No more jars with their plastic-lined, metal lids for me! So what with Christmas coming I need to make my own sweet mincemeat for my mince pies. So I did. I based my recipe loosely on a Delia recipe. Thank the lord for Leeds Market and the Nut Shop where I bought all my ingredients.Don’t live near Leeds. There are other places – Check out the loose food list here.
This is what you will need for the Delia Recipe
1 lb (450 g) Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel them)
2 oz (50 g) whole almonds, cut into slivers
4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons brandy
8 oz (225 g) shredded suet
12 oz (350 g) raisins
8 oz (225 g) sultanas
8 oz (225 g) currants
8 oz (225 g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped
12 oz (350 g) soft dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice 2 oranges
grated zest and juice 2 lemons
This is what I am using for mine. Made one big jar which is as many pies as I want to make!
275g Windfall apples from the neighbour – great way to use up sour apples!
No nuts! Yuck!
120g Vegetarian suet from Weigh & Save Whitby
275g Raisins Nut Shop
65g Dried apricots Nut Shop
No Candied peel, but zest and ginger in my Wrinkled Balls of Christmas Fire
No All Spice
No Sugar I don’t think it needs it. Much as I love Delia I think she rather over sweetens!
Juice of one oranges from the green grocers
6 tablespoons Wrinkled Balls of Christmas Fire, ginger and lemon peel in vodka
You might want to follow the Delia recipe and cook this properly (needs leaving overnight and baking for 3 hours), or you can, at your own risk, do this….
Mix all the ingredients together leave overnight, put it in to bake at a time when you are using the oven anyway for as long as the oven is on maybe a bit longer then leave it in the oven as it cools down. Spoon into old jam jars. Top with lard or vodka to keep fresh till needed. Can’t promise it won’t go off but not lost a jar yet. That said I don’t make this far in advance.
If you want it to look rather more fancy you could try these reusable clip top kilner jars with rubber seals.
Find lots more plastic free recipes with the plastic free cook book and more Christmas stuff here