There’s a certain smell that means Christmas has properly arrived in a Scottish kitchen — warm spice, orange peel, and a good glug of whisky bubbling away in a pot of mincemeat. Long before shop-bought jars and quick puff-pastry shortcuts, this is how our grandmothers made them: slow, rich, and matured for weeks so every bite tasted of patience as much as spice.
If you’re after the fast version for a busy December evening, try our Easy Fruit Mince Pies recipe here — buttery, quick, and perfectly respectable. But if you want to bake the way it was done a century or more ago, read on.
Traditional Fruit Mince Pies – Scottish version – Shutterstock
A Wee Bit of History
Mince pies didn’t start out sweet — or even vegetarian. Back in the 1600s, “mincemeat” pies were exactly that: chopped meat (often mutton or beef), suet, dried fruit, and warming spices, baked into oblong pies sometimes called “shrid pies.” The spices — cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg — were expensive imports from the East, so a well-spiced pie was a genuine show of wealth at the table.
The Puritans, rather famously, banned mince pies in the 1640s as a symbol of popish indulgence. They didn’t stay banned for long. By the Victorian era, cooks had largely dropped the meat, leaning into the fruit, sugar, and spirit instead — the mincemeat we’d recognise today.
In Scotland, the pies took on their own life at Hogmanay. Families baked trays of them to share with first-footers crossing the threshold after midnight, often served alongside a dram for luck. A mince pie and a nip of whisky was — and still is, in plenty of houses — the proper way to welcome the New Year.
Traditional Rich Fruit Mincemeat
Makes enough for about 3–4 dozen pies
Ingredients
- 225g shredded suet (beef suet, or vegetarian suet for a meat-free version)
- 350g raisins
- 350g sultanas
- 350g currants
- 100g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
- 50g flaked almonds
- 2 large Bramley (cooking) apples, peeled, cored and grated
- 350g dark brown muscovado sugar
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 150ml whisky or brandy, plus a little extra for feeding
Method
- In a very large bowl, combine the suet, dried fruit, candied peel, almonds, grated apple, sugar, citrus zest and juice, and all the spices. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon until everything is well distributed.
- Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave in a cool place (not the fridge) for 12–24 hours. This lets the sugar draw out the juices and the flavours begin to marry.
- Stir in the whisky or brandy.
- Pack the mixture tightly into sterilised jars, pressing down to remove air pockets. Seal well.
- Store in a cool, dark cupboard for a minimum of 2 weeks, ideally 4–6 weeks, “feeding” the mincemeat with a spoonful more whisky every week or so if you like it extra rich. The longer it matures, the deeper the flavour.
Traditional Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
- 350g plain flour
- 75g cold lard, cubed
- 75g cold butter, cubed
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2–3 tbsp cold water
- 1 beaten egg, for glazing
- Caster sugar, for dusting
Method
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the lard and butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs — the mix of lard and butter is what gives old-fashioned pastry its short, crumbly texture.
- Stir in the egg yolk and just enough cold water to bring the dough together. Don’t overwork it.
- Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / gas mark 6. Grease a 12-hole tart tin.
- Roll the pastry out thinly on a floured surface. Cut rounds to line the tin, then smaller rounds or stars for the lids.
- Press the pastry rounds into the tin, spoon in a heaped teaspoon of matured mincemeat into each, then top with a pastry lid or star, pressing the edges lightly to seal.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden.
- Dust with caster sugar while still warm and cool slightly on a wire rack before eating (the filling will be volcanic straight from the oven).
How Long Do They Last?
- The mincemeat itself is the real keeper — packed into sterilised jars, it will happily last 6–12 months in a cool, dark cupboard, and actually improves with age.
- Baked mince pies keep well for 3–4 days in an airtight tin at room temperature, or up to a week in the fridge.
- Freezing works beautifully both ways — freeze the unbaked pastry cases filled and ready to bake, or freeze the finished pies for up to 3 months. Warm gently in the oven before serving.
When to Eat Them
Traditionally, mince pies made their appearance from St Andrew’s Day (30 November) right through to Twelfth Night (6 January) — the whole span of the Scottish festive season. There’s an old bit of folklore that says eating a mince pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, ideally in twelve different houses, brings twelve months of good luck. Whether or not you believe it, it’s as good an excuse as any to keep the tin topped up.
“A mince pie and a dram at the door — that’s the sound of a Scottish New Year.”
However you take yours — warm from the oven with a cup of tea, or cold at midnight with a wee whisky in hand — a proper rich fruit mince pie is one of those old traditions worth keeping alive. Give this version a go, and let it sit and mature a while. Some things really are better slow.
What’s your family’s mince pie tradition — old-fashioned or the quick version? Tell us in the comments!