Christmas Edition

FROM THE FARM SHOP

Our Christmas Menu is back! Beginning December 2nd, we will have festive favourites like our Pheasant Pie, Festive Broth and Pear & Ginger Frangipane Tart.

Please call 01330 850710 to reserve your table.

Christmas Orders Close Soon!

We are taking Christmas orders until December 6th. Collection dates are December 22, 23 or the morning of Christmas Eve.

Visit our website to choose your Christmas groceries and book your collection date. Alternatively, you can still pick up an order form from the shop or download one here.

The farm shop kitchen has been busy making our popular Tilquhillie Puddings to the famous local recipe, using naturally gluten-free oats from Alford and packed full of delicious dried fruits, spices and brandy.

It’s the perfect finale for Christmas Day and if you’d like to try it out before then we also have it on our Christmas Menu. And if you’d like to gift one to a friend, it’s not only gluten-free but also dairy-free and vegetarian!

We have two sizes available, a 454g pudding (serves 2-4) and a 908g pudding (serves 6-8). They will be available in the shop or you can order one on our website for collection along with your Christmas Order.

Our Christmas hampers are back this year, brimming with local products and farm shop home bakes. Choose from four different sizes and a variety of packaging options including a wicker hamper, jute bag, Finzean box and a cellophane-wrapped hamper tray.

Inside the Shop

We have lots of Christmas stock from festive gifts and tasty treats to stylish holiday decorations. Finzean Farm Shop is the perfect place to enjoy a meal or a hot drink and have a browse, you never know what treasures you’ll find. Remember to take a peek in the extension and upstairs to see all we have to offer.

FROM THE ESTATE

Deer play a vital role in Finzean’s ecosystem. Red Deer roam our woods in winter before retreating to the moorlands in spring, while Roe Deer live across the estate year-round. With no natural predators, deer populations have grown, sometimes threatening local habitats.

As responsible stewards, we manage the balance through selective culling, protecting young plants and trees while providing sustainable, wild venison for the community. Our gamekeeper, Hedge, carefully stalks the deer, and Sanjay, our butcher, transforms them into delicious cuts like loins and fillets.

From venison burgers to hearty pies and curries, our dishes celebrate Finzean’s natural bounty. Find fresh pheasant breasts until the end of January and fresh venison until the end of March!

Read More

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

RECIPE

Festive Mince Pies

Makes approx. 12 pies

PRINT RECIPE

For those looking to craft the perfect mince pies this holiday season, our Festive Mince Pie recipe offers a delightful blend of tradition and taste. Featuring rich, spiced mincemeat made with plump fruits, a touch of brandy, and warming spices, paired with a buttery, flaky pastry, it’s an ideal addition to any festive table.

If time is short, we provide the same high-quality ingredients with none of the preparation. We offer our own homemade mincemeat as well as freshly baked mince pies, both in the farm shop and available in your Christmas order.

INGREDIENTS

For the mincemeat

• 500g raisins

• 250g sultanas

• 250g currants

• 124g glacé cherries (soaked in water for a few minutes & quartered)

• 285ml brandy

• 2 cooking apples, chopped into small pieces

• 1 or 2 tsp mixed spice

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 100g chopped hazelnuts (optional)

• 200g dark muscovado sugar

• 100 ml hot water (use the water the apples were boiled in)

• 60g butter

• 125g mixed peel

• 1 orange (rind & juice)

• ½ lemon (rind & juice)

For the pastry

• 50g cold unsalted butter (diced)

• 100g plain flour

• 1 egg yolk

• 25g icing sugar

• cold water 

METHOD

For the mincemeat

1. Mix the raisins, sultanas, currants, glacé cherries, mixed peel and brandy in a large bowl. Seal and leave for 24hrs or more to allow the brandy to be absorbed into the fruit.

2. Blanch the chopped apple in boiling water (400ml) for 2 minutes, then drain but RESERVING the water!

3. Add the apple to the soaked fruit and add the mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon & chopped hazelnuts and stir well.

4. Put the muscovado sugar, reserved hot water and butter into a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has melted. Add to the fruit mixture and stir well.

For the pastry

1. Add flour, icing sugar and diced butter to a food processor. Pulse until just mixed and the mixture has the texture of fine breadcrumbs.

2. Add one egg yolk and pulse until incorporated.

3. With the processor running, gradually add very cold water, one teaspoon at a time, until a dough has formed into a ball.

4. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 min

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Lightly butter a 12-hole tin.

3. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface. Cut out 12 discs using a fluted pastry cutter large enough to fill the base of the prepared tin.

4. Press the pastry discs into each hole, then fill with the mincemeat

5. Use a smaller pastry cutter to cut discs to fit the top of the pies and use a festive biscuit cutter to cut out 12 pastry shapes. Cover each pie with a disc and top each with a festive shape.

6. Bake the pies for approx. 20 minutes until golden brown. Carefully remove the pies from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.