One of the things I miss since leaving UK is mince pies, so this year I'm making my own mincemeat. I could not get glace cherries so I used some bottled cherries. Also I could not find mixed spice so I put in extra cinnamon. I could have bought French brandy but used what I had to hand, locally made peach brandy. The other thing I can't buy is shredded suet. I've never been too sure what function this performs but the older recipes always call for it. There are plenty of fat free recipes online but they all involve cooking. Again, I don't know what function the boiling or baking performs as the old Mrs Beeton type recipes were not cooked and my mother never cooked her mincemeat.
I just wondered what other expats do about mincemeat?