Mincemeat dates from the 15th Century, when it actually contained meat and was more of a savory pie filling. Over time the meat was replaced by animal fat (in the form of suet) and the mixture sweetened by the addition of sugar, making it more of a pudding dish.

This recipe substitutes vegetarian suet for the animal fat, although I actually used baking margarine which doesn't seem to make any difference, meat eaters could use the real thing if they wished. The recipe is adapted from one on Delia Smith's website, and is also available in her many books including Delia's Christmas.