Christmas countdown - week two




Home-made mincemeat is one of my absolute favourite things to make at this time of year.
A little chopping, mixing and stirring, preferably with a few Christmas Carols playing in the background, is the perfect antidote to the frenzy which can so often engulf us.
And as for the taste - well I could happily eat spoonfuls of the stuff straight from the jar!


This is the recipe which I have used for the last few years and which I think is delicious.
It is a recipe which I adapted from a Waitrose magazine and uses coconut oil instead of the more usual suet.


Here is the recipe again if you wish to try it.
Don't be put off by the amount of brandy. It soaks into the fruit overnight and makes the mixture deliciously boozy.
Since the mincemeat is not cooked or heated in any way, I keep it in the fridge and use it to make the mince pies within a few days.


Excitement for the Big Day is mounting here and this year Tiny Girlie is 3 and beginning to understand a little more about Father Christmas.
There have been a couple of Santa sightings so far.
Last week, when we were shopping in Cambridge, he popped his head around the door of the cafe we were in and gave everyone a cheery wave and earlier this week made an appearance along our road riding on something which resembled a fairground ride.
No sleigh or reindeer in sight!

And snow .... if the weather app is correct, we are fully expecting to wake up tomorrow morning to a world transformed by a blanket of pure white!

Annie
x

Comments

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That mincemeat looks and sounds so good (just shop bought here with the addition of cherries and brandy). FC certainly gets around. Bumped into him (most definitely the real one) at Borough Market yesterday, collecting for GOS Hospital.Did you get snow?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How exciting to see the real Father Christmas! I'm not sure that the one who came down our road was the real one! Yes we had snow. Not as much as we were expecting, but enough for our Tiny Girlie to make a HUGE snowman!

      Delete
  3. I already have my mincemeat for Christmas, but have copied down your suet-less recipe for next year, as it sounds delicious and a lot healthier.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you will enjoy it next year. I certainly think it is delicious.:)

      Delete
  4. That sounds like a good recipe with the addition of coconut oil. I use a River Cottage recipe that doesn't have any fat but lot of extra fruit. I've just used my last jar of pear and ginger mincemeat from last year.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment