck for the coming year.

It's a classic ingredient at Christmas in mince pies, but mincemeat can be used throughout the year in baking. Mincemeat is essentially an ancient mixture of dried fruits, ground almonds and spices, sugar and fat, almost certainly brought back to England from the Middle East by Crusaders.

A Brief History of the Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is believed to have been invented in the early 1800s. During this time, housewives were struggling to find innovative ways to recycle the leftovers that their husbands and kids had turned up their noses at. Back then, the struggle was real just as it is today.