A creative variation on the classic mince pie. Eat hot with vanilla ice cream, or just as they are.
50g/2oz golden caster sugar
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
411g jar traditional mincemeat
1 tbsp milk
25g/1oz flaked almonds
Takes about 50 minutes, plus 30 minutes, chilling • Makes 12 large mince pies
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6/fan oven 180°C. Scatter the sugar over the worktop, unravel pastry, then roll out so it’s a quarter bigger, but still rectangular.
2 Spread the mincemeat over the pastry leaving a 2cm/1¾in border along the longest edges. Fold one long edge over then roll the pastry tightly into a sausage shape, gently pressing the pastry into the mincemeat. Brush with milk and press down to seal in the mincemeat. Press both ends in to plump up the roll and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3 Cut the roll into 12×3cm/1¼in thick rounds. Lay them on a large baking sheet and flatten with your hand. Scatter the almonds over and bake for 20–30 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes – keeping them separate to prevent sticking.
• Per pie 190 kcals, protein 2g, carbohydrate 32g, fat 7g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 1g, added sugar 20g, salt 0.16g