19/12/2025
Nothing says Christmas quite like a tray of warm, buttery mince pies fresh from the oven. With crisp, melt-in-the-mouth pastry and a rich, spiced mincemeat filling, these traditional festive treats are surprisingly simple to make at home. If you'd like to make your own, rather than purchasing mince pies from the supermarket, we want to share this easy-to-follow receipe:
Ingredients you'll need:
300g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
Pinch of salt
150g cold butter, diced
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 large egg + 1 tbsp cold water
300g mincemeat (filling)
And to finish, 1 egg, beaten + 1 tbsp caster sugar
What you need to do:
1. Pulse flour, salt and butter in a food processor until breadcrumb-like. Add icing sugar, then egg mixture; pulse to a rough dough.
2. Bring dough together, wrap and chill for 20–30 minutes.
3. Grease a 12-hole bun tin and chill.
4. Roll pastry to about 4mm thick. Cut 12 bases slightly larger than the tin holes and press into the tin.
5. Fill each case with 1 level tbsp mincemeat (don’t overfill).
6. Cut 12 smaller lids. Brush edges with egg, seal onto pies, and lightly press.
7. Brush tops with egg, sprinkle with sugar, and cut a small steam slit.
8. Chill while oven heats, then bake for 20–25 minutes until golden in 190°C / 170°C Fan / Gas 5 oven.
9. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tin.
10. Serve with your choice of brandy butter, cream or ice cream.
Useful tips:
Your pastry can also be made by hand, by rubbing butter into flour, then mixing in egg. Star lids can be used instead of full lids. And good-quality mincemeat makes a big difference!
These mince pies are best shared, so pop the kettle on and enjoy a little taste of Christmas. Happy baking!
