This is a great alternative to Christmas pudding – or way of using up mincemeat left over from making mince pies. It’s basically Christmas in a bowl, can be gluten and dairy free, and got a massive thumbs up from the 7 year old and 2 year old who were my chief tasters today. Merry Christmas x

Ingredients

700g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks

50g coconut sugar or soft brown sugar

100g oats

100g ground almonds

50g coconut sugar or demerara sugar

100g butter or coconut oil

1 lemon

200g mincemeat

20g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180

Put the chunks of apple into a saucepan along with the sugar and  a good splash of water. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook gently for around 10-15 minutes until the apples are beginning to soften.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Put the oats, ground almonds, sugar and coconut oil or butter into a food processor and pulse together. Zest the lemon into the bowl.

Drain most of the juices from cooked apples, then mix in the mincemeat and squeeze over the lemon.

Put the apple mincemeat mix into a large dish, and scatter over the topping

Sprinkle over the flaked almonds, then bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crisp and golden on top and piping hot and bubbling underneath.

For a bit of extra Christmas magic, serve with a drizzle of cream and a dollop of brandy butter.