Mince Meat, Christmas Pudding and other things British

I know this is a stretch, but just in case I have any British readers... My wife and I are considering a vacation to England next year. We will likely be using our timeshare to trade into something there so where we go will likely be limited to a few major cities. That doesn't mean we will be stuck there. We may rent a car or use public transportation to get out of whatever city we are staying in. So my question for any British readers, imagine you have friends coming to visit from another country. You have a week or two paid leave to take them around to see the sights, and they are relying upon you to selected what they will see. Where do you take them and what do they do? And now for the cooking portion of the post. Last year I made Mince meat for the first time in many years. I have long lost my grandmother's recipe, but I managed to locate something that looked very much like the one she used. Following my grandmother's (and the recipe's) practice, I combined the ingredients, including the suet, and placed the mixture in clean jars in the refrigerator for a few months before making the pies. Other recipes I have seen cook some or all of the ingredients. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Is cooking mandatory, optional, heretical?