Mince Pies - Essential for an English Christmas (2025)

Mince Pies - buttery, crumbly pastry shells filled with a mix of dried fruit and spices - have been known to English cooks since the Middle Ages andhave played a part in the Christmas festivities since then.

Originally, the pies did indeed contain 'mince', i.e. ground lamb orpork, flavoured with the cinnamon, allspice,orange peel and cloves that are so familiar to us.

It is strange to think that something as innocent as pastry filledwith dried fruit should be able to cause controversy in England, butthen, one should never discount the Puritans. During the English Civil War, Cromwell is said to have introduced a law banning mincepies at Christmas. The reason given was that ingredients were pagan inorigin and therefore not suited to a Christian country!

Whether this really happened, and whatever the true reason - maybe Cromwell liked them as little as Ido and thought he'd do something about it - after the restoration of themonarchy many of Cromwell's laws passed into obscurity. Including thisone. So it is perfectly legal to enjoy your mince pie at Christmas, or at any other time that fancy takes you.

Mince Pies © funandrejss | 123RF.com

Choose Your Mincemeat

Mince pies stand and fall with their tasty filling. And not allmincemeats were created equal. Their taste can vary between heavy, verysweet, spicy, and too spicy.

This last one I've come across only once. It was so heavilyflavoured with cloves that it reminded me of a trip to the dentist. Notthe kind of thing to be thinking about just before Christmas!

I like my mincemeat fruity and spicy rather than cloyingly sweet, and fat-free rather than heavy. Try a selection and decide for yourself.

Better still, make your own. Mincemeat is usually better if it hastime to mature for a while, so it can be made well in advance, beforeall the other pre-Christmas jobs eat up your spare time. You can find two mincemeat recipes - a very traditional one from Mrs Beeton and a lighter, fat-free version from Rose Elliot - on this page.

Pastry

I prefer my pies in buttery, crumbly shortcrust pastry, but have comeacross a few flaky pastry versions over the years - including amarvellous cake made from layers of crisp filo pastry filled with mincemeat. Served with cinnamon ice cream, that one was quite spectacular.

For the pastry, rub together:

• 140g plain flour
• 90g butter

until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add a pinch of salt and bind with an egg yolk. If too dry, add a tablespoon of water.

Knead briefly, then wrap in plastic film and chill for half an hour in the main part of the fridge.

To bake your mince pies, you will need a non-stick muffin / cupcake baking tray like one of these:

Assembling and Baking Mince Pies

Other Essentially England Christmas Food Pages...

Not sure what to serve with your mince pies?Check the recipe section for more ideas.