I'm not a big fan of holiday seasons starting before their time but in the case of making mincemeat and Christmas cakes so that they mature nicely in time for the festivities, it's good to start is now. 

This Carrot Mincemeat recipe is from Kate Saunders' Blackberry Cottage (cakes with secret ingredients from aubergibe to zucchini) Cookbook which I bought recently at The Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fayre. I've already made several of the recipes (including sweetheart cabbage cinnamon rolls and butternut squash & apricot torte) and everything has turned out perfectly. 

Cakes of course are cakes and not foods to sustain life but adding some beneficial ingredients is good for the soul if nothing else. 

This mincemeat contains carrots which are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. Consumption of carrots has been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye and skin health: and apples which are also extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber. 

 

60g carrot 

100g apple 

100g sultanas 

100g raisins 

50g cranberries 

100g currants 

50g dark brown sugar 

80g vegetable suet 

1 tsp mixed spice 

1 unwaxed orange, juice and zest 

50ml Cointreau 

In a separate bowl, mix all the dried ingredients. Now add the sugar, suet and spice, and mix well. Finally, add the ornage juice and zest, Cointreau, grated carrot and apple. Give everything a good stir. 

Cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool, dry place for at least 24 hours remembering to give everything a good stir whenever you are passing. Spoon into clean sterilised jars, packing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. 

Will keep for 6 months in a cool, dry place. 

 

Other carrot recipes in the book include carrot cake ice cream and carrot Christmas pudding.