Generously butter a 12-cup non-stick bun tray. A shallow tart tin is preferable to a deep muffin tray, as the mince pies will be easier to remove.

Add the flour, salt and icing sugar to a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, pulse the butter, flour and icing sugar together in a food processor.

Stir in the lemon zest and juice. If using a bowl, squeeze the mixture together with your hands until it forms a dough. This buttery pastry should come together easily; if it looks too dry, add a splash of cold water. Knead the pastry a few times on the side of the bowl until smooth. If using a food processor, continue to pulse after adding the lemon zest and juice until the dough forms a ball.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat it into a flat disc and wrap in cling film. Chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to approximately 4-5mm thick. Using a floured rolling pin and a straight-edged round cutter slightly larger than the holes in your tin, stamp out 12 pastry circles. An 8cm cutter works well for a standard bun tin. Gather and re-roll any remaining pastry, then use a star cutter the same diameter as the bun tin to cut 12 stars for the tops.

Place the pastry circles into the greased bun tin and carefully mould them to fit, taking care not to tear the pastry. If a tear appears, patch it with a small piece of leftover pastry. If the pastry becomes soft, chill the pastry shells for a further 10 minutes before continuing.

Spoon the Mincemeat into each pastry shell, filling them no more than two-thirds full to prevent the filling from bubbling over. Place a pastry star on top of each pie and lightly brush with egg wash.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the pastry edges are golden and the mincemeat is bubbling. Check the mince pies after 10 minutes. If the mincemeat is bubbling too vigorously, reduce the oven temperature by 10°C for the remaining cooking time.

Remove the tin from the oven and leave the mince pies to cool in the tin. Take care, as the mincemeat will be very hot.

Once cool, carefully remove the pies by sliding the blade of a thin, flexible palette knife or small sharp knife underneath the edges to loosen them. The pastry is crumbly but sturdy, so take your time.

Dust with icing sugar before serving. These mince pies are best enjoyed warm with Tiptree Brandy Butter, but are equally delicious cold.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To refresh them before serving, warm in a low oven for 5–10 minutes.

The mince pies can be frozen after baking for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before warming.