Spicy Orange and Cranberry Mincemeat

This homemade mincemeat uses butter in place of beef suet as I prefer the lighter flavour. Suet does theoretically give a slightly longer shelf life, though I have never found any problems with my mincemeat. You must make sure the jars are spotlessly clean. A dishwasher does this effortlessly but a good scrub with soapy water works just as well. If you’ve washed the jars a spell in a hot oven about 30 minutes at 160C will make sure any bacteria have been dealt with. Taken straight from the dishwasher this stage can be omitted.

When choosing your fruit buy the best you can find. Mincemeat is a treat, a luxury preserve, so big juicy raisins and plump currants are called for.  I prefer un-dyed cherries but it must be said that the bright red colour of dyed cherries does add a festive note. There is though one point at which you can make economies, use whatever brandy, whisky or liqueur you have lingering at the back of the cupboard.

As ever freshly ground spices make for a tastier mix.