Traditional Christmas mince pie filling

A very old fashioned traditional festive mince pie filling by Mrs this old cook.

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Mincemeat for mince pies
400g raisins
250g sultanas
250g currants
150g mixed candied peel (chopped0
50g chopped or finely sliced almonds
350g dark, soft brown sugar
400g cooking apple (peeled, cored and finely chopped)
225g shredded suet (beef or vegetable)

4tsp mixed ground spice
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp ground nutmeg

Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
7tbsp/100ml brandy

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring well and mixing together thoroughly.

Cover the bowl with a cloth or cling form and leave in a cool place for 12 hours or overnight, to give the fruit time to soak up the liquid and to give all ingredients a chance to mingle and develop their flavours.
After this time, pre-heat the oven to 120C/gas mark 1/4.
Stir the fruit mixture and transfer to an ovenproof bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place in the oven for 3 hours.
When you take it out of the oven give everything a good stir as it will look as if it is swimming in fat but this is as it should be.
Let it cool and stir from time to time to make sure the fat is coating the fruit and doesn’t set into shreds or lumps.

Once it has cooled, pack into sterilised jars and seal well. You can add a little extra brandy to each jar at this stage if you like an extra punchy kick of alcohol flavour.
Let it mature for 10-14 days before using. It will keep for up to 18 months in a cool, dark environment.

NOTE: To sterilise jars, wash the jars and lids in warm, soapy water, rinse well, dry with a clean tea cloth, place on a clean baking tray and then place into a warm oven (140C/280F/gas mark 1) for ten minutes. Always sterilise a couple more jars than you think you might need. If using jars with rubber seals, boiled the seals as the dry heat of the oven will damage them.

If you want to recycle/reuse jars then only use ones that previously contained jam or marmalade.

This recipe can be halved if you want a smaller quantity.