Christmas Mince Pies

Rub the butter into the flour, then add the almonds, sugar, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Stir in the egg yolk and enough cold water (about 2-3 tbs) until it forms a nice soft dough. Pop into a plastic bag and chill for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease patty tins. roll out the pastry to a thickness of 1/4 inch and cut out aprox 18 rounds using a 2 1/2 inch cutter. Place in the patty tins. Re-roll the leftover pastry and cut out the lids using a star-shaped cutter or other festive shape.

Spoon the mincemeat into the pies dampen the lids with a little beaten egg and press gently on top. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 12-15 mins or until golden brown. remove from oven and leave in the tins for a few mins. Transfer pies to a cooling rack and dust with icing sugar.