VIDEO: Top 8 mince pies

FOR our annual selection of mince pies from supermarkets and individual shops and stalls we have excluded some of our top markers of last year for the sake of variety, but no doubt they are well up to standard this Christmas.

Large companies tend to want longer shelf life and use fats that will not deteriorate as quickly as butter, or use preservatives to keep the pastry and filling from drying out. Sadly, this is done at the expense of taste and texture. But keep in mind that local small producers’ pies may not keep longer than four days.

Making our own is a satisfying exercise, and pastry made in a blender is easy and quick. Chilling before rolling it out is the secret. The best pastry tips are in Karen Austin’s The Lettercollum Cookbook (Onstream €21). I add a little knob of cream cheese and grated orange peel to my mince meat filling before putting the pastry top on.

To accompany mince pies, the new orange and cranberry drink from Naturally Cordial in Enniscorthy will go nicely and, if you can stretch to it, Lidl has a sweet Sauternes Grand Cru Classé Chateau Romer de Hayot 2001 (€17.99) which will suit Christmas pudding too. Once opened, it will keep at least a week in the fridge.

The average number of calories is 250 per pie, so try to share. Happy Christmas!