For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl, add the softened butter, icing sugar and orange zest and gently incorporate with your hands until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Mix in the egg yolks and then add 2-3 tablespoons of water to help bring it together. Squeeze the pastry together gently until you have a soft ball of pastry. Flatten to a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

The early mince pie was also known as a mutton pie or a Christmas pie and was filled with meat, such as lamb, beef and game, rather than the dried fruit mix they are today. The pies were bigger and oval shaped then and came about as a way of preserving the meat.Orange/Lemon zest - Some people find that shop bought mincemeat can be a too sweet. Try adding some orange or lemon zest to balance out the flavours. 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.

If making the pastry by hand, put the flour into a large bowl. Grate in the butter using the coarse grater blade on a box grater. Coat the butter in the flour by lightly mixing it with your fingers. Using your fingertips, lightly rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and salt. Using a table knife, stir in the beaten egg mixture to make a rough dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured board and bring together into a ball. Wrap and rest in the fridge as above. Tips for living well – get our free Food & Health newsletter - shop savvy, eat well, stay healthy How to make easy mince pies 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.

Chocolate - If you really want to experiment then try stirring in a little grated chocolate or melting it into the mincemeat. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. To make the sweet pastry, rub the flour, butter, sugar and egg together with a splash of cold water until it just comes together as a dough. Do not over work the dough. Wrap the pastry in cling film and set aside to chill in the fridge while you make the filling. Add all ingredients to bowl starting on lowest speed first (or the room will be engulfed by sugar dust!) and gradually increase the speed to fastest and mix for five minutes, until the mixture lightens in colour and texture. Place the 12 large pastry circles into the bun tin. Add a teaspoon of mincemeat to each bottom. Then place one of the stars on top of each.