Fruit Mince Pies: What They Are and How to Serve Them

Fruit mince pies are small, sweet pies filled with spiced dried fruit. In Australia they arrive in the shops in October and are gone by Boxing Day. They are one of the few Christmas foods that almost everyone either loves or quietly avoids.

Here is what is in them, where they came from, and how to serve them well.

What is in fruit mince?

Fruit mince is a mix of chopped dried fruit, usually sultanas, raisins, currants and candied peel, with grated apple, brown sugar, butter or suet, citrus zest and warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Many recipes add brandy or rum, which helps it keep.

Despite the name, there is no meat in modern fruit mince. Hundreds of years ago there was: medieval mince pies combined minced meat with fruit and spices, a common way of preserving meat. Over time the meat disappeared and the sweet fruit stayed. Some traditional recipes still use beef suet, so check the label if you are buying for vegetarians.

Mince pies or mince tarts?

They are the same thing. "Pie" usually means a pastry lid, and "tart" an open top or a star cut-out. Either way, it is the fruit mince that matters.

Ready-made fruit mince tarts

If you would rather not bake, the Valley Produce Company Luxury Festive Fruit Mince Tarts come in a pack of eight, ready to warm and serve. They also turn up in our Christmas Nibbles Hamper, alongside Belgian truffles and fudge.

How to serve fruit mince pies

• Warm them. 8 to 10 minutes in a 160°C oven softens the pastry and brings out the spice. Cold mince pies are fine. Warm ones are much better.
• Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
• Add something creamy. Brandy butter is the tradition. Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of thick custard all work.
• Pair with a drink. A cup of tea, a glass of port or a dessert wine.

How to make your own fruit mince

Make it at least a day ahead, so the fruit soaks up the spice and brandy. This makes enough for about 24 small pies.

• 500g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants and peel)
• 1 apple, peeled and grated
• 100g brown sugar
• 50g butter, melted
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 60ml brandy or orange juice

Stir everything together in a large bowl, cover, and leave in the fridge overnight. It keeps for up to two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Baking the pies

Line a patty pan tray with rounds of shortcrust pastry, fill each with a heaped teaspoon of fruit mince, and top with a pastry star or a lid. Brush with a little milk and bake at 190°C for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Cool in the tray for 5 minutes before lifting them out.

For a no-bake shortcut, warm the fruit mince gently and spoon it into ready-baked Confiletas mini sweet pastry cases, then top with a little whipped cream just before serving.

Using up leftover fruit mince

• Stir it through vanilla ice cream and refreeze.
• Spoon it into baked apples.
• Use it as a filling for a quick strudel with filo pastry.
• Fold it into a muffin batter.

Other Christmas classics

Fruit mince is a close cousin of Christmas pudding, which we explain in plum pudding explained. For more of the Christmas table, see our Christmas trifle, easy Christmas desserts and make-ahead Christmas food, or browse the full Christmas range.