Mince Pies
I’ve lived in Hampshire for more than twenty years now, and one of the traditions that has stayed with me throughout is making homemade mince pies at Christmas. Our celebrations are a blend of two cultures: we keep to our Spanish traditions on Christmas Eve, then enjoy a very British Christmas Day with all the trimmings.
This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, and it is a favourite in our home. It makes my husband happy, and our friends and neighbours look forward to it each year. As always, I swap the butter in the pastry for olive oil, a little nod to my roots, and the result is wonderfully light and easy to work with.
Ingredients
150g plain flour
25g ground almonds
25g sugar
25 ml cold water
1 jar of homemade or bought mince meat
It makes 10-12
Method
Combine the flour, sugar, and ground almonds in a medium mixing bowl, then add the Negra Harvest olive oil and water.
Mix everything together, by hand or in a food processor, until the dough comes together and is ready to roll. This pastry is very simple to make and doesn’t require any chilling.
Sprinkle flour generously on a flat surface, roll out the dough and cut the bottom and top circles. Prepare your mince pies with the mince meat filling of your choice, and bake in a preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Serve them warm with a dusting of icing sugar.
Tip: I often make these in advance. Once cooled, I freeze them before adding the icing sugar. When needed, simply defrost, warm in the oven for 5 minutes, and finish with a dusting of sugar. Perfect every time!
