Mince pies can quickly go stale and dry in the days after they’re baked or even opened from shop packaging.
While they’re usually easy to eat up in a short time, it’s worth knowing how to store the mincemeat-filled treats to make them last as long as possible.
For many foods, the fridge is the first place that springs to mind when it comes to keeping them fresh, but it’s not the best.
Most pastries can turn from dry to soggy when kept in the fridge which can taste just as unpleasant as those that lack moisture.
That said, one Reddit user has claimed that it’s best to stick to simple storage methods to keep homemade mince pies “forever”.
Taking to the popular online forum to ask “How long do you keep homemade mince pies?”, one user who goes by the name u/teasswill was met with one common response.
Several fellow forum members agreed that an airtight tin or container is the best place for homemade pastry-based goods.
A user with the name u/GlitteriestFluff wrote: “My mother’s would keep FOREVER. She’d bake a load just before the start of December cos Dad used to eat one every day of Advent.
“Then another batch ‘for Christmas’. We’d be eating those way after New Year.”
They continued: “They last in an air-tight tin for quite a while – Mum’s always tasted ok.”
This recommendation was based on homemade pies crafted from basic shortcrust pastry and shop-bought mince meat, which one Reddit user claimed to last four to six weeks in an airtight container.
A third forum member agreed that this is a foolproof method for pies that stay fresh for weeks, but added that they should be “hidden” to avoid getting eaten up.
The same goes for shopbought pies too, which should be removed from their original packaging and transferred into a container to keep afterwards.
Layers of parchment paper or kitchen roll can be used between the stacks of mince pies to stop the sticky mincemeat from clinging to the tinfoil cases.
Alternatively, pies can be stored in the freezer for up to three months, as long as they’re completely cooled before being put into resealable boxes, according to chef Nigella Lawson.
