Every famous cook has a mince pie recipe, and every one of them is sure theirs is right. Some swear by lard. Some put ground almonds in the pastry. One grinds up satsuma peel. The Queen’s pastry chefs soaked their mincemeat in four different spirits.

We’ve lined up six of the best-known recipes to see how they differ and who each one suits. We don’t reprint them here; they belong to their authors, and there are links to every original at the bottom. What you get instead is the useful bit: what each cook does differently, and whether it’s worth the effort.