This can only mean one thing.....

He he he....no, not that it's wheelie bin day, but that we're in the thick of Spring! For me it's the time I not only think about the cuteness of newborn baby lambs but more importantly: Fruit Mince!!  When the beautiful Jacarandas are in full bloom around Brisbane is about the time I stock up on my ingredients for this Xmas delicacy which I make every year. So without further adieu I present to you my version of Fruit Mince.

You will need:

1 large glass jar with a screw top lid

A cup of pecans

1/2 cup of honey

Rind and juice of an orange

A green apple, chopped

Dried fruit of your choice; I use sultanas, raisins, prunes, dates and figs (enough to fill the jar)

Cointreau

Vodka

Cranberry juice

Fresh lime

First of all you will need to pour one nip of the vodka, half a nip of the cointreau, a splash of cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime into a cocktail shaker (yes, I'm serious... you'll thank me). Whack in some ice and give a good shaking for about 30 seconds. Decant into your fave cocktail glass.

Step 2 is to finely chop all of the dried fruit and nuts. Take a quick swig sip of the Cosmopolitan (in case you didn't know) that you have just mixed....you'll need it to help you get through all this chopping. I like a bit of Nigella action and do my chopping with a mezzaluna.  Those with squeamish tendencies look away now.....

They're prunes, I swear!

So once all of the chopping of fruit and nuts is done put them into a large bowl and add the chopped green apple, the honey, and, as I don't like mixed peel, I use orange juice and the finely grated rind. Give a good mix and tip into the sterilised glass jar.

Pour in enough Cointreau to fill about a third of the jar and pop on the lid, then sit back, and slowly sipping your Cosmo, admire what will very soon be the best fruit mince you've ever tasted.

Store in a cool dry place and tip upside down on day two, then back the right way on day three etc for the first seven days. This will keep for months and will be perfectly sloshed in time for your fruit mince pies on Xmas Day and used as a topping on vanilla ice cream thereafter. Mmmmmmm!  Please excuse the tangled mess of Xmas ribbon I have draped so unprofessionally around the base of the jar...

and now a moment of truth:

My first attempt at sterilising my brand new jar with boiling water. Don't do it!

xxMs.K