Incredibly Easy Quick Mince Pies

Take the pastry out of the fridge (ready rolled puff pastry)

Turn on the oven

Wait a few minutes (have a cup of tea?)

5 minutes of preparation

Place in oven

20 minutes later start enjoying mince pies!

You need (for 12 mince pies like these)

1 x ready rolled puff pastry - take out of the fridge and allow to get to room temperature

1 x jar mincemeat (actually you only need 12 tea-spoonsfull - about 120g or 4Oz)

1 x egg (for optional egg wash)

a baking tray, and

an oven... pre-heat to gas mark 6, 200C, 400F, 'moderately hot', (180C or equivalent if its a fan oven)

and a couple of tools.

Allow around 10 minutes to reach room temperature

Collect your tools :

- a teaspoon and a knife work for me, with a fork to beat the egg.....

Beat the egg while the pastry, and the oven, warm up.

Open out the pastry sheet

Use the knife to turn into 12 rectangles

Add a tea-spoonful of mincemeat to one end of each rectangle, leaving enough space to seal the pastry when you fold it over.

Make a parcel, and press the sides together to keep the mincemeat in the pastry.

Prick each parcel, to let steam escape

Apply the eggwash - as uniformly as you like....

The pastry comes on its own baking paper which can go into the oven on a baking tray.

Cook for 20-25 minutes (see below)

leave to cool on a rack

Enjoy!

I have used supermarket (Aldi) pastry, and JusRol. The Aldi pastry is a slightly bigger sheet, so the pies are bigger and take slightly longer to cook. They taste just as good!