Clockwise. Old English custom says you stir mincemeat clockwise, the way the sun moves across the sky, and that stirring it anticlockwise brings bad luck for the year ahead. Everyone in the house should take a turn with the spoon and make a wish while they stir.
Why clockwise?
Clockwise is “sunwise”. Lots of old British customs follow the sun’s path, and going against it (widdershins, as it used to be called) was thought to invite trouble. Walking widdershins round a church was a bad idea, for example. Mincemeat just picked up the same rule. Nobody has ever shown that the direction of your spoon affects your luck. Nobody at the club has been brave enough to test it either.
When should you stir it?
Traditionally on Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, when families also made the Christmas pudding. This year that’s 22 November. The timing works well, because homemade mincemeat gets better with a few weeks in the jar. Stir it then and it’s ready for your first batch of pies in December.
What if you’ve already stirred it the wrong way?
Folklore doesn’t offer a fix. Our unofficial ruling: give it a few extra turns clockwise and say nothing.
Other mince pie traditions
- Make a wish as you eat your first mince pie of the season.
- Eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas for 12 happy months. Some say each one has to be eaten in a different house.
- Put a star on top, for the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem.
- Some versions say mince pies should be eaten in silence. We’ve never managed it.
Making your own pies this year? Try our classic homemade mince pies. If you’re buying them, see which shop-bought pies came out on top in our Top 10.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mince_pie
Ref: http://www.uttertrivia.com/mincepies.php