Instructions

1. Put the four, flax seeds and margarine into a metallic bowl and, using your fingertips, rub them together until you have a sandy texture. Add the ground almond and orange zest, combine well. Mix in the orange juice with a palette knife, adding one spoonful at a time. The mixture should become a soft dough that can be shaped into a ball. (Add more orange juice or cold water if needed).
2. Knead lightly for a few seconds on a floured surface, then wrap it in cling-film and rest in the fridge for 2 hours. This is important - 30 minutes is not enough!
3. Lightly grease a shallow muffin or patty tin.
4. Take the pastry out of the fridge and divide it into two portion. Put one back in the fridge.
5. Roll the other one out between two sheets of baking paper to the thickness of 0.5mm. Using pastry cutter or a glass (its diameter should be slightly bigger than the tin holes) stamp out circles, then place these into the tin holes.
6. Spoon some mincemeat into each pie – don’t overfill them.
7. Collect the scraps of the pastry, then kneed and roll it out. Cut out lids or Xmas motives (star, holly, bell, tree etc) using cookie cutters and place these on top of the pies (pierce the circle lids with a fork to allow steam to escape).
8. Put the tin in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest while you heat the oven up to 170°C.
9. Meanwhile repeat the above with the second portion of the dough, using another tin.
10. Put the first tin of pies in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or so, until the pastry is golden. Repeat with the other tin.
11. Let them cool in the tin for a couple of minutes, then move them to a cooling rack.
12. Serve them lukewarm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar.