Put the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and lard (or all butter if preferred) and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Bake at 180C/fan oven 170C/gas mark 4 for 30-40 minutes, cool slightly and serve with a dusting of icing sugar, or with rum butter and vanilla ice cream. Transfer the crumbly pastry dough to a lightly floured work surface and use floured hands to fold the dough into itself until Steak and kidney. Cheese and onion. Curried veg. Apple. Sweet or savoury, puff or shortcrust, you just can’t beat a good pie. The secret to pie success? Quality baking equipment.

Homemade mince pies on the other hand made with real traditional mincemeat….well, that’s a different story. And that’s what we’re talking about today. If like me you’ve always hated store-bought mince pies, I have a hunch these homemade ones will make you change your mind.If you’ve never experienced homemade mince pies (aka mincemeat pie) you don’t know what you’re missing! Leave the store-bought mince pie on the shelf and get ready to fall in love – nothing compares to homemade! Lightly brush the tops with milk or an egg wash. Bake the pies for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. A food writer friend suggested putting a slice of the best cheddar on top. It's like apple pie and cheese… so good. But another is with double cream whisked into soft peaks with brandy, a little sugar and vanilla. Eat well, live better and stay healthy - sign up to our free monthly Food & Health newsletter for the latest insights delivered straight to your inbox

Whether you’re making jam tarts, fairy cakes or mince pies, they’ll turn out perfectly every time from our premium quality bun tin. To create these mince pies you will need a food processor. Make sure you get the ultimate mince pie by using the ultimate product - find out which are the best food processors. Paul Hollywood's frangipane mince pies If cutting out circles/lids to fully cover each pie cut a small slit on the top of each pie crust to let hot air escape. With a fluted pastry cutter, cut out 6 x 8cm/3¼ in pastry circles for the lids (slightly bigger than the top of the muffin cups). Place a lid on top of each pie and gently push down. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Most people have either a love or hate relationship with mince pies. For some, Christmas just isn’t the same without them while for others the mince pie is the brunt of endless jokes. For my part, if my opinion were limited to store-bought mince pies I would pass in a heartbeat with a courteous “no thank you.”Ok! After waiting 2 weeks, it’s Christmas Eve and I’ve finally baked these tartlets! I’m not sure what mince pies from England should taste like, but I’ll describe what this tastes like for anyone (like myself before now) who has never tried it, but is curious! After 2 weeks in the fridge, the filling came out tasting like candied peel right outta the gate. Then raisins. The beef bits are fascinating little bites that were clearly crisp-fried in the suet as it cooked! Extraordinary texture! I couldn’t really taste a beefy flavor in it – only the chewy texture of the bits, though what I did taste of it had an interesting COFFEE note to it! I have to wonder how this flavor would develop if properly canned and put away for months. Another of my favourites is to take 150g of double cream and lightly whip it until it’s the consistency of shaving cream. Then add two to three tablespoons of rum, whisky or cognac. Nowadays, the classic mincemeat ingredients are a lot sweeter and include a variety of fruits such as apples, dried raisins, lemon, currants and brandy. But like all long-serving recipes, they can be open for interpretation. Here are some tasty additions to jazz up your shop bought mincemeat...

Now you can make big batches of pies in advance and pop them straight into your freezer. They can then be defrosted at a moment's notice, whether that’s for an upcoming party or simply to satisfy any late-night pie cravings you might suddenly have.

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Nuts - Depending on what your tastes are, adding almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts will all work with your mincemeat. If you’re a real nut lover then why not add all three?