The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe (2024)

These festive treats are made months in advance.

The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe (1)By Katie Frost
The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe (2)

Mince pies are being enjoyed up and down the UK at this time of year, including at Buckingham Palace.

So, if you want a taste of a seasonal sweet treat fit for the Queen, Royal Pastry chef Kathryn Cuthbertson has revealed the secret recipe for the mince pies served in the royal households during the Christmas period.

In an article published on the Royal Family's website, Cuthbertson and Chef de Partie, Victoria Scupham, say they make 'thousands' of mince pies between them for each of the festive receptions held in the Palaces every year.

Unfortunately for anyone who is hoping to make a batch before the big day, the royal mince pies require months of advance preparation.

'Everything from the mincemeat to the pastry is handmade by the small team in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace,' the website states. 'The mincemeat is made months in advance and stored in the pantry.'

For Cuthbertson, her number one tip is to 'give yourself plenty of time'. Scupham adds: 'Pastry is not something that likes to be rushed.' She also recommends 'having cold hands' when working with pastry, to keep it at the right consistency.

The Royal Chefs also experiment with different types of the Christmas classic, from a smaller version with flaked almonds to a puff pastry variety. And mince pies aren't the only option when it comes to festive treats. Chocolate roulade, gingerbread biscuits and Sablés à la Confiture, also known as jammy dodgers, are on the menu.

See the royal mince pie recipe in full below:

Ingredients:

For the Mincemeat

  • zest and some juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • zest and some juice of 1 unwaxed orange
  • 2 tablespoons brandy
  • 1 tablespoon of port
  • 1 tablespoon of rum
  • 1 tablespoon of sherry
  • 120g (1 cup) suet
  • 160g (3/4 cup) golden sultanas
  • 100g (1/2 cup) raisins
  • 100g (1/2 cup) mixed peel
  • 100g (1/2 cup) currants
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1.2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 160 (6oz) russet apples, peeled and grated
  • 500g (1lb 2 oz) sweet pastry
  • Egg washed for sticking lids on the bases
  • Granulated sugar for the top of the mince pies before baking
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Equipment:

12 hole non-stick shallow baking tray /mince pie tin 32 x 24 cm/ 12.5 x 9"

Fluted or plain cutters

Method:

  1. Place all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir. Then add all the liquid and grated apple and allow to soak for at least one week in a 1kg kilner jar sat in the fridge or pantry.
  2. Preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F, gas mark 5)
  3. Roll the sweet pastry into a sheet approximately 2 to 3 mm thick, place on a tray, and allow to rest in the fridge. Once rested, cut tops and bottoms for your mince pies using fluted or plain cutters (selecting sizes to fit your tin). Place the pie bases into the tin and prick them with a small knife or fork to prevent the pastry from rising during the baking.
  4. Spoon a teaspoon of the home-made mincemeat into the base and egg wash the edge of the pastry to enable the lids to stick. Place the mince pies in the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes, then add a pastry top to each, egg washing it and pricking a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
  5. Place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden and the mincemeat starts to boil slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before taking the pies out of their tin.
  6. Sprinkle the mince pies with icing sugar and serve immediately. To add a festive feel, the mince pie tops could be shaped with a star cutter or perhaps a holly-shaped cutter.

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The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe (2024)

FAQs

The Queen's pastry chef has revealed her secret mince pie recipe? ›

Royal chef Kathryn Cuthbertson explained how their mincemeat

mincemeat
Mincemeat is a mixture of chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits and spices, and often beef suet, usually used as a pie or pastry filling. Mincemeat formerly contained meat, notably beef or venison. Many modern recipes replace the suet with vegetable shortening. Mince pie filled with mincemeat.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mincemeat
, which includes golden sultanas, currants and russet apples, is made months in advance. Along with a traditional recipe, a smaller version is topped with flaked almonds for 'texture', while another is made out of puff pastry.

What was the original filling for mince pie? ›

The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.

What is the tradition of eating the 12 mince pies? ›

Symbolism and Tradition

In England, it is believed that eating mince pies on each of the twelve days of Christmas brings good luck for the coming year. During the English Civil War in the 17th century, mince pies were briefly banned by Puritans who considered them a symbol of Catholicism.

What odd ingredient did mince pies once contain? ›

Martin Fone investigates the most traditional seasonal food of all, mince pies, and finds that they really did contain meat at one time in the past. Just be grateful you never got served one made with fish...

What is the significance of the mince pie? ›

They were made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples and were all symbolic to the Christmas story. As well as dried fruit such as raisins, prunes and figs, they included lamb or mutton to represent the shepherds and spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) for the Wise Men.

What is the difference between mince pie and mincemeat pie? ›

We all love munching on mince pies but have you ever wondered why their filling is called 'mincemeat' even though there's no meat in it? This is because long ago mince pies actually did have meat in them. They went by different names like 'mutton pie,' 'shrid pie,' or 'Christmas pie. '

What was traditional mincemeat pie made of? ›

The filling for this traditional Christmas pie historically consisted of meat and fruit, specifically shredded beef suet or venison, but it has evolved to more ingredients overtime. In fact, those meaty versions haven't existed on most holiday tables since the 17th century.

Why can't you eat mince pies on Christmas day? ›

It has been claimed that eating the snack is illegal in England if done so on Christmas Day. The tradition comes from the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, when mince pies were banned at Christmas, along with other tasty treats.

What were Victorian mince pies made from? ›

Ingredients included dried fruits like raisins prunes and figs, lamb or mutton (representing the shepherds) and spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (for the Wise Men). By late Victorian England, mince pies ceased to contain meat and had all fruit fillings (with suet). This sweetmeat pie is one we eat today.

How many mince pies should you eat on each of the 12 days of Christmas? ›

Go with the tradition and eat a dozen

There is a tradition of eating one mince pie each day over the 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Eve to 5 January.

What do Americans call mincemeat? ›

They call it ground beef. What is mincemeat? Did it ever have real meat in it? Mincemeat (the combination of raisins, currants, apples, spices and usually a small amount of Suet) is a dried fruit and candied peel and spice mix used to make mincemeat pies and tarts.

What is the inside of a mince pie called? ›

All About Mincemeat: The Fabulous Filling for Mince Pies

These days, mincemeat is made with a mixture of dried fruit, such as raisins and currants, candied fruit peels, lemon and orange zest, finely chopped apple, brandy, warming spices, and the rendered animal fat suet (or a vegetarian substitute).

What was the first pie filling? ›

The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.

Did true or false mince pies used to have meat in them? ›

Did you know mince meat pies used to be mostly meat? Like, in the Middle Ages, it was 90% meat. and then 10% fruit with sugar to help preserve the meat. It was basically a way. to preserve meat throughout the winter.

What is the pagan origin of mince pies? ›

In any case, meat and fruit were invariably included among the ingredients. Going back even further, however, there are some who believe mincemeat pie is based on an ancient pagan tradition of serving coffin-shaped cakes representing Osiris—the Egyptian god who, according to legend, died and was resurrected each year.

What were mince pies made of in Victorian times? ›

Ingredients included dried fruits like raisins prunes and figs, lamb or mutton (representing the shepherds) and spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (for the Wise Men). By late Victorian England, mince pies ceased to contain meat and had all fruit fillings (with suet).

References

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