November. Time to make mincemeat.
Last year I read an article in Good Housekeeping UK, all about buying in your Christmas feast from the supermarket. Their staff had conducted an exhaustive review of ready made seasonal delicacies, and provided the harassed housewife with a shopping list for the the ready-made Christmas. Unfortunately, to acquire the proposed menu, you would have had to visit around seven different supermarkets. I prefer to stay at home and peel my own spuds. Or at least, make my own mincemeat, which is the easiest part of the whole Christmas shindig.
For enough mincemeat to last me through the 12 days of Christmas, I loosely follow the gospel according to St Delia. I peel, core and chop 3 large cooking apples. I put them in a large pot with a packet of suet (the standard Atora size, I think its about 250g or so) - I generally go for the vegetarian stuff in case people are awkward. I add about 3005 soft brown sugar, about a 1 1/4 kilos of dried fruit (sultanas, raisins and dried figs are my preferred mix), and a small packet of flaked almonds. I add zest and juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges and 4 teaspoons of ground mixed spice, stir the whole thing up, cover and leave over night.
The next day, I put it in a low oven (still covered) for about 2 hours to melt the sugar and suet. Finally, I stir in a large slug of brandy and pack into clean jars. It stores for ages, and will certainly keep until Christmas.
