'Come and let us make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year'.

My thoughtsare turning to feasting and frivolity andmince pies in particular.

To elucidate, I'mthinking ofa mixture of dried fruits, spices and suet, encased in pastry.

I makepastrywitha mixture of butter andlard rubbed intoflour with cold finger-tips, all bound together with an egg yolk andcondensed milk, if the dish issweet. (Rest the pastryin the 'fridge for ten minutes or so before rolling out).

I used to makemincemeat from scratch, but now I buy a jar, stir in somegrated apple, a squeezed tangerineand a wine glass ofbrandy. This is to reduce the proportion of suet and to add an individual touch.I roll the pastry thinly,cutting it into rounds before arrangingeach circle in a deep patty tin, dolloping generous spoonfuls of mince into each little nest,lettingthe gooey sweetness brim over.

Idon't like a pastry lid; instead Iput a circle of marzipan over thepies,five minutes before they are ready to come out of the oven.Mince pies should be eatenhot, even if it means re-heating themlater. (Filo pastry is a good alternative to shortcrust).

People holdstrong viewsaboutpies. Kate and I prefer an Eccles cake to a mince pie, but Peter maintains that shop bought Eccles have too much fat in the pastry, which sticks to his palate. He's also noticed thatthe currants are small and gritty. ('Epicurius's own son was he', or a close relative. Goodness, haven'tI spoilt that man). Emma avoids the pies, if she can.

Originally, C16th or so, the 'mince' in the 'Chriseemas day in the morning' pies was meat, usually beef, mixed with chopped suet to add moistness. Cooks, being inventive creatures, began adding currants and some spices. (Spices were enormously prized and priced. They addedfragrance and taste to the pies and, contrary to popular belief, they were not there to cover the smell of rotting flesh).

Gradually, the pies changed their savoury nature and evolved into sweetmeats.The pie case was known as a coffin and this did notseem to diminishthe popularity of the pie in any way.

As a young wife, I used to read 'Good Housekeeping' avidly.The magazine suggested that after the main course and pudding onChristmas Day, you went on to mince pies and coffee. We tried it once, but found it hard going. (If we'd been cows,withfour compartments to our stomachs, it might have been ok).

I make very small mince pies, just a taste, because they are laden with calories. Then you can have some Christmas Log, (buche de Noel), some Christmas Cake, some sherry trifle with split almondsand glace cherries on the top, somemeringuey Pavlova, followed by violet chocolates and nougat with pecan nuts (my favourite sweet of all).

As they said in Florida, when we were there the week before Christmas, one year:Felice Navidad.