With Christmas just around the corner, mince pies are definitely on the menu! Perfect with a cup of tea, we like them generously filled and crumbly on the outside. These can be warmed up and served with a dollop of cream – or even better, brandy butter. Delicious!

Ingredients

For the Pastry

375g plain flour

260g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)

1 large egg plus 1 beaten egg for glazing

For the Filling

600g mincemeat

1 apple, finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Rub the flour and butter together to form a crumb consistency
2. Add the sugar and 1 large egg, then mix together to make the pastry
3. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 10 mins
4. Next, mix together the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside
5. After chilling, roll out the pastry to a 3mm thickness
6. Using a round cutter (10cm), cut 16 bases and place them in a greased muffin tray
7. Put 1.5 teaspoons of filling in each pastry case and brush the edges with the beaten egg
8. Re-roll the rest of the pastry and cut out 7cm diameter lids
9. Press the lids on top of the bases and glaze with beaten egg. Sprinkle with some of the extra caster sugar
10. Bake the mince pies for 15-20 minutes until golden on gas mark 7 (220c)

Put the kettle on and serve the mince pies warm – and try not to eat the whole batch at once! Our onsite caterers, The Gourmet Chef will be serving mince pies at the club throughout December, so come and warm up after shooting with a sweet treat.