Stirrin’Stuff Mincemeat

Makes 6 jars

What to find:

1 lemon

1 lime

Juice of 6 oranges (400ml)

100g dried apricots

100g cherries

750g mixed dried fruit

100g dried cranberries

350g light Muscovado sugar

250g light shredded suet (packet)

225g Brambly apples (1 large)

2 tsps cinnamon

2 tsps nutmeg

Kitchen Stuff:

Scales

Grater

Vegetable knife

Chopping board

Measuring jug

Large mixing bowl

Juice squeezer

Wooden spoon

Dessertspoon

Rounded ended knife

Jam jars

What to do:

Wash the lemon, lime and one of the oranges. Grate the rind from the citrus fruits, but be careful not to grate the pith (white) of the fruits. Put the rinds into the mixing bowl.

Cut all of the citrus fruits in half. Twist the halves around a citrus squeezer to get the juice out. Put the juice in a measuring jug.

Weigh out the apricots and cherries and younger children can use a rounded ended knife to chop them into small pieces. Put the chopped fruit into the mixing bowl.

Weigh out the dried fruit, cranberries, sugar and suet and add to the mixing bowl.

Wash the apple(s), remove the core and chop the apple into small pieces.

Add the chopped apple, fruit juices and spices to the mixing bowl.

Place a damp cloth under the mixing bowl (to stop it from moving) and gently stir the ingredients together. Little stirs, keep everything in the bowl.

Cover the bowl and leave the mincemeat in a cool place for 24 hours.

Use a dessertspoon to carefully pot the mincemeat into sterile jam jars. Cover the jars with a lid and store in a refrigerator until use.

Tips

Use equal quantities of dried fruits e.g. sultanas, currants and raisins.

Always cover wounds before cooking; this is especially important when juicing lemons because the juice can sting.

Adventurous Cooks

Use a whole nutmeg grate your nutmeg. Find out what mace is.

Ring the dried fruit changes – use chopped tropical dried fruits or use coloured cherries.

Make ‘designer covers’ for the pots of mincemeat and give them away as Christmas presents.

©Stirrinstuff.