Ingredients

350g/12 oz

organic plain flour

75g/3oz

lard, chopped into cubes(lard makes the pastry softer, but you could replace this with more butter)

75g/3oz

organic butter, chopped into cubes

Pinch

of sea salt

A little milk

Organic icing sugar

Mincemeat

Method

To make the pastry, sift the plain flour and sea salt into a mixing bowl. Rub the fats into the plain flour until it starts to resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add just a smidgeon of cold water in small amounts until the dough just leaves the mixing bowl clean. Leave the pastry to rest in a poly bag in refrigerator for half an hour (30 minutes).
After it’s settling time, put the oven on to 200oC/400oF. Cover a board with a small amount of flour and roll out half of the pastry as thin as possible and cut into 7½ cm (3 inch) circles; afterwards, roll out the other half a thin as possible and make smaller rounds of 6cm (2½ inch)in diameter.
Lightly butter or oil a tray of 6cm (2½ inch) moulds. Line the moulds with the larger rounds and then fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry. With a little bit of cold water, gently dampen the edges of the pastry and cover them with the smaller pastry rounds and press them together with your fingers to seal the pies shut. Brush the tops lightly with the milk and cut 2 or 3 holes into the tops with the end of a sharp knife.
Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly brown. Cool slightly in a tray and sprinkle with icing sugar.