Bake with Michelle Darmody: Handy recipes for last-minute Christmas preparations

Christmas falls nicely this year. We have these few days of the weekend to ease ourselves gradually into holiday mode, or hit it with a bang. Whichever the case may be there are a few recipes here that will be handy to have in the cupboard over the festive period.

If you are in a rush, cutting all the pastry circles needed for regular mince pies using a rectangle tray can be an easier option. You can then cut the tray bake into squares once cooled. It takes much less time to assemble than individual pies. Crusaders returning from the Middle East brought sweet meats and what were then very exotic spices on their return journeys. Originally there was meat in the recipe but now it is usually just suet or for the most part a vegetarian version of suet used instead. The pies have also reduced in size since their origin when they were baked in large oblong dishes. The mince pie which we are more familiar with was shaped in Victorian times. It is still one of my favourite things at Christmas time. I enjoy making them, but this quicker method is also quite handy if you are too busy to cut and assemble each little pie, they can be fiddly.