This is so unbelievably easy you will wonder why you never tried making your own before.

I cook mine long and slow as this helps it to keep in the jar for longer.

You will want to plan ahead as you need to combine all the ingredients the day before cooking and this will need to cook for about 3hours on a low temperature.

You will need:

• 450g Cooking Apples peeled and cored (prepared weight)
• 200g Vegetable Suet
• 345g Raisins
• 345g Sultanas
• 100g Glace Cherries – quartered
• 100g Dried Cranberries
• 50g Chopped Blanched Almonds
• 175g Soft Brown Sugar
• 175g Caster Sugar
• 2tsp Mixed Spice
• 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
• Grated Zest and Juice of one Orange and one Lemon. (I use a zester for this recipe).

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together in your roomiest mixing bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and stand overnight.

• At least 12 hours later….. Preheat the oven to 120degrees.
• Transfer the mincemeat mixture to your roomiest casserole dish with a lid or oven proof dish that you can cover with foil.
• Pop in the oven for 3 hours. You will need to check on the mincemeat after 2hours and give it a good stir to make sure it is cooking evenly and the suet has covered all the fruit.  The suet does tend to sink to the bottom and the top can appear dry if you don’t stir it.
• Mean while you will need to prepare your jars.
• You will need at least 4 x 530g jars with lids (I reuse my jars).
• Wash the jars and lids up in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them. Pop the jars, only, in the oven for 20mins before you need to use them. Allow the lids to dry.
• As soon as the 3 hours is up and just before you take the mincemeat out the oven pour boiling water into the upturned lids, allow the water to spill over the sides and leave them there while you pack the mincemeat into the hot jars, empty the hot water out of the lids and place directly onto each jar. Leave to cool and label.

Remember everything is very hot! The mincemeat, the jars and the lids, so take great care when handling everything!

This will keep in a sealed jar for several months, I found one I have made last year still in perfect condition and ready for my mince pies – Yummy