Mincemeat filling for mince pies

There is absolutely no escape from Christmas now, the shops are laden with gifts and Christmas decorations. Actually some shops had started even earlier than that, well before Halloween. I know some of my super organised friends boasted on Facebook that they've done all their Christmas shopping already weeks ago.
Well, I'm not that organised. I managed to squirrel just one Lego set for Eddie and a Ninja turtles PJs for him. And bought a tin of Roses, which I obviously didn't hide very well, as my older one found it, and started "working" on it already. Since he opened it, I said So be it, let's have some chocs.

I love foodie presents, and if you plan to make your own mincemeat for mince pies, now it's a good time to make a batch, either for yourself or as gifts. If you make the mincemeat in advance, you will give it a good
time to mature.

Mincemeat filling (recipe courtesy of Tate & Lyle)
Ingredients:
225g raisins
225g sultanas
50g ready to eat dried apricots, chopped
100g glace cherries, halved
100ml brandy or rum
1 medium eating apple
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground nutmeg
180g Tate & Lyle Darkk soft brown sugar
2tbsp lemon juice
2tbsp water
50g butter

1. To make the mincemeat, put the raisins, sultanas, currants, apricots, glace cherries and brandy in a large mixing bowl. Stir well, then cover and leave in a cool place for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally, or leave to stand overnight.

2. When the fruit is soaked, peel, core and chop the apple, then blanch it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain well. Add to the fruit mixture with the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well.

3. Add the Tate & Lyle Dark Soft Brown Sugar to the fruit mixture. Warm the lemon juice, water and butter in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Add to the fruit and stir well, then pack the mincemeat into sterilized jars. Seal and label. Keep in a cool place for up to 3 months.

In this recipe I used Tate & Lyle Soft Brown Sugar.
For the full range of sugar products, visit Tate & Lyle.

If you fancy baking mince pies, Tate & Lyle have a recipe for this Christmas classic (just click on the link).
I think I'll bake a batch this coming weekend, when my husband will be back from his travel.

Disclosure: I received a selection of Tate & Lyle products to try festive recipes. All opinions are mine.