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In Christmas Pie by Jodi Taylor the team from St Mary’s jump back to Restoration London to discover an authentic recipe for mince pies. In this History Briefing we explore the history of this British Christmas treat and provide a recipe for you to create your own.
Mince pies are a quintessential part of British Christmas traditions, evoking nostalgia and the comforting scents of warm spices, fruit, and buttery pastry. Though today they are filled with sweet dried fruits and spices, their history is much more complex, with origins that reach back to medieval times. The evolution of the mince pie is a fascinating journey through centuries of culinary traditions and cultural influences.
The earliest mince pies date back to the 13th century, when Crusaders returning from the Middle East brought back exotic spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. These spices were combined with meat, fruit, and suet to create savoury dishes. Originally, mince pies contained actual minced meat, typically lamb or beef, along with dried fruits and the imported spices. The pies were often rectangular in shape, symbolising the manger in the nativity story, and were sometimes called 'shrid pies' or 'crib cakes'. The combination of meat, fruit, and spices was typical of medieval British cuisine, which often blended savoury and sweet flavours.
Mince pies became particularly associated with Christmas during the Tudor period, when they were considered a luxurious and celebratory dish. Wealthy households would serve these pies during festive feasts, often in elaborate shapes. The spices used in the pies symbolised the gifts brought by the Wise Men, which added a religious significance to their place in Christmas festivities. It was believed that eating a mince pie on each of the twelve days of Christmas would bring good luck for the coming year.
During the 17th century, mince pies fell out of favour briefly under Oliver Cromwell, who saw them as a symbol of excess and banned their consumption along with other Christmas celebrations. However, the Restoration of the monarchy brought back festive traditions, including mince pies, which grew even more popular. Over time, the recipes evolved, and by the Victorian era, the meat content was gradually removed, leaving behind a sweet, rich filling of dried fruits, suet, sugar, and spices—more akin to the mince pies we know today.
Modern mince pies are a delightful treat, made with buttery shortcrust pastry and filled with a mixture of dried fruits, apple, suet (or vegetable shortening), sugar, and festive spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Often enjoyed with a dollop of cream, brandy butter, or simply on their own, they have become a staple of Christmas celebrations in Britain, enjoyed by families across the country.
Recipe for Traditional British Mince Pies
Ingredients for the Mincemeat Filling:
* 225g (8 oz) raisins
* 225g (8 oz) sultanas
* 225g (8 oz) currants
* 100g (3.5 oz) mixed candied peel
* 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
* 125g (4.5 oz) suet or vegetarian suet
* 200g (7 oz) soft dark brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
* Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
* 100ml (3.5 fl oz) brandy or rum
Ingredients for the Pastry:
* 350g (12 oz) plain flour
* 225g (8 oz) cold unsalted butter, diced
* 100g (3.5 oz) icing sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1-2 tablespoons cold water (if needed)
Method:
* Prepare the Mincemeat Filling:
* In a large mixing bowl, combine the raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel, and chopped apple.
* Add the suet, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well.
* Stir in the lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, and brandy. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.
* Cover the bowl and leave the mixture to mature for at least 24 hours before using. Ideally, prepare the mincemeat several weeks in advance to allow the flavours to develop fully.
* Make the Pastry:
* In a large bowl, sift the flour and icing sugar together. Add the cold diced butter.
* Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
* Beat the egg and add it to the mixture, mixing until the dough comes together. Add a little cold water if needed.
* Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
* Assemble the Mince Pies:
* Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F / Gas mark 6.
* On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to about 3mm thick.
* Use a round cutter to cut out circles of pastry and line a 12-hole tart tin with the pastry circles.
* Fill each pastry case with a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat filling.
* Cut out smaller circles or star shapes from the remaining pastry to top each pie.
* Place the tops on the pies and press the edges lightly to seal. Make a small slit in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape.
* Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
* Remove from the oven and let the mince pies cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar.
Enjoy these delicious traditional mince pies with a cup of tea or a glass of mulled wine for the perfect festive treat!
Enjoy an audio sample from Christmas Pie read by Zara Ramm
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