I'm not a keen pastry cook and, every year, have always searched in vain for a decent mince pie pastry recipe. However a few years ago I was recommended a pastry recipe by a chef on Twitter.

This is now my go to recipe for all shortcrust pastry - I just leave out the sugar & orange zest for savoury pastry, adding in 1 oz grated pecorino romano for my favourite quiche!

It always seems to work and doesn't break like other very short pastry can.

If I'm making the full batch I make it in my kitchenaid mixer, but if I'm making half quantities - for a few pies or a pastry lid, I used my Kitchenaid Mini Processor.

I've also just remembered that my mince pies once got a brief mention, alongside my courses, in The Guardian - you can read more here 

Mince Pie Ingredients

5oz cold butter, cut into cubes
8oz plain flour
1oz sugar
zest of half an orange
1 egg
1 jar of mincemeat
a little water
1 small beaten egg

Mince Pie Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or Fan oven to 180 degrees C.

Rub the butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs ( I use the food mixer ), add the sugar and orange zest and mix well. Add the egg and mix well until it forms a stiff dough. You made need a few drops of water but not a lot.

I put the pastry wrapped in clingfilm for at least 30 mins.

Cut the pastry into 2 then roll out quite thinly on a floured surface. I use a large and medium pastry cutter to cut out 16 large and 16 medium sized circles. You'll probably need to pull together the trimmings of pastry and reroll them a few times.

Take a mince pie tin and line with the large circles. ( My mince pie tin only has 12 holes so I do it in 2 batches ).

Put about a teaspoon of mincemeat in each ( be careful not to overfill ). Brush the edges with water and then put the smaller circles of pastry on top. Crimp the edges together.

Brush with beaten egg and put in the oven for 20 minutes. My oven isn't very even so I time for 10 minutes then turn round the tin and cook for another 10 minutes..

Put on a cooling tray and dust with icing sugar.