Just as soon as the last scraps of our Christmas pudding taste test were gone, it was time to put yet another festive favourite into the ring: mince pies. And we’ve never had such an unexpected loser…
Team loveFOOD is getting a bit podgy around the edges – we’ve made our way through 14 Christmas puddings already, and this week a selection of 14 different mince pies had our names on them. Competing against each other were pies from Sainsbury’s (all-butter); Morrisons; The Co-op (deep-filled); Asda (‘extra special’ brandy butter); Greggs; Lidl (Snowy Lodge); Waitrose (Duchy Original); Riverford; M&S (all-butter); Tesco Finest; Heston Blumenthal for Waitrose (puff pastry); chocolatier Paul A Young; Partridges; and Melrose & Morgan.
The pies were tasted cold (it proved too difficult to keep them all warm) with an optional side of cream, and our 14 willing volunteers had to pass judgement on each pie’s filling, pastry, and appearance, as well as give an overall score out of 10. So without further ado, here are the results, starting with a last-place shocker…
Last place – Heston’s puff pastry mince pies
Heston’s puffed pies come with a ‘pine sugar dusting’ and look more like sausage rolls than mince pies. We were flabbergasted to find that he came last, and by quite a margin – they scored 29% overall, which is over 10% lower than the next highest-scoring pie. It’s doubly astonishing, seeing as Heston’s other mince pie version (a shortcrust offering) actually won our mince pie taste test last year. Comments included ‘the filling is really boozy and the pastry doesn’t go’; ‘terrible all-round’; ‘the pastry is too savoury’; and ‘urgh, tastes like sausage’. Nobody much liked the appearance, either. Sorry Heston!
Price: £3.50 for 6
12th place – Greggs sweet mince pies
Greggs scored 43% for its pie, which the majority of our taste testers found far too sweet. The filling, pastry and appearance all scored poorly; comments included ‘tasted like flour and a bit uncooked’; ‘bit stingy on the mincemeat and overwhelmed by the pastry’; ‘neither here nor there’; and ‘nice, but strange fermenting aftertaste’. They were the cheapest pies in our taste test though, at 25p each.
Price: £1.50 for 6
11th place – Melrose & Morgan
Bit of a surprise this one, given that Melrose & Morgan fills its pies with an array of luxury ingredients and charges £7.50 for six. It scored 48% and comments include: ‘why is it so tangy?’; ‘I spat it out’; and ‘greasy’. But at least one person seemed to like it – ‘good deep filling, nice pastry, looks homemade’. It did generate some flattering remarks for presentation, scoring higher in this category than any other.
Price: £7.50 for 6
10th place – Tesco Finest
The Tesco Finest pies scored 52% and were criticised for being ‘too sticky’; ‘too boozy’; and sporting ‘uneventful pastry’. But some comments were flattering: ‘juicy filling’; ‘good amount of filling with a nice flavour’; ‘buttery, sugary and crumbly pastry’; and ‘the appearance is festive and has a nice edge’. So the jury’s out on Tesco.
Price: £2 for 6
Joint 9th place – Riverford and Asda Extra Special
We were quite surprised by the relatively low scores for both of these pies – Riverford’s are organic (which can sometimes improve the taste of a product), and the Asda Extra Special range is developed by Leiths, the legendary London school of food and wine. Nevertheless, both scored 55% – the Riverford pies were ‘overpowering with flavour’ and ‘overly sweet’, but also had ‘a good golden pastry’; and the Asda pies were criticised for being ‘far too boozy’, ‘cloggy’, and ‘nothing to get excited about’, but simultaneously praised for being ‘buttery and thick’.
Price: Riverford – £4.95 for 6; Asda – £2 for 6
8th place – Morrisons, all-butter
A sterling effort from what is a pretty cheap mince pie (33p each). Morrisons scores 56% and is loved more for its filling and appearance than its pastry. Comments include: ‘lovely flavour, packs quite a punch’; ‘powdery pastry which tastes of sweeteners’; ‘nice boozy hit’; and ‘the pastry’s a bit dry but it tastes good and looks traditional’.
Price: £2 for 6
7th place – M&S, all-butter
Perhaps the prettiest of all our mince pies (in my humble opinion), and beautifully packaged too. M&S nearly hits the 60s, with an overall score of 57%. The pastry was dismissed as ‘brittle’ and ‘a bit cloggy’, while other comments included ‘refreshing appearance – it doesn’t look like it’s made in a factory’; ‘nice, but needs more filling’; and ‘pretty to look at’. Certainly one worth trying, we think.
Price: £4 for 4
6th place – The Co-op, deep filled
Just edging ahead of M&S is The Co-op, which scores 58% for their deep filled mince pies. Scores were relatively generous, but the comments weren’t too flattering: ‘not very intense filling’; ‘basic looking, tasted cheap’; and ‘cloggy and too sweet’ were some of the worst. But they were also complimented for their ‘plump raisins’; ‘pleasant appearance’; and ‘sweet and perfect crumble’. They were the second cheapest pies in our taste test, at just 28p each.
Price: £1.65 for 6
5th place – Waitrose, Duchy Original
Our second batch of organic pies scored 59% – far higher than its Heston Blumenthal counterpart. Each Duchy pie was also 16p cheaper than the Heston variety. Comments included ‘the pastry is crumbly and buttery but a bit chewy’; ‘fairly unmemorable’; ‘pretty nice, but fake-looking’; and ‘quite standard, hard and crunchy’. Quite disappointing, for a pretty posh brand.
Price: £2.50 for 6
4th place – Partridges
Partridges holds a Royal Warrant, and is the Queen’s official grocer; so we could assume that these pies are the ones Her Majesty tucks into over the festive season. High expectations, then! They score 61% and comments include: ‘rustic-looking and super fruity’; ‘love the sweetness and crumbly pastry’; ‘nice, homemade look to them’; ‘juicy, sweet mincemeat’; and ‘generous in size’. In fact, the only negative comment was that the pastry ‘looked a bit pale’, so we’re quite surprised that these pies didn’t accumulate a higher overall score.
Price: £12 for 13
Bronze – Lidl, Snowy Lodge
At only 30p each, Lidl’s pies did exceptionally well to reach medal position. They scored 66% overall and received many flattering comments, including: ‘traditional with a twist of booze’; ‘they look great’; ‘pastry has a nice, neat decoration’; and ‘overall, a very pleasant pie’. There were criticisms around the pies being a touch too alcoholic, but some may consider that a bonus more than anything else.
Price: £1.79 for 6
Silver – Paul A Young, Brownie mince pies
Chocolatier Paul A Young’s unique mince pies were our surprise entry this year, and on the whole people loved his chocolatey take on a festive favourite (myself included). Basically, they’re made from a buttery sweet pastry shell, which is filled with port and brandy mincemeat and topped with chocolate fudge brownie. Hardly traditional, but nevertheless Paul A Young’s pies scored 71% and comments included: ‘delicious filling’; ‘wonderful take on a classic’; ‘this is the future of mince pies’; ‘love the plumpness of this one’; and ‘like the gold leaf on the top’. But it did divide opinion, with some suggesting that ‘by default it had to be disgusting’, and ‘it doesn’t look like a mince pie, how outrageous!’ Be prepared to cough up for these, though – they’re just shy of £2.50 each!
Price: £9.95 for 4
Gold – Sainsbury’s, Taste the Difference
Well I never. Sainsbury’s all-butter mince pies from their Taste the Difference range beat the Queen, Heston, and a professional chocolatier to the top spot this year. At just over 40p a ‘brandy rich’ pie, we’re mightily impressed by Sainsbury’s winning score of 74%. Comments included ‘lovely decorative top’; ‘great colour to the pastry’; ‘actually really interesting – they taste like they have strawberries inside!’; ‘like the holly sprig detail on top’; ‘very sweet and citrusy’; and ‘a good version of the classic’. The only criticism was about the pastry being ‘too sugary’. Congratulations, Sainsbury’s!
Price: £2.50 for 6
Have you tried any of the above pies yet? Where do you get your mince pies from usually? Or are you making your own this year? Talk to us in the comments box below.
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