• Tart/patty tins
• Round pastry cutter 3” / 7.5cm
• Round pastry cutter 2½”/ 6cm

• 350g plain flour
• 75g lard
• 75g margarine or butter
• a pinch of salt
• cold water, to mix

• 700g mincemeat

• Milk and icing sugar

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, holding the sieve up as high as possible to give the flour an airing. Then, cut the fat (butter and lard) into small cubes and add them to the flour. Now, using your fingertips, lightly and gently rub the pieces of fat into the flour, being as quick as possible.

When the mixture looks uniformly crumbly, start to sprinkle roughly 2 tablespoons of water all over. Use a round-bladed knife to start the mixing, cutting and bringing the mixture together. Carefully add more water as needed, a little at a time, then, finally bring the mixture together with your hands to form a smooth ball of dough that will leave the bowl clean. Now, rest the pastry, wrapped in foil or clingfilm, in the fridge for 20 -30 minutes before rolling out.

Roll out half of the pastry to about 3mm thick and cut it out into three dozen 7.5cm rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling again. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 6cm cutter.

Now grease the patty tins lightly and line them with the large rounds; fill these with mincemeat just to the level of the pastry.

Dampen the edges of the smaller rounds with water and press them lightly into position to form lids, sealing the edges. Brush each one with milk and make about three snips in the top with a pair of scissors.

Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until they’re a light golden-brown. Cool on a wire tray and sprinkle with sifted icing sugar. Store in an air-tight tin.

Acknowledgement and thanks are due to Delia Smith and her Complete Cookery Course, published by BBC Books. Further recipes are available at www.deliaonline.com