Mum's Famous Mince Pies

For the pastry

12 oz flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
I pinch salt
8oz butter  
1 egg
Caster sugar

For the filling

Add 1 generous tbs brandy to1 bottle ready-made fruit mince meat

For the basting

1 egg mixed with a splash of milk

Method

1. Drink champagne while you're baking and play Christmas carols very loudly.
2. Have as many helpers across as many age-groups as you can.
3. Turn the oven to 180 C

For the pastry

Mix all the dry ingredients together
Add the margarine and crumble through with your fingers
Once crumbled, add 1 egg and mix together
Beat one egg with a splash of milk in a teacup and leave aside

1. Divide pastry in half before rolling out so it doesn't dry out too much (my mother insists that you have to speak very nicely to your pastry while you're rolling it out ... if you're rude, it won't work)
2. Roll pastry out to about 3mms thick (politely)
3. Cut out with scalloped circle shapes in two different sizes
4. Place the larger circles in the baking tray
5. Add 1 scant teaspoon fruit mince
6. Paint egg&milk mixture around edge of smaller circle and press the egged edges down onto the base
7. Paint egg mixture over the top
8. Prick the top with a fork three times
9. Bake for 12- 15 minutes until golden brown
10. Let the mince pies cool on a rack (not on newspaper, because that will dry them out). When cool, sprinkle with caster sugar.

Division of labour

We have many different and equally crucially important roles because my mother bakes about 30 dozen mincepies a year - I am not exaggerating):

DJ and champagne / tea pourer
Pastry maker
Pastry roller and cutter-outer
Pastry bottom-in-baking tray placer
Mincemeat adder
Pastry top painter, placer and fork-pricker
Oven putter-inner and taker-outer
Caster sugar sprinkler