Ingredients

Almond Pastry

340g/12oz plain flour sifted

225g/8oz cold butter, diced

85g/3oz ground almond

85g/3oz caster sugar

3 egg yolks, save the whites to egg-wash the lids

3tbs cold water

Filling and Topping

450g/lb jar or home-made mincemeat

2tbs whisky, brandy or rum

1 dessert apple, grated

2 small Clementine oranges, zest and flesh

Handful of broken walnuts and dried cranberries

Caster sugar and icing sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. To make the almond pastry, put the flour and cold cubed butter into a large mixing bowl and rub in with your fingertips to a fine breadcrumb or whizz in a food processor until the butter has disappeared.

2. Stir in the ground almonds and sugar, adding the egg yolks and enough cold water to make a pliable soft dough.

3. Wrap in cling film and allow to relax and chill for one hour in the fridge.

4. Prepare the mincemeat by stirring in the chosen alcohol, walnuts, cranberries, grated apple, orange zest and flesh.

5. Roll out the rested pastry thinly with a little flour. Stamp out half of it into 8cm/3-inch diameter discs using the other half for lids of a smaller size.

6. Gently place the discs into each muffin/bun tin and fill with a heaped tablespoonful of mincemeat.

7. Firmly pat down the lids and brush each lid with the remaining beaten egg whites.

8. Place a large flat baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

9. Place your mince pies on top of the hot tray and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden crust.

10. Once baked, allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling wire.

11. Sprinkle with icing sugar or caster sugar when ready for serving.

12. To reheat your mince pies place them on a baking tray in a warm oven for five minutes. Make sure you don't overheat, because mincemeat retains heat and can easily burn your mouth.

Lifting the lid on serving suggestions

Double cream is a must at Christmas time, but other recommendations work wonderfully well, like lashings of rum or brandy butter, vanilla ice cream, custard or Greek yoghurt. And not forgetting Wensleydale cheese for us Yorkshire folks!

Baker Mike's Christmas baking tips

* Don't be tempted to overfill the pastry cases or the mincemeat will boil out.

* Pastry can be made in-advance and frozen or simply buy a good ready-made pastry.

* Orange or apple juice make good non-alcoholic alternatives.

* Freeze your mince pies in advance in the tin before baking them from frozen.