Man Sustains Christmas Tradition with Mother’s 22-Year-Old Mince Pies

For over two decades, a man has observed a Christmas tradition of consuming a mince pie made by his deceased mother. Richard Newson, a resident of Fleetwood, experienced the loss of both his parents in quick succession, just prior to Christmas in 2002. While clearing out their residence, Mr. Newson discovered a collection of pies in the freezer, which his mother, Marlene, habitually baked annually. Mr. Newson stated that he consumes one of these pies each year at the start of December, finding that it evokes cherished memories of his mother, Marlene. He quoted: “My mum and my dad loved Christmas. That is where I got my love of Christmas from. She was an avid baker, and the week before Christmas she went round to the hairdressers she used, the butchers and the baker… and gave them all a dozen mince pies to say thank you for the year.” Upon finding the batch of his mother’s mince pies, Mr. Newson chose to defrost and taste one. He recounted, “It dawned on me I could do this every year, but I didn’t actually grasp the fact there were 43 of them.” He added, “I’ve got 19 left, so with one a year for the next 19 years, I’ll be 76.” According to Mr. Newson, his wife does not participate in this particular Christmas tradition. He further commented, “She won’t partake with a normal mince pie never mind one that is 22 years old.” The Food Standards Agency has stated that while frozen food can be “stored indefinitely,” its “quality and taste may degrade over time.” For additional content, listeners can access the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and engage with BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions can also be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk and through Whatsapp at 0808 100 2230. Copyright for this material is held by BBC, 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides information regarding its policy on external linking.