Sweet shortcrust pastry for mince pies

Dissolve the caster sugar in 3 tbsp hot water. Leave to cool, then chill further in the fridge. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and vegetable fat and rub in with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix the yolks with the sugared water and add to the bowl. Mix with a round-bladed knife until the mixture clumps together to form a dough

Gather the pastry dough with your hands, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut out 28 x 8cm rounds and 28 x 7cm stars using Asda Star Cutters. Gather the leftover dough, roll out and cut out more shapes.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Use the rounds to line the holes of two 12-hole tins, easing them to fit in snugly. For mince pies, fill each hole with a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat from a 822g jar. Dampen the edges of the pastry shells, place the stars over the mincemeat, and press their ends against the shells to seal.

Bake the mince pies for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave in the tins for 10 minutes, then ease them out with a round-bladed knife and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Give them a light dusting of icing sugar before serving – hold the sieve above the pies and gently tap its sides.