English vs American: Mince Pies

My grandpa used to love mince meat pies.

(mince meat pies = disgusting concoction having actual meat in it)

I used to gag seeing it.

To this day, I have absolutely no clue

what it was he was actually eating.

He passed away a few years before we moved to England,

or I was totally ask him to explain it to me.

And then I'd probably give him a really hard time about it

and he would laugh until his dentures would start to slide out of place. 

So cute.

Then we moved to England.

Our first Christmas, 

I politely passed at their tiny pastries

that were frequently offered

and internally judged their affinity

towards meat-laced pies.

The second year we were here, 

I started to suspect I was missing something.

So one brave day, 

I bought a pretty one

covered with a simply shortcrust start

and dusted with powdered sugar

and... well, I loved it.

Especially since

THERE WAS NO MEAT IN IT.

What?

What is a mincemeat pie then?

Check out my friend, Will, of Bright.Bazaar's great tutorial here.

The best way that I can explain it is

that it is like an apple pie...

without any apple.

Not all are amazing,

but you can score some really tasty ones

during the Christmas season in England.

So there.

Now you're a little smarter

and a bit more prepared

to not miss out on this delicious holiday treat.

* * *

Do mince pies make your holiday line up?

Or do you pass on for peppermint bark?

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