2024 Mince Pie thre...
 

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2024 Mince Pie thread

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Not seen one yet and as I found a box of Tesco Finest Mulled & Fruity reduced from £3.50 to £1.25, they make a pretty good start - rich flavour, light pastry, melts in the mouth.

What you got/had?


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:25 pm
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I've just been making my own. Not the prettiest but very tasty 🙂

InCollage_20241125_145533168


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:28 pm
towpathman, whatyadoinsucka, joshvegas and 15 people reacted
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Madam has been baking a special with a frangipan top.

This is outrageously good to eat, washed down with a nip of whisky it is sublime


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:30 pm
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The Waitrose frangipane mince pies are pretty good


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:46 pm
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My wife usually makes these marzipan Mary Berry ones. They're lovely

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mincemeat_and_orange_21941


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:51 pm
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Walkers Ginger Mince Pies. A lovely added kick.


 
Posted : 25/11/2024 8:55 pm
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The best I've had so far are the deep filled in-store Morrisons bakery ones, 4 for £2. Lovely.

Aldi iced tops - very sweet but I like that.

I think I had Asda standard MPs which were adequate.

Sainsburys lemon crumble topped things, with a fruity filling which were little tarts masquerading as mince pies to try to catch out the unwary. Nice but not mince pies!


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 12:23 pm
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Not sure if they have changed since last year ( i havent indulged yet), but assuming they havent, Greggs get my vote!


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 12:40 pm
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I had the Sainsbury's short crust mince pies and was very disappointed, they were basically flat with hardly any filling whatsoever!


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 1:31 pm
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These are another favourite in our house - great for post-ride or post-walk recovery

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mincemeat-flapjacks


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 3:35 pm
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Not sure if they have changed since last year ( i havent indulged yet), but assuming they havent, Greggs get my vote!

I still like the Greggs pies but I'm not sure they are quite the same now they have vegan pastry. I've recently had a Co-op 2 pack that was £1.50, and Sainsbury's single pie from bakery section that is £1 both of which I prefer, so it's getting more expensive for me. Sorry I don't know exact name of them but generally I find the supermarked pies in boxed 6 packs best avoided (I call them factory pies) though their own brand short crusts usually ok.


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 4:01 pm
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Aldi frangipane mince pies are much of muchness, not very almondy and more 'sponge' than mincemeat, that said they far from terrible


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 4:01 pm
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Mrs g makes mincemeat (the process started a few weeks ago).  First batch being consumed now.  The fruity tanginess is unmatched by anything bought from a shop.


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 5:45 pm
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The best I’ve had so far are the deep filled in-store Morrisons bakery ones, 4 for £2. Lovely.

These get my vote too! Fortunately nobody else in the office shares my enthusiasm for dried fruit based products 🙂


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 6:10 pm
IdleJon and IdleJon reacted
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not delved in yet, but spotted most are now are pack of 4 for like £1.50?! WTF


 
Posted : 26/11/2024 6:46 pm
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I’ve moved on to Sainsbury's Ecclefechan Tarts, just better.


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 7:52 am
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Shop bought mince pies are mostly pretty rank. There may be exceptions from some fancy shops but not the mainstream ones. Make your own. I should really make my own mincemeat though. Currently using the Aldi brandy mincemeat as my filling but I’m sure homemade stuff would be tastier.


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 9:12 am
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not delved in yet, but spotted most are now are pack of 4 for like £1.50?! WTF

is that a complaint or an appreciation of how cheap they are?


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 11:53 am
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Sainsbury's puff pastry mince pies from the bakery counter. Currently on offer at £1 for four. Not as nice as regular shortcrust, but they are vegan which may be of interest to some.


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 11:55 am
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normally i would be well in by now, but since I've started trying to do an anti-inflammatory diet I am biding my time before diving into the rich, sugary world of Xmas food.

The local posh bakery does them from mid December, usually £2 each or 3 for a fiver.  Pricey, like everything from there, but worth it.

My dad always makes some (very good - crumbly), and my MiL does an excellent mince pie too (flaky, makes her own mincemeat).  She's probably got a batch in the freezer already.

SimonDBarnes' efforts look great - you can't beat home made really. They might be 'not the prettiest' but you can already tell they'll taste better than any supermarket jobs.

God I love mince pies.


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 12:29 pm
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I’ve moved on to Sainsbury’s Ecclefechan Tarts, just better.

But they aren't mince pies.

Shop bought mince pies are mostly pretty rank. There may be exceptions from some fancy shops but not the mainstream ones. Make your own. I should really make my own mincemeat though. Currently using the Aldi brandy mincemeat as my filling but I’m sure homemade stuff would be tastier.

It's not difficult to make good mince pies of your own, but most people can't make a range of different pastries to put the (always) shop bought filling in. So first, unless you buy from a shop you get no variety; second, you're not really making much if you're only bashing some pastry together and spooning in cheap mince-meat from a jar; three, I take exception to shop bought mince pies being 'rank' because they are very obviously not. It is a yearly mission for some of us and we'll get angry if you suggest that we're wasting our lives while increasing our waistbands.

Anyway, on more serious business, I've just had a Greggs one. Pastry was ok, filling too runny and tangy but not fruity enough. 6/10

Rank! Huh! <wanders off in distress>


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 12:32 pm
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@ELShalimo - deffo a moan. I swear £1.50 would get me 6 not long ago!


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 6:11 pm
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Yeah but it would have been 6 dodgy ones

😉


 
Posted : 27/11/2024 6:12 pm
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So up to press we've had a pack of Mr Kipling, which were exactly as you think they are. A pack of Lidl special ones, what ever they're called. They were nice, pastry was good and plenty of filling, but too much dusty stuff. Got bloody everywhere.

Then my wife came back from the co-op this evening with a pack of what can only be described as, a ****ing abomination! I mean, don't get me wrong I'll have a second to make sure, but they're NOT mince pies. No wonder they were in the whoops bit.

PXL_20241128_202212497


 
Posted : 28/11/2024 8:41 pm
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Hot mince pie, blob of ice cream on top. Washed down with a swig of Moët

My overriding memory of last year's Christmas dinner

By christ it tasted good


 
Posted : 28/11/2024 9:10 pm