RECIPE REVIEW - Paul Hollywood's Mince Pies

I can't feel truly Christmassy until I've eaten a mince pie. I'm one of those people who complains about seeing them in stores in September, but is inwardly delighted at the thought that mince pie season is fast approaching. I confess that I'm bit of a mince pie snob and won't willingly eat many of the shop-bought varieties (I hate the pastry lids, which I always find really dry). You can't beat a classic homemade mince pie, fresh and warm from the oven with a liberal dusting of icing sugar over the top.

If I've got a bit of time, then my favourite mince pie recipe to make is Mr Paul Hollywood's - he makes the most beautiful pastry! The recipe comes from the BBC GoodFood website (just here) and recommends that you need 45 minutes of prep time before these can go in the oven (inevitably I always take longer as I tend to faff around).