Recipe - Cranberry Mincemeat

The house has been smelling beautiful today and it's all thanks to the gorgeous mincemeat I have been cooking up in the kitchen ready to fill my pastry with. It's a good idea to start your batch now so it will be ready in time to make mince pies for Christmas as you need to leave it to mature for a couple of weeks. To make the mince meat you will need to do the following, trying not to hum Christmas songs as it is still only November!

Ingredients

500g mixture of raisins, sultanas and currants (I found a very handy bag premixed with cherries and mixed peel from Sainsburys but if you can't find this you will also need 85g of mixed peel)
140g dried apricots
85g dried cranberries (I used a bag of orange cranberries)
zest and juice of one lemon
zest and juice of one orange
150ml brandy
175g vegetable suet
100g fresh cranberries (I could not find fresh cranberries anywhere so I used dried on this occasion!)
200g soft brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method to the Madness

Put the dried fruits into a large bowl (excluding the fresh cranberries. Pour over the brandy, zest and juice. Stir in, cover and leave to soak for 24 hours.

Once the fruit has soaked up all the alcohol overnight you will need to put the mixture in a pan with all the remaining ingredients. Stir over a medium heat until the suet has melted and the mixture is lightly bubbling.

Whilst hot spoon the mixture into your sterilised jar and seal. You will need to leave the mixture in a cool dark cupboard for at least two weeks before using and can be kept for up to six months.

It is a good idea to make the mincemeat up now so you will be ready to make those Christmas mince pies!

C x