EYES ON THE PIES
‘Tis the season to eat mince pies, but which ones are the Christmas crackers? We put the high street’s offerings to the test
M&S Collection Six Mince Pies £2.25, M&S
They say: Crisp and golden all butter shortcrust pastry, filled with vine fruits, cranberries, clementine and cognac.
We say: You can really taste the clementine which gives this quite an orangey flavour. Lovely crumbly pastry, among the best we tried, but quite a lot of it in the ratio to the filling. Could pass for homemade.
Six Mince Pies £1, Morrisons
They say: Rich and fruity mincemeat in a shortcrust pastry case. No artificial colours or flavours. Vegetarian.
We say: They look homemade but the pastry was heavy and tasted slightly undercooked, and the filling needed a decent flavour boost. Style over substance.
Six Butter Enriched Shortcrust Mince Pies £1.90, Waitrose
They say: Six delicious, individual pies with butter enriched pastry and filled with mincemeat.
We say: Eye-catching with one large and one small star, and a delicious golden brown. Lightly spiced with plump sultanas and delicious buttery pastry. Top notch.
Luxury Six Mince Pies £1.89, Iceland
They say: All butter shortcrust pastry filled with a fruity mincemeat containing vine fruits and brandy.
We say: Pretty and look homemade with a nice golden appearance. Filling was quite sweet and you couldn’t taste much fruit or alcohol. Disappointing.
Irresistible All Butter Pastry Six Luxury Mince Pies £2, the Co-op
They say: All butter pastry filled with mincemeat made with sultanas, Bramley apple, currants, mixed spice, brandy and port.
We say: Pretty star pattern and golden colour. Well filled, moist and nice pastry. We could taste the booze but not the spice. Pastry not crisp enough, nice filling though.
Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies, Pack of Six £2, Sainsbury’s
They say: Our all butter mince pies are packed with a festive blend of luscious fruit, aromatic peel and warming spices, infused with a generous nip of brandy. We say: A golden, fresh-out-of-the-oven colour. Buttery, crisp pastry and a delicious filling. A solid offering.
Vegan Sweet Mince Pies 6 for £1.75, or 50p each, Greggs
They say: Baked in shop, our deliciously crumbly shortcrust pastry is filled with a sweet mincemeat, made with vine fruits, Bramley apple and candied orange and lemon peel – YUM! And the best thing? They’re vegan friendly.
We say: They taste just how a mince pie should. A perfect balance of pastry and filling, and pastry was lovely and crumbly without collapsing. A good size too with a fruity, moist filling. A real taste of Christmas.
Specially Selected Six Classic Mince Pies £1.35, Aldi
They say: All butter pastry with mincemeat filled with Turkish sultanas, raisins and tangy cranberries, infused with spices and a dash of brandy.
We say: Very pretty looking offering, with a rustic star-shaped pastry lid. The short crust pastry was nice and crumbly, in terms of texture, but a little bit bland. Each one was well filled and you could really taste the currants. A good boozy kick. Great value too.
6 Mince Pies 87p, Asda
They say: Juicy raisins, festive spices and crumbly pastry...
We say: A light golden brown with a North Star motif and packed with plump filling. But they were bland and the pastry stuck to our teeth. A bit boring.
Deluxe Six All Butter Mince Pies £1.35, Lidl
They say: All butter shortcrust pastry cases, deep filled with lightly spiced mincemeat, laced with cognac.
We say: Quite a good size with a deep filling. Pastry was a bit soft with not much flavour and a touch greasy. A fairly bland filling.
Finest Six All Butter Crumble Deep Filled Mince Pies with Courvoisier® VS Cognac £2, Tesco
They say: Packed with a delicious mix of plump vine fruits, Napoleon glacé cherries, festive spices and Italian citrus peel. Infused with French brandy and port.
We say: A thick crumbly top and shallow filling meant it was more like a biscuit than a pie, but we loved them.