At Christmas time many of us enjoy eating a mince pie or two – but have you ever thought about how these small, sweet treats became part of a Christmas tradition enjoyed during the Christmas season by many English-speaking peoples across the world?

The mince pie we enjoy today is a sweet pie of English origin filled with mincemeat, being a mixture of fruit, spices and suet. Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European Crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits, and spices. These contained the Christian symbolism of representing the gifts delivered to Jesus by the Biblical Magi. These early mince pies were traditionally larger and made in an oblong or oval shape to resemble the crib or manger in which the Christ Child was laid. The pastry lid represented the swaddling clothes and sometimes carried a figure depicting the Christ Child.

The early mince pie was known by several names, including “mutton pie”, “shrid pie” – in Tudor times, and “Christmas pie”. Typically, its ingredients then were a mixture of minced meat, suet, a range of fruits, and spices, including cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Served around Christmas, this  savoury pie  was associated with supposed Catholic “idolatry”, and during the English Civil War was frowned on by the Puritan authorities. Nevertheless, the tradition of eating Christmas pies in December continued through to the Victorian era, although by then its recipe had become sweeter and its size markedly reduced from its once large oblong shape.

Writing in his memoir, John Anthony Oddie, grandson of Robert Oddie – headmaster of Sibford School, 1880–1906, remembers visiting Sibford as a young boy for their memorable family Christmas celebrations.  All the female members of the family had to bake and bring a batch of mince pies to the family gathering. His grandfather would then select one from each batch. Parting his beard and moustaches he would take a large bite from each and then announce one as the best mince pie for that year. Today, the mince pie made remains a popular sweet seasonal treat.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Maureen HIcks