• Make a batch of Rich Shortcrust Pastry , adding a little grated orange zest, or some ground cinnamon, or some ground allspice to give the pastry a festive kick. You could also replace a 1/4 – 1/2 a cup of the flour with ground almonds.
• Put your pastry in the fridge to chill
• Tip your mincemeat into a clean bowl, give it a good stir and add a splash of liqueur (brandy, cognac, amaretto, cointreau) and some fresh orange zest. You can also glam up shop bought mincemeat the same way, with maybe a little extra cut peel and fresh grated apple.

• Roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface, and using a round cutter larger than your tin size, cut out pastry rounds
  
• Press them into the buttered tins and prick the bottom with a fork.
• Put a spoonful of your mincemeat mix into each tartlet. Don’t overfill as it will just leak over the top and burn.

• Now you have several choices. You can completely cover the top with pastry which makes your little tartlet into a mince pie. To do this lightly brush the edges of your pastry with an egg wash (1 x egg lightly beaten with a dash of milk) and place the smaller round on top of your pie, making sure you press down with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Prick holes in the top to allow steam to escape.
• Or you could cut out stars to only partially cover the tops of your pies.
• You could cut strips of pastry and make a cross on top of your mince pie, or you could leave it bare.

• Whatever you choose to do, brush any pastry showing with your egg wash before baking at 180*C for 15-20 minutes. This timing depends on how big your pies are, and individual ovens. Your pastry should be crisp, cooked through and just turning golden.
• Dust with some icing sugar and
  
• Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or mascarpone. For real decadence add some booze or a little vanilla and caster sugar to the cream.

Don’t forget to leave one out for Saint Nick on Christmas Eve!

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