Co-op Mincemeat - 411g

In Britain, mincemeat appears on the shelves as the evenings draw in, parked next to the pastry cases and the brandy butter. Mince pies get handed round at carol services, office parties and every relative's front door through December, and plenty of them started life in a jar like this one.

The mince pie is the thing people try hardest to recreate when they are a long way from home. Bake a batch and the house smells right. Hand them round and somebody will tell you, at length, about their nan's.

The 411g jar fills a good tray of small pies, or one generous tart if you cannot be bothered with cutters. It sits happily in the cupboard until you need it; once it is open, follow the storage advice on the jar. Some people stir a spoonful through an apple crumble and act as if it was always the plan.

Co-op is a fixture of the British high street, the shop at the end of the road. Most people pick up a tin of custard or a Christmas pudding while they are at it, because once you have started a British Christmas dinner, you may as well do the lot.