Mel's Famous Mince Pies

Now these festive treats have quite a story! I created this recipe some 18 years ago, after tasting something similar in a cafe. They were hugely popular and I instantly found myself getting requests for them. Each year I made more batches for more people and I ended up with a growing list of people wanting them. Eventually, three years ago, I racked up a whopping 80 dozen to bake in my tiny kitchen! So the following year I started handing out the recipe instead! So here goes, enjoy baking them - just be careful how many you give away…

• 250g unsalted butter, softened

• 65g icing sugar

• 250g plain flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 pack shortcrust pastry

• 1 jar mincemeat

1. Create the Viennese mixture by blitzing the butter, icing sugar, flour and baking powder in a food processor until very soft and smooth.

2. Roll out the pastry and cut and fill two dozen mince pie bottoms, then, with a wide star nozzle, pipe swirls of the Viennese mixture on top, covering the mincemeat.

3. Bake at 170c for approx 20 mins, until pale golden. Leave to cool completely in the tin - they are very delicate when warm. The easiest way to remove the cold pies, is to briefly warm the tin over your hob, to loosen them. Enjoy!

Download Mel’s Famous Mince Pie Recipe here