Bought mincemeat

Don't put as much in?

Buy a good quality mincemeat that's not runny.

I sometimes add chopped nuts, extra fruit ie cherries etc to mincemeat and a drop or two of brandy to make it more luxurious

I like that idea Flower might try that too.

Dust the pastry board with ground almonds. Sops up the extra liquid and adds something special. DH thinks I'm poisoning him quietly.

I haven't made any mince pies for some time but when I did, I added chopped apples to a jar of mincemeat.

I'll try that too Stansgran

I think the apples make it even more liquid, try the nuts or maybe some more suet? Probably the simple answer is Aka's. Yes, I always add brandy too and mine are very popular.

I put the tops on mine without sealing them down. This allows the hot air to get out and by the time they've cooked the tops have joined up with the bottoms!! Also don't fill too much.

If you buy them from Riverford organic veggies they look sufficiently distressed home made and if you remove the tinfoil cases you really could pass them off as your own.

Thanks for all those. Has anyone tried heating the mincemeat in a saucepan to reduce the liquid down?

When I make mincemeat I do put it through the mincer which makes it like a paste with nutty bits in. It means I can get more filling in the pies and it doesn't boil out. Also means that I get mincemeat with pastry and not pastry with a bit of mincemeat.

I'm with Soutra on this one (although I wouldn't bother pretending they were home-made!). I have admiration, though, for those who actually make their own.

I used to when they were all young and at home , cheaper .
Just don"t bother now , truth be told rarely buy them either , one just eats them because they are there.
" A minute on the lips , lifetime on the hips " I think is a trueisim !!

Never said I did, never said I didn't

Our you could try using a star shaped cutter for the tops, which will leave a gap at points where the pastry doesn't meet.

Oh heck, that sounds weird, but hopefully you will know what I mean!

I do Phoenix and I've got one of those and the stuff still boils out! It must be that I'm putting too much in. But I like the mincemeat more than I like pastry. My late Mum used to make very neat melt in your mouth mince pies, full of mincemeat, no stickiness and all softly dusted with icing sugar. this is one of those many moments when I wish I could ask her something!

Wonder if it would help if you reduced the oven temperature a little specki

This year I used S'bury's Taste the D mincemeat for some mince pies I was making for a local CH fair. Well it looked a bit sloppy in the jar and like the pies made by specki4eyes they errupted with molton juice. Having said that, the mincemeat had a lovely flavour and was very tasty but they didn't look pretty so I didn't take them to the fair. Next time I'll seek out a more solid looking mincemeat like Robinsons. Never had that boiling problem with their product. I'm glad you dust yours with icing sugar too. I don't like mine brown and shiny. I want them to look like mum's as well.

I always add some grated apple in bought mincemeat to make it less sweet- it really works.