Name: English Mince Meat
Ingredients: 2 pounds cooked and chopped meat (or 4 pounds raw meat); 1 pound chopped suet; 2 pounds raisins; 1 pound sultana raisins; 2 pounds currants; 1 pound citron; 1 pound light brown sugar; 1 pound granulated sugar; 4 pounds apples (greenings); Juice and grated rind of 2 lemons; Juice and grated rind of 2 oranges; 1 tablespoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon ground mace; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 grated nutmeg; 1 quart boiled cider; 1 quart fruit juice

Why it works: Lemon and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,634 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Orange + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,987 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,774 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,230 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,070 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Meat: Provides the savory, meaty body that gives traditional mincemeat its character and texture.
Suet: Adds richness and a moist, tender texture as it melts into the mixture.
Raisins: Contribute sweetness, chewy texture and moisture to the filling.
Apples: Add bulk, tartness and moisture, becoming tender and transparent as they cook.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a deeper, caramel-like flavor to the mixture.
Boiled cider: Adds concentrated apple acidity and sweetness, deepening the fruit flavor.

The step that matters

Adding the spices and citrus rind after cooling. Ground spices and citrus oils are volatile, and heat drives off their aroma, so adding them once the mixture has cooled keeps the flavor fresh and bright.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, raisin, sugar, apple, lemon, orange, clove):

Figfits better
Cranberryfits better
Vanillafits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against meat, raisin, sugar, apple, lemon, orange, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

English Mince Meat