Mince pies with meat

For 9 small tarts

For the fine shortcrust pastry

180 g (6 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

20 g (¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

pinch of sea salt

100 g (3½ oz) chilled butter, diced

1 tbsp cold water

1 egg yolk

butter, for greasing

flour, for dusting

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash

For the filling

40 g (1½ oz) minced or finely chopped lamb or meat from the bolt or neck

1 tsp ground cinnamon

large pinch of black pepper

160 g (5½ oz) mincemeat

For a tin with 6 cm (2½ inch) shallow mince pie moulds

To make the pastry, mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingers until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and egg yolk and knead until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Alternatively, use a food processor to make the pastry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

For the filling, lightly fry the meat in a frying pan with the cinnamon and pepper, but do not brown it. Mix the meat with the mincemeat and stir well.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter the tart moulds and cover the base of each with a small circle of baking paper. Dust with flour.

Briefly knead the pastry until smooth, then pat it into a rectangle and roll it out to a thickness of 3 mm (¹/₈ inch). Use a round cutter with a diameter of 7–8 cm (2¾–3¼ inches) to cut out pastry circles. Gently push the pastry rounds into the tart moulds. Prick the base of each tart shell three times with a fork.

Knead the remaining dough back together and roll it out to cut out the lids – you can choose whichever shape you like, but stars are the most traditional.

Divide the filling among the tarts and press down gently. Place the lids on top and brush with the egg wash.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.

For a more ‘meaty’ version, you can use half meat and half mincemeat.
This recipe gives a more subtle taste.