Coffee and Mince Pies for Christmas

By the time we got to the Hassop Cafe, it was tea time. The cafe used to be an old railway station. There's an outdoor seating area, but as it was dark and cold, nobody was braving it.

In the cafe, there's also a gift shop. I didn't look around as I've finally bought all my Christmas presents.

We had a latte, a tea and a black americano with mince pies. The pies are traditionally served at Christmas. They are usually filled with mincemeat and fruit with suet, but you can also have a vegetarian variety. You can also eat them hot or cold. I prefer them warm with a bit of cream on them.

It wasn't until recently I found out the history of the mince pie, which started off as a savoury pie in the Tudor period. The pies were originally rectangular, not round and shaped like a manger, with baby Jesus made out of pastry stuck on the lid. They were made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his 13 disciples. Source You learn something new everyday! I'm not sure what Jesus would have made of it ....

Anyway, we enjoyed it and it was lovely to see all the cafes nicely decorated for Christmas.