Tried and tested: the best mince pies of 2017

We compared eight supermarket mince pies to see which one came out on top.

Christmas just isn’t complete without a crumbly and fruity mince pie straight from the oven. But if you’re not making your own, which ones should you buy? We recruited twenty testers to review eight of the biggest brands on the market. They didn’t hold back. From worst to best, this was their final ranking.

7. Asda

“All filler no killer” was perhaps the most damning review of Asda’s Extra Special mince pies. Our testers liked their star design, but found the pastry too stodgy and the filling sour and bitter.

Rating: 1/5

6. Lidl

These certainly won’t knock your (Christmas) socks off. A sticky, dry filling and heavy, chewy pastry put our testers off these ‘deluxe’ mince pies laced with cognac. “I like to chew it, chew it”, read one review.

Rating: 1.5/5

5. Sainsbury’s

Sadly we couldn’t taste the difference with Sainsbury's all-butter mince pies. While we liked the well-filled, crumbly pastry and the fruity, boozy mincemeat, overall our testers felt they were a “middle of the road” mince pie rather than a standout.

Rating: 2.5/5

4= Co-op

Our testers reckoned the Co-op’s luxury mince pies had a “lot of pastry and not a lot of love”. On the plus side, we could taste the brandy and found the mincemeat rich, juicy and pleasantly flavoured.

Rating: 3/5

4= Tesco

While we were “suckers for the pretty design”, Tesco’s Finest mince pies didn’t measure up on taste. The filling to pastry ratio was disappointing and the mincemeat erred on the side of nutty rather than fruity.

Rating: 3/5

3. Waitrose

Waitrose just edged into the top three with their delicately-spiced mince pies. Our testers thought their filling had just the right amount of sweetness and loved the thin, crumbly pastry.

Rating: 3.5/5

2. Aldi

“A good spice level, lots of filling and crumbly pastry” sums up our testers thoughts about Aldi’s cognac-steeped offering. A citrusy hit from the “well-blended” fruit filling cinched these mince pies the second-place spot.

Rating: 4/5

1. M&S

This year’s mince pie crown goes to M&S for their “small but mighty” mince pies, which some testers even thought tasted homemade. We found the buttery pastry generously filled and boldly flavoured with hints of orange, spices and brandy.

Rating: 4.5/5