If you make your own mince pies....

I do the same as Auntieflo (except I replace marg with butter) after a bit of trial and error in the past - using all plain and no lard tended to give me a tough, hard pastry. This recipe is much better, I find.

I make a sweet shortcrust pastry, with butter, not margarine or lard. I don't put a top on the mince pies, instead I cut out seasonal shapes, a bell, Christmas tree, star, and reindeer, and place them in the centre of each pie. Everyone loves them.

Some time ago I bought Puff pastry mince pies from M&S,
Each year I now make mincemeat puff pastry turnovers by cutting a squares of pp and topping with mincemeat and then folding corner to corner,
(similar to Apple turnovers)

All our mince pies are kindly made by my sister?

Two coeliacs in the family so I have to make gluten free pastry. It's like shoe leather if you don't get it right so I've perfected my own recipe.

I use half and half lard and marge and add an egg to bind it together. GF shortcrust is a bit of a faff but worth it.

Asda's best mincemeat is passable and I add brandy for extra moisture.

Lots of ideas here, thank you! I can't use lard as I'm catering for vegetarians as well but I'll try using SR flour. I've always made plain pastry, that seems fine.

My youngest doesn't like mincemeat so this year she's put in a request for jam tarts instead. I haven't made those for years!!

Lard & butter and plain flour but have started using spelt flour which gives a nuttier flavour, more savoury taste to the pastry which counteracts the sweetness of the mincemeat.

I’ve just taken a second batch out of the oven mine are plain flour with butter and orange juice to bind with lids I tried some with frangipan tops yesterday but they weren’t nice so it’s back to the original recipe.
I always sprinkle with icing sugar before freezing.

Plain flour, half and half fat (lard and block margarine) 1 tsp iced water per oz. of flour. Always rest in the fridge for half an hour then straight into hot oven for 12 minutes. That's for the orders, usually around 8 doz. Almond pastry for myself. All made and in the freezer.

I did try some M** and S*** mincemeat this year for one trayful instead of my own. Dreadful! Runny and splodgy and never to be repeated

Really interesting to read the variations by everyone. Good thread!

Shortcrust, always for mince pies, mmmm makes me want to go and bake some right now.

I use puff pastry - the ready to use kind, rolled very thin, with home-made mincemeat.

I use 50/50 SR and plain flour, and 50/50 lard and marg adding cold water. Brush lids with milk and sprinkle caster sugar on top. No complaints so far.

I put orange zest in the pastry too.

My pastry is so rich because it includes both butter and lard, caster sugar and orange zest. I also add cream cheese underneath the lid which melts into the mincemeat. Mmmm.........to die for...........

Always make my own. Melt in the mouth shortcrust pastry.
Can't stand bought ones.

Using 1/2 Stork and 1/2 Lurpak.

Plain shortcrust here without lids.

Have you tried filo? I make little parcels of mincemeat (they look like the dim sum you can buy) in filo and dust with icing sugar.

I use Katie Stewart’s recipe for almond pastry because it comes up crisp and lovely every time. You can roll it thin so although it’s an enriched pastry it save you Calories! ?

I made both sweet and plain shortcrust last year (I always use SR flour), and the consensus of opinion was that plain was preferred. So this year plain it will be. I had a trial run last week. The pastry was good but too thick. Note to self: thinner pastry, more filling!

In my teens it was my 'job' to make the mince pies each Christmas. Everybody praised my pastry but I discovered, after some years of adding milk, that pastry should be made with water! I don't make mince pies now that I live alone and have to travel to see the family at Christmas, but I still make pastry for quiches and other savoury things for visitors. I still manage to make good pastry - without milk.

I use shortcrust (1/2 whole meal flour) and I grate orange rind into the dry mix and use orange juice instead of water to bind

I use sweet crust pastry. A childhood of mincepies, rock hard and 90% pastry put me off the plain pastry ones for life

I’m with you Witzend, I also use ordinary shortcrust and SR flour. Have you tried topping them with a circle of marzipan instead of a pastry lid? Delicious!