Who knew mincemeat could taste this good?

Cooked low and slow in the oven on the gentlest heat, the flavours melding into spiced fruity lusciousness… Honestly? You have to try it – and it keeps for months, given a chance (note: unlikely)

There are mince pies and there are MINCE PIES. Photo: Rob Wicks / Unsplash

Here it is: the mincemeat I make every year, without fail – even if it’s at 2am on Christmas Eve night (note: likely). It’s inspired by a wonderful recipe created a few years ago for delicious. magazine by food writer Debbie Major. I’ve given the ingredients a nudge and a tweak over the years, so this is the KB version. What sets the recipe apart is the low and slow oven-cooking, which melds the flavours to smooth, glossy perfection. The boozy, spicy notes are noticeably deeper than when the familiar ingredients are mixed cold in a room-temperature bowl, left to steep, then piled into bottles or jars. But most of all I love the recipe’s citrussyness (not a word but it works).

Here you go…

KB’s low-&-slow brandy mincemeat

Makes about 1.5kg; takes 10 minutes to jumble together; two hours to slow-cook

1 large Bramley apple, cored, peeled and grated
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
…