Cherry mincemeat

Ingredients

• 1.2kg bramley apples (about 5), peeled, cored and cut roughly into 2cm pieces
• Juice and zest 3 oranges (weigh the dried fruit and zest the oranges directly onto it, so you don’t lose any fragrant oils)
• 500g crisp eating apples (about 3), such as russets or braeburns, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm cubes
• 400g jar good cherries in syrup – use the precious syrup too, don’t discard it, pour it in there with the rest
• 200g currants
• 200g raisins
• 200g sultanas
• 150g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 120g good cherry jam  (we used Bonne Maman Black Cherry Conserve)
• 125g demerara sugar
• 125g light muscovado sugar
• Juice 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• ½ nutmeg, grated
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 150ml kirsch

You’ll also need

• Sterilised jars with lids