As I write, a glorious spicy aroma fills the air because I have a batch of mince pies cooking in the oven. They are almost ready, which means the mincemeat filling is bubbling away like mad and the pastry is turning a delicious golden brown.

Is there anything more suggestive of Christmas than this spicy fragrance that wafts round the cottage? I doubt it. Perhaps that is one of the many reasons why everyone should make their own mince pies this year rather than buy them ready-made.

I prepared this batch early because I needed them for the photograph to accompany this article.

When they are cool and have been photographed they will be frozen, ready to use if I get unexpected visitors and need to offer them a festive snack. This is totally in keeping with tradition, as mince pies were sometimes called ‘wayfarers’ pies’ because they were given to visitors during the Christmas period.

Actually, there are loads of stories linked with mince pies, which were originally created from a mix of chopped meats such as mutton and beef, to which a mix of suet, cloves, mace, pepper, saffron raisins, currants and prunes were added. Later, chopped apples and a little brandy or wine was added too, and later still a mix of spices and more dried fruits, flavoured with brandy, were combined and stored in a jar. Hence the mincemeat we know and use today.

An example of this mix that was published in Charles Elme Francatelli’s The Modern Cook of 1846 instructs the cook to: “Boil four lemons till quite tender, then pound them in a mortar or chop them up while warm, adding to them two pounds of pounded loaf sugar, let this stand till next day, then add two pounds of suet, two pounds of currants, one pound of raisings chopped, a little brandy, one ounce of mixed spice, and port wine to taste, say half a pint of brandy and wine together.”

His other mincemeat recipe, Mincemeat à la Royal, certainly must be for people with Christmas spirit, as it calls for one bottle of old rum, one bottle of brandy and two of old port to be added to a similar mix. I am not suggesting you pour in that much alcohol, but if you have purchased ready-made mincemeat it is certainly worth stirring in a few dribbles of brandy to enhance its flavour.

The pastry used by our ancestors was questionable, and certainly unlike anything we can create today. Today’s cooks often use lard to make the pastry for their mince pies, if cooked at a moderate heat will provide a lovely crumbly texture. A mix of lard and butter works well too. But, remember, that if you have vegetarians among your guests, this pastry would not be suitable. I added grated orange rind to my festive pastry this year, the result is particularly tasty.

Orange pastry is made by mixing together 6oz plain flour and a pinch of salt with a teaspoon of grated orange rind, one ounce of lard (30g) and 2oz (55g) of soft butter, until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Now add enough iced water to create a firm dough. Be careful not to add too much water, for although a moist dough is easier to roll out, you will obtain a far better and more crumbly pastry by being cautious when adding water.

Once made, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Allowing the pastry to chill before rolling out applies to all pastry recipes, as it allows the flour to relax before baking. By the way, you can make lemon pastry instead, by adding grated lemon rather than orange.

Another pastry worth making during the festive season is almond pastry. This calls for 6oz (170g) of plain flour, 4oz (125g) of butter, 2oz (50g) of ground almonds, 2oz (50g) of caster sugar, an egg yolk, about a tablespoon of chilled water and a pinch of salt.

Having rubbed the butter, ground almonds sugar and salt into the flour, mix the egg yolk with a little chilled water and stir that in, using your fingers to bind it into a stiff paste, then chill for 30 minutes. Or you can make a rich shortcrust pastry, that calls for half butter to flour, and is mixed into a dough with egg yolk and chilled water. The choice is yours.

Things to watch when making pastry are: n Adding too much fat or too little liquid, as this tends to make the pastry crumbly and hard to handle.

n Over-handling and rolling out too many times can result in a tough pastry when cooked.

If the pastry shrinks as it cooks this means it hadn’t been allowed to relax long enough before baking, or was over-stretched when rolled out.

I hope that this has inspired you to make your own mince pies, which will save you money and fill the house with a festive aroma. Happy Christmas.