Cor blimey! You won’t believe your mince pies…

Sugary, crumbly pastry filled with sweet fruit and spices, so what’s that got to do with mince? Why is the filling called mincemeat? Believe it or not these festive favourites used to contain meat as well.

They date back to medieval times when having meat and fruit together was commonplace. The special Christmas pies were a lot larger than the individual ones we eat, were rectangular and made to look like a manger complete with a pastry baby on top. They were supposed to contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples and amongst these ingredients, mutton symbolised the shepherds and the spices symbolised the Magi. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that the meat was removed and the pies became small and round.

As with all traditional foods there are superstitions and rituals to be followed. When making the mincemeat it should be stirred in a clockwise direction to ensure good luck in the coming year. You should make a wish when eating your first mince pie of the year. You should never cut a mince pie with a knife. And our favourite custom that’s easy to stick to: you should eat a mince pie on every one of the twelve days of Christmas, that’s Christmas Eve to January 5th.

Our traditional shortcrust mince pies will be available from Friday 17th November, either individually or in boxes of 6. Our deep filled mince pies will appear towards the end of November and this year’s selection includes a frangipane topped one, a Viennese & buttercream topped one and a caramel apple strudel one. Which one will you make your wish with?