‘Pick up with a thumb and first finger’: Etiquette expert reveals the correct way to eat a mince pie this Christmas

“I now eat the mince pie in delicate bites, around four to six to complete it,” s
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A British etiquette expert has revealed the “formal” way to eat a mince pie, ahead of the festive season.

Lucy Challenger, who has over 525,400 TikTok followers, has posted a video explaining how many of us have been eating the traditional Christmas pie wrong.

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The influencer prepared a plate full of mince pies for a demonstration on “the formal British way to eat a mince pie”.

Lucy said: “To eat the mince pie, one would pick up a mince pie with a thumb and first finger, and lift the mince pie away from the plate.

“The mince pie is crumbly so make sure anything that falls from the mince pies falls onto the plate.

“I now eat the mince pie in delicate bites, around four to six to complete it.”

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The video has racked up over 9,000 views with commenters eager to recieve reassurance from Lucy that they haven’t been eating their mince pies wrong.

One TikTok user asked: “Could you use a pastry fork?”

Whilst another commented: “I’m having mine with hot custard...And you can’t convince me otherwise🥰”

The etiquette expert revealed some background into the popular festive snack, saying: “It is a sweet pie of English origin filled with minced meat. This is a mixture of fruit, spices and suet - not actual meat.

“These pies are traditionally served in much of the English speaking world during Christmas time.

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"The ingredients of a mince pie are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

“These contained the Christian symbolism representing the gifts delivered to Jesus by the biblical Magi.

Mince pies (Credit Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Mince pies (Credit Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Mince pies (Credit Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

“Mince pies at Christmas time were actually traditionally shaped in an oblong to depict the manger, and were decorated with what resembled the Christ child.

"The mince pie remains an incredibly popular treat."

She concluded with a joke: “Mince pies are a sweet treat, they taste delicious and are rather filling. So don’t over indulge this Christmas, otherwise you might feel like you’ve turned into a mince pie yourself. Merry Christmas everyone.”

A mince pie is also known as ‘mincemeat pies’ in the United States, and a ‘fruit mince’ in Australia and New Zealand.