My aunt Maureen’s recipes are tried and trusted and I will not change one iota of what has worked so well over the years. Nothing beats the flavour of homemade Christmas pudding, so start stirring now. It is very important to get good quality fruit. Aunt Maureen gets hers from Jim’s Kitchen in Portlaoise. Before she retired, she was a domestic science teacher in Cavan, and I don’t believe she ever had a pupil who didn’t learn how to make her marvellous mince meat pies. And remember, the advance preparation now will make things easier at Christmas.

We have been cooking here in between cookery school days as this is the time of year we get our hampers ready and we use the same pudding recipe. Last year our hampers were very popular. You can see them on our website, www.macneanrestaurant.com. We have a nice selection with the Christmas pudding, including some whisky glaze for your ham, cranberry chutney, Donegal Rapeseed Oil, which we infuse with garlic and rosemary, some truffles, and a copy of my most recent book.

So, get cooking. This weekend would be good.

Auntie Maureen’s Plum Pudding

Makes two 1.2 litre (2 pint) puddings

50g (2oz) plain flour

½ tsp ground mixed spice

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

175g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs

175g (6oz) butter, melted, extra for greasing

175g (6oz) light brown sugar

175g (6oz) raisins

50g (2oz) currants

225g (8oz) sultanas

50g (2oz) candied mixed peel

50g (2oz) blanched almonds, chopped

½ apple, peeled, cored and diced

½ small carrot, grated

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

300ml (½ pint) stout

brandy sauce and whipped cream, to serve

1 Sift together the flour, mixed spice, nutmeg and cloves. Add the breadcrumbs, melted butter, sugar, raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel, almonds, apple, carrot, lemon rind, lemon juice and melted butter and mix until well combined. Gradually add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, followed by the stout. Mix everything thoroughly and cover with a clean tea towel, then leave in a cool place overnight.

2 Grease two 1.2 litre pudding bowls and fill with the fruit mixture. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and tin foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string. Store in a cool, dry place for up to four months.

3 To cook, preheat oven to 150°C/ 300°F/gas 2. Stand each pudding basin in a large cake tin three-quarters full of boiling water, then cook for six to eight hours (or steam for six hours in the usual way). Allow the puddings to cool, re-cover with clean greaseproof paper. Again, store in a cool, dry place.

4 On Christmas Day, re-cover with new greaseproof paper and foil. Steam for two to three hours until completely cooked through and tender. Cut the plum pudding into slices and arrange on plates.

MacNean Old-Fashioned Mincemeat Pies

Makes 12

For the sweet pastry:

100g (4oz) butter

175g (6oz) plain flour, extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

50g (2oz) caster sugar

1 egg yolk

½ tbsp cream

½ tsp fresh lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

For the mincemeat:

50g (2oz) eating apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

25g (1oz) butter, melted

25g (1oz) raisins

25g (1oz) sultanas

25g (1oz) currants

1 tbsp candied citrus peel

2 tsp finely chopped almonds

2 tsp dark brown sugar

Finely grated rind ½ orange

Finely grated rind ½ lemon

Good pinch of ground nutmeg

Good pinch of ground cinnamon

Good pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp whiskey

Icing sugar, to dust

1 To make the mincemeat, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (except the icing sugar) and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave in a cool, dark place for two days to allow the flavours to develop, then pack into a clean, dry jar. Seal and store in a cool, dark place for three weeks before using.

2 To make the pastry, place the butter, flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and blend for 20 seconds. Add the egg yolk, cream and lemon juice and blend again until the pastry comes together. Do not over-work or the pastry will be tough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for one hour.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas mark 4. Roll out half of the pastry thinly on a lightly floured board. Cut out 12 x 7cm (3in) rounds with a cutter and use to line the bottom of a bun tin, then fill with the mincemeat.

4 Roll out the rest of pastry and cut 12 x 6cm (2½in) rounds with a cutter to fit the tops. Brush the edges with water and place smaller rounds on top of the filled pies in the tin, sealing with tips of fingers. Make a small slit in each mince pie and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 15-16 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Cool in the tins before lifting out the mince pies. Dust with icing sugar and arrange on a large serving platter to serve warm or cold.