It’s true every Kiwi loves a good pie – there is nothing that beats a good mince and cheese pie and every year, New Zealanders chomp through a staggering 75 million of them making the pie market worth more than $150 million per annum. Now that’s a lot of pies!!

So when it comes to Christmas and we talk about a mince pie, do Kiwi’s think savoury or do they think sweet?? The good old fruit mince pie is a tradition that dates back to the 13th Century and while mince pies have been widely accepted as a British tradition, the idea actually started in the Middle East.

So what does a Christmas mince pie contain?

There are many recipes out there, Some say you should soak your fruit in rum or brandy and some say you should add zest and cinnamon to spice it up but we say you can make them however you want and if you don’t have time to make your own fruit mince the store bought stuff is absolutely fine! So here is our favourite recipe for an easy festive mince pie with a twist:

Viennese Whirl Mince Pies

Ingredients – makes 12

For the Pastry –

• 200g plain flour
• 1tsp mixed spice
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg

(Or use 300g shop-bought Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)

For the Filling and Topping

• 12tsp mincemeat (about 170g)
• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g plain flour
• 30g cornflour
• 30g icing sugar, plus extra to dust

Essential Equipment

• 12-hole bun tray, greased
• Piping bag fitted with large star nozzle

Method

For the pastry, toss together the flour and mixed spice then rub through the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Beat the egg then add that and cut it in using a dough scraper or butter knife – if a little dry, add cold water a drop at a time. Once the pastry comes together, flatten into a disk wrapped in cling, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the Viennese whirl topping, beat the butter until it is very soft indeed. Add the flour, cornflour and icing sugar and beat until you have a very smooth paste – like a thick buttercream. This is best done in a KitchenAid fitted with paddle attachment, though can be done with a handheld electric whisk.

Once chilled, roll out the pastry as thin as you dare on a floured surface, and use to line the bun tray holes – use a cookie cutter to ensure perfect disks. Fill each pastry case with a teaspoon of mincemeat. Load the piping bag with the Viennese paste, and pipe a neat spiral on top of each mince pie – don’t worry if the spiral doesn’t totally cover the mincemeat, as it will spread in the oven. Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to harden. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Once the mince pies have chilled, bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuit tops are just starting to turn a light golden brown. Cool in the bun tray, then remove and dust with icing sugar.

Then sit back and relax and enjoy your mince pie which will melt in your mouth. And if you need more of an excuse to eat a mince pie every day, check out this good advice. Eat a mince pie every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night (evening of the 5th January) and you will have happiness for the next 12 months!

We say…bring it on!!