Anna Louise Homemade mincemeat is, to my mind, one of the things that most dramatically separates a homemade mince pie from a shop-bought one. The difference between a mince pie made with good homemade mincemeat and one made with the supermarket jar is not subtle.
It is completely apparent from the first bite. Homemade mincemeat has a freshness, a complexity, and a depth that the commercial version — made to a shelf-stable, long-life formulation — simply cannot match.
The name mincemeat is a historical artefact. There is no meat in this recipe. There was once — historically, mincemeat was a method of preserving meat with spices and sugar — but modern mincemeat is entirely fruit, sugar, suet, spices, and alcohol.
I make mincemeat in October so it has six to eight weeks of maturing before Christmas. It genuinely needs this time — freshly made mincemeat is good but six-week-old mincemeat is extraordinary, the brandy and spices integrating into something more complex than any freshly made version can be.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Mincemeat
For the Mincemeat (Makes approximately 6 x 450g jars)
- 300g currants
- 300g sultanas
- 200g raisins
- 100g dried cranberries — gives colour and a slight sharpness
- 100g mixed peel
- 100g glacé cherries, quartered and rinsed
- 200g cooking apple — Bramley, peeled, cored, and very finely grated
- 200g shredded beef suet — or vegetarian suet for a vegetarian version
- 300g soft dark brown sugar
- Finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
- Finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed oranges
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 150ml brandy — plus extra to stir through before potting
How to Make Mary Berry Mincemeat
Step 1 — Combine Everything
Place all the ingredients — currants, sultanas, raisins, cranberries, mixed peel, glacé cherries, grated apple, suet, dark brown sugar, all the citrus zests and juice, all the spices — in a very large mixing bowl. Stir everything together thoroughly until completely combined. The mixture will smell immediately extraordinary — warm, fragrant, deeply spiced, and deeply Christmassy.
Add the brandy. Stir again. Cover the bowl tightly with cling film.
Step 2 — Overnight Maceration
Leave to macerate at room temperature overnight — or for 24 hours. During this time the dried fruit absorbs the brandy and the citrus juices, swells slightly, and the spices begin to penetrate throughout.
Stir thoroughly two or three times during the maceration period.
Step 3 — Optional Warming
Some recipes — including several of Mary Berry’s — warm the mincemeat gently in a low oven to melt the suet through the mixture and give a more cohesive, more integrated result. If doing this: preheat the oven to 110°C / 90°C fan / Gas ¼. Cover the bowl with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour, stirring once halfway through. The suet melts and coats every piece of fruit — giving a richer, more glossy mincemeat.
Allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally to redistribute as it cools and the suet re-solidifies.
Step 4 — Add Extra Brandy and Pot
Once the mincemeat has cooled completely, stir in an additional two to three tablespoons of brandy. This final addition of brandy — added after the warming step and the cooling — gives a fresh, vivid brandy note alongside the deeper, more integrated flavour of the cooked-in brandy.
Spoon into cold, sterilised jars. The mincemeat does not need the jars to be hot — unlike jam, it is not a boiled preserve. Press down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Seal immediately.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least four weeks before using. Six to eight weeks gives the best result.
My Top Tips For Perfect Mary Berry Mincemeat
Make it in October — six to eight weeks ahead. This is the most important instruction. Freshly made mincemeat tastes of its individual ingredients — fruit, spice, brandy. Six-week-old mincemeat tastes of something more unified and more complex — something that is greater than the sum of its parts. The time is the ingredient.
Grated Bramley apple gives moisture and natural pectin. The finely grated Bramley apple that goes into the mincemeat raw gives the mixture a slight acidity and moisture that prevents it from being too heavy and too sweet. It also provides natural pectin that helps the mincemeat bind slightly during the warming step.
The overnight maceration cannot be shortened. Twenty-four hours of the fruit sitting in the brandy, citrus juices, and spices gives a completely different result from mincemeat assembled and potted the same day. The fruit swells, the brandy penetrates, and the first integration of flavours begins. Do not shorten this step.
The warming step in a low oven is optional but gives a better result. Unwarmed mincemeat has a slightly crumbly, slightly dry texture — the suet distributed through the mixture but not melted into it. Warmed mincemeat is more cohesive, more glossy, and more professionally made-looking. The warming step takes an hour and makes a significant difference to the quality of the finished preserve.
Add extra brandy after cooling. The brandy added before and during the warming step integrates deeply into the fruit during the cooking process. The extra two to three tablespoons added after cooling gives a fresh, vivid brandy note on top of the deeper, more integrated flavour. Both characters together give the most complex result.
Serving Suggestions
Used to fill mince pies — see the mince pies recipe on this site. Stirred into a frangipane filling for a frangipane mince pie — see the frangipane mince pies recipe on this site. Folded into ice cream. Stirred into porridge at Christmas. Used as a filling in a steamed sponge pudding.
How to Store Mary Berry Mincemeat
Sealed, unopened jars: Store in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.
Opened jar: Refrigerate and use within 6 weeks.
Mary Berry Mincemeat Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Combine all dried fruit, glacé cherries, grated apple, suet, dark brown sugar, citrus zests and juice, all spices, and brandy in a very large bowl. Stir thoroughly. Cover tightly — macerate at room temperature 24 hours, stirring 2–3 times.
- (Optional warming step) Preheat oven to 110°C / 90°C fan / Gas ¼. Cover bowl with foil — place in oven 1 hour, stirring once. Cool completely — stirring occasionally to redistribute.
- Stir in extra 2–3 tbsp brandy once completely cool.
- Pack firmly into cold sterilised jars — press to eliminate air pockets. Seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place 4–8 weeks minimum before using.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use vegetarian suet?
Yes — vegetarian suet gives a very similar result. The mincemeat is slightly less rich and slightly less specifically traditional in flavour but completely good.
Can I use whisky instead of brandy?
Yes — whisky gives a slightly smokier, slightly more robust flavour. Dark rum gives a more tropical, slightly sweeter character. All three work well.
Can I make this without any alcohol?
Yes — replace the brandy with the same quantity of cold strong black tea or apple juice. The mincemeat will keep for significantly less time — use within 2 weeks of making and refrigerate.
How much mincemeat do I need for mince pies?
Approximately 1 tablespoon per individual mince pie. One jar (450g) makes approximately 18 to 20 standard mince pies.
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