Feast your mince pies on these

I'm not the biggest fan of mince pies, but these have the most delicious pastry - like shortbread - which just melts in your mouth. You can't roll it out in the normal way; instead it has to be manipulated, but this is very easy (especially if you enlist some child labour). They are supposed to look rustic, for homespun appeal. The recipe comes from the Good Food website, where they have 265 five star ratings.

Mince pies

Mince pies

225g cold butter

350g plain flour

100g caster sugar

280g mincemeat

1 small egg, beaten

This will make about 18

Pre-heat oven to 200/gas 6. Whizz the butter and flour together in a food processor, then add the sugar. Add a small amount of the beaten egg - a couple of teaspoons - and keep the motor running until the mixture forms a dough (I had to use my hands a bit at the end). Now take a piece of dough about the same size as a walnut and press it into one of the holes in your bun tin. Fill with mincemeat. To make the lids, start with a marble size piece of dough, pat it out in your hands to form a round lid and lie it on top of the mincemeat. Glaze with egg and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Leave them in the tin to cool for about 5 minutes before removing. Dust with icing sugar when cool. 

Freeloading Friday

Elevenses at Amanda's

If you like eating great food for free, invite yourself round to your friends' houses at mealtimes. Look what a lovely spread A has laid on for elevenses (above): chilli chocolate cake, crunchy lemon muffins and mince pies with homemade mincemeat, complete with roaring log fire and cuddly spaniel.

I left there on a sugar high and in a state of great excitement to collect my pretty new business cards. Unfortunately they had been rather badly botched, saving me 50%, but meaning that they are really only fit for scraping ice off the car windows or sticking up in phone boxes in the wrong end of town.

Things started looking up when I arrived at M's to find her slaving over some recipes from the latest Ottolenghi cookbook, which has been kindly published by Mr O for all those people too poor to live near one of his eateries. Such philanthropy, such generosity. We ate meatballs with barberries (heard of them?), roasted red onions and butternut squash with tahini, and a courgette, tomato and yogurty-herby salad. A total taste sensation.

Ottolenghi's meatballs with barberries