A Christmas top tip from a different angle – standing by my sitting room bar (yes, there’s one in the kitchen too).
Get your mincemeat early! Last year I left it too late and all the good stuff had gone from the shelves. My favourite is M&S Brandy & Clementine mincemeat, and this year I’ve bought an extra jar. My 24 mince pies are already made and in the freezer, with a little emergency pastry to spare – and I’ll be stirring any leftover mincemeat into an apple crumble after Christmas.
For anyone outside Britain: mincemeat has no meat in it at all! It’s a sweet mix of currants, apples and candied peel, and it’s very British. (Watch with the captions on – trust me.)