ULTIMATE MINCE PIE TASTE TEST
Anyone for cheese & pickle flavour?
MINCE pies are as intrinsic a part of Christmas as the turkey and the tree. But we seem intent on making all foods more elaborate.
This year, the range of alternative pies is extraordinary — from cheese and pickle flavour to mince pie croissants and such ingredients as sloe gin and cranberries.
ALICE SMELLIE asked Michael and Sandra Howard, who have very different opinions on mince pies (he’s a confirmed chocoholic who’ll eat one reluctantly if everyone else does, while Sandra admits to being a bit of a traditionalist), for their thoughts and verdict on the new ranges . . .
THE CRUMBLY ONE
Walkers Shortbread Spiced Orange and Cranberry Mince Pies, £2.85 for four, walkersshortbread.com THESE have crumbly butter pastry, full of vine fruits, tangy peel and spices.
MICHAEL SAYS: These are lovely and fruity, and convey a wonderfully Christmassy taste. The pastry is sweet and crumbly, and the fruit is perfectly tart.
SANDRA SAYS: I like this — the topping is a sort of crumbled-up pastry and they are very fruity, but not too sweet. 9/10
THE FRENCH FANCY
Paul Bakery Mince Pie Croissant, £1.75 each, paul-uk.com THIS comes in the guise of a high-end patisserie. It’s a flaky croissant filled with rich, sweet mincemeat and dusted with icing sugar — the perfect Christmas Day breakfast to keep you going.
MICHAEL SAYS: I love croissants, and we always have them on Christmas morning as a treat. But I feel equally strongly that croissants ought not to be defiled by mincemeat. As a devotee of crispy, flaky French pastry, I think that here, an excellent croissant has been spoiled. SANDRA SAYS: I disagree. I don’t think the two tastes are out of kilter at all. In my opinion, the mincemeat complements the pastry. It’s a little heavy and I wouldn’t want to eat a whole one, though. Perhaps it’s one for sharing — but clearly not in our house!
5/10
PICKLE IMPOSTER
Lily Vanilli Cheese and Branston Pickle limited edition mince pies, £15 for six, lilyvanilli.com, or make from their recipe THICK, shortcrust pastry, finely diced roast potato and Cheddar with a dollop of Branston’s. They look sweet, but smell divinely savoury. MICHAEL SAYS: These sound even more terrible than normal mince pies. Do you really think you can change my mind by offering a savoury version? The best I can say is that at least they don’t look as though they contain cheese and pickle. No thank you. SANDRA SAYS: These are truly excellent. The pastry is a little too thick, but it’s a tasty change from all the sweet things we eat at Christmas. If I were going to have a savoury mince pie, I’d have this. It would make a lovely light lunch with a salad. 7/10
A BEEFY TREAT
Lidgate’s Real Mince Pie, £4.50 each, lidgates.com or amazon. co.uk/fresh MADE by Lidgate butchers, these large pies contain dried fruit, spices, beef mince and suet, with a crumbly pastry crust. Lightly
dusted with icing sugar, it’s recommended that you eat them with custard or cream. MICHAEL SAYS: I have spent some time hunting for the right word for this pie. Having hovered over stodgy and solid, I picked ‘substantial’, in looks and taste. This one is certainly not for me!
SANDRA SAYS: This has a thick, meaty flavour, with rich fruit and suety pastry. It looks disgusting and tastes fairly revolting. I doubt custard and cream would in any way improve it, either — rather the reverse. 4/10
GIN AND BEAR IT
Aldi Specially Selected Sloe Gin Mince Tarts, £2.29 for six ALDI has all sorts of innovative
flavours, including chocolate orange, florentine, gingerbread and salted caramel. These wide and flat pies have a crumbly topping and are available to buy in Aldi’s stores. MICHAEL SAYS: You can taste the sloe gin and the filling is almost toffee-like. There’s a time and a place for sloe gin and a time and a place for mince pies. I’m afraid that they aren’t the same thing! SANDRA SAYS: I think the light spiciness of the sloe gin cheers up a mince pie quite beautifully — it’s a delicious little drunken pie. 6/10
JOLLY FREE FROM...
Holland and Barrett Lovemore Luxury Mince Pies, £1.44 for four, hollandandbarrett.com THESE gluten, milk and wheatfree mince pies are suitable for coeliacs and vegetarians. Filled with rich, moist mincemeat.
MICHAEL SAYS: If your health requires you to cut out gluten or dairy products, then I think it’s absolutely understandable that you follow a careful diet — these aren’t bad, considering. SANDRA SAYS: These are excellent. Historically, glutenfree has tended to go hand in hand with less tasty food. Clearly, times are changing. The pastry is lovely and light, and the mincemeat is fruity, but not overwhelming. 8/10
GINGER SPICE
Waitrose Chocolate and Ginger Mince Pies, £1 for four, waitrose.com ALL-BUTTER chocolate pastry with ginger, liqueur and orange mincemeat. They are quite flatlooking, like two biscuits stuck together, with a star on top. MICHAEL SAYS: These aren’t chocolatey enough for me. The ginger is overwhelming and I can hardly taste the mincemeat. SANDRA SAYS: I love the ginger addition, which is not at all overpowering — but the chocolate is! It’s pleasant enough, but there are too many flavours happening.
6/10
LEMON TWIST
Heston from Waitrose Spiced Shortcrust Mince Pies, £3 for four, waitrose.com MINCE pies made with spiced pastry and filled with mincemeat and lemony Sussex pond pudding. MICHAEL SAYS: I love the light, lemon flavour and the firm, but crumbly, consistency of the spicy pastry. It’s the perfect mince pie, as it’s not too sweet. SANDRA SAYS: Delicious, but the lemon pudding is a little cloying. It’s too heavy for me to eat a whole one. 8/10
THE WHOPPER
Whole Foods Market Sharing Mince Pie, £13 each, wholefoods market.com (reserve and pay on pick-up) RATHER than having your own pie, make it a social occasion and share this huge one, made with fine butter pastry and organic mincemeat, with real brandy and fruits.
MICHAEL SAYS: I love Christmas pudding, and there are some who may argue that this pie is similar, being a dried fruit-based confection. However, Christmas pudding isn’t covered in pastry. I also enjoy Christmas cake, with marzipan. Mince pies are way down at the bottom of my list, and this is just too bland. SANDRA SAYS: I don’t mind all these clever pies, but this is traditional and very good. It’s not too sweet and there’s the bonus of it being served as slices, meaning less pastry and more fruit. 7/10
INDULGENT BLISS
Paul A Young Brownie Mince Pies, £2.95 each, or four for £11. Available from any of Paul’s three London shops or deliverable nationwide (0207 437 0011) THE calorie-packed love child of a mince pie and a brownie, this contains traditional mincemeat topped with moist fudge brownie. You can make them yourself (the recipe is at deliciousmagazine.co.uk).
MICHAEL SAYS: This is delicious. It’s as though there is a chocolate pudding on top, and there’s not too much pastry or mincemeat.
SANDRA SAYS: I don’t like this, but I’m not a lover of chocolate. It’s nothing like a mince pie — too pudding-like and heavy. 7/10
TINY TIMS
Prestat Traditional and Chocolate Mince Pies, £9.95 for 12, in store (London), 0207 494 3372 BEAUTIFULLY packaged little
pies, which are perfect to pass around at a party. Six are made with normal pastry and six with chocolate pastry.
MICHAEL SAYS: They are not chocolatey enough for me. There is too much mincemeat and they’re quite dense in texture. If you like mincemeat with a hint of cocoa, these might be for you.
SANDRA SAYS: I think these are good as treats for the end of a meal. The choice of chocolate pastry or traditional in one package is a good idea, and certainly right for our family — I would go for the not-tooc-hocolatey ones! 7/10
ONE FOR ALL
Marks & Spencer Handcrafted Mini Mince Pie Selection, £2.50 for 12, in store A SELECTION of 12 mini mince pies, including four Viennese-topped ones, four frosted crumble ones and four brandy buttercream ones.
MICHAEL SAYS: I am a big fan of Christmas pudding with brandy butter, but I don’t think it goes well with other foods, such as mince pies. These are very good and crumbly, but I say ‘no’ to the extra topping. SANDRA SAYS: I love the thin pastry, but I agree with Michael — the brandy butter pie is a bit too much. They are very small pies, so you wouldn’t be overeating. 6/10
CHOCOHOLIC JOY
Hotel Chocolat Alternative Mince Pies, £7.50 for six, hotelchocolat.com A MINCE pie for the haters, this is made from solid chocolate — there’s not a whiff of fruit. Three are milk chocolate truffles and three are burnt praline.
MICHAEL SAYS: Things are looking up. These are absolutely fine, and I’ll happily eat a whole one. I’m afraid that a mince pie that isn’t a mince pie in anything but shape has my vote. SANDRA SAYS: These are a pretty gimmick, and the chocolate is good-quality. I very seldom eat chocolates, however, so I probably wouldn’t have one, but they’d certainly be popular with the family. 8/10
THE NUTTY ONE
Cartwright and Butler Mince Pies with Marzipan and Whole Almonds, £7.49 for six, cartwrightandbutler.co.uk PRICEY for sure, but these pretty little pies come in a stunning tin. The bottom of the pastry is lined with a thin layer of marzipan, and there’s an almond on the top. MICHAEL SAYS: These are OK, and I do like marzipan. At least these pies are just a mouthful. SANDRA SAYS: They’re too sweet for me. I also like marzipan, but not here. They’d be great for handing around at parties, though. 6/10