Home made Christmas Mincemeat

Ingredients

1 pound cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 450g
8 ounces shredded suet 225g
12 ounces raisins 350g
8 ounces sultanas 225g
8 ounces currants 225g
8 ounces whole mixed peel, finely chopped 225g
12 ounces soft brown sugar 350g
2 oranges, grated rind and juice of
2 lemons, grated rind and juice of
2 ounces whole almonds, cut into slivers 50g
4 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg
6 tablespoons brandy

Instructions

Just mix all the ingredients, except for the brandy, together in a large bowl very thoroughly. Then cover with a cloth and leave for 12 hours. Place the mincemeat, loosely covered with foil, in a 225F oven for 3 hours. This process slowly melts the suet which coats the rest of the ingredients and prevents fermentation taking place if too much juice seeps from the apples during storage. Then, allow it to get quite cold, stir in the brandy and spoon into clean dry jars. Cover with waxed discs, then seal. Yield: 6 lb