Matt Fact #4
Once upon a time, Mincemeat used to be just exactly that - minced meat. Usually lamb, plus sugar and sweet spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, all the usual stuff you'd get in a tub of mixed spice. The spices helped to mask the taste of rancid meat, as well as acting as antibacterial agents to stave off the threat of gastro-intestinal infection. Yum. So, next Christmas, if someone offers you a mince pie, just think... it could just be a real one...