Delia's mincemeat

My mother and I used to make Delias mincemeat every year, it's very, very good!

I used to trundle over with my food processor to make light work of the apple chopping.

Would smell delish simmering away in the big pan on the Aga!

I'm keeping out of the kitchen so I don't feel the need to taste it again!

I always revert to Delia for xmas...cant beat her recipes if you like traditional flavours.

I always make my own, don’t cook mine first though, it’s a recipe from my old school cookery book!

My recipe is a non-cook one. A friend gave it to me decades ago. Once made the instructions are to let it rest, covered for 3 days, stirring each day and then put it in jars.

I now make all my Christmas dried fruit foods (mincemeat, pudding and cake) because all are enjoyed by members of my family with nut allergies and making them myself, to my usual recipe but minus the nuts, I know they can eat them without any worry.

Always use Delia's mincemeat recipe, but use fresh orange juice not alcohol as teetotal

Maybelle I used fresh juice as in the recipe but also added the brandy. Not sure it is still alcoholic after cooking in the pies but you would still taste it.

If you have always used a non-cook recipe give Delia a try, it tastes wonderful. The first difference you notice is that the suet is no longer visible as it has melted but I think it has also enhanced all the flavours. Just google mincemeat recipe and it will appear.

I also use Delia's recipe. She recommends using it up within a year but I have used some well over a year after I made it and it is still delicious.

I don't know whether that would be true of a no alcohol version though.

If there was no alcohol, I would think you would need to treat it like jam, bring to a rolling boil and put in hot sterilised jars,
.

Monica Delia does say to put in sterilised jars, not sure there is enough brandy to preserve it otherwise. Not sure whether 3 hours at 110 C is enough cooking though.

I do not know DElia's recipe, but cooking mincemeat at all (except prior to consumption in a pie or other dish), let alone for three hours sounds completely alien to me. For mine, I mix the ingredients raw, and put them in clean jars raw. Admittedly they are never in jars for much more than a month, but I have never had any trouble with it.

I buy jars of good ready made mincemeat then doctor It with cherries nuts port and brandy and leave it soak a few days before using..it's yummy oh and apple.

I have a jar of last year's non alcoholic mincemeat left so will try it soon.. Fingers crossed will be well. Never used alcohol and not had problems with things in the past.

I never use the brandy and it keeps well , sugar is a preservative . I also make a version with no suet for picky sister and it keeps well too . I cook mine in a deep casserole dish and use it straight from the dish to make the pies . What is left , or smuggled out goes in sterilized jars , both versions are good the following year

MOnica The cooking is at very low temp. It is just to melt the suet really, so that it coats the fruit.

I cannot buy mincemeat as it usually contains nuts and DDiL and DGD both have nut allergies.

Just going to make the first batch of mince pies. Of course I will have to taste to check they are of a suitable quality for the family before freezing them. Once DS knows they are made I doubt there will be any left in a few weeks.

I've made Delia's mincemeat, too, but I have to say that unlike my own cake recipe and Delia's pud, I didn't find it any different from a good shopbought mincemeat. I wonder where I went wrong!

Btw, if anyone has a vegetarian in the family, you can buy vegetarian suet from Atora.

I always use veggie suet and I'm another Delia fan. I make her mincemeat and the 3 basic stuffing recipes in her Delias Christmas book, unbeatable.

Sue, maybe there is more than one Delia recipe because the one I have just used tastes very much better than any I have ever bought. Wish I had started making my own from the beginning.

They have just come out the oven and I am very tempted to try just one........

The one I used is in my ancient copy of Delia's Christmas. Maybe she's updated it!

I think I can smell those mince pies from here, Nonnie.

Maybe Sue I got mine online less than a week ago.

Well I thought I made them for the freezer but DS and DiL came round early evening then DH came home late, just before I went to bed. Not worth freezing what are left!