Right then.
Next weekend will see me end my self-imposed seasonal mince pie embargo. December 1st will arrive and I’ll be marauding through as many as I can stomach.
This year’s brandy-soaked debauchery will be lent special significance, as I’ve been successfully avoiding cakes, sweets and biscuits (bar a couple of cheat days a month) for the majority of this year.
However, to ensure that I go into this properly prepared, I need the views of all you bold pioneers who have doubtless been balls-deep in all things pie since the 1st of September.
What are the best options out there?
m&s. customer brought some in earlier this week. gone in no time. ace.
Waitrose ones are lovely!
Waitrose ones are lovely!
Hmmm, the Waitrose puff pastry things are vile. Almost no filling, only pastry.
I’ve not found a really good one this year. I’ve tried M&S, Aldi and the aforementioned lumps of dough. I will dedicate myself to the quest though..
Morrisons The Best Black Forest Mince Pie Crumbles.
Strictly speaking, not actually a proper mince pie......
Morello cherry mincemeat and a cherry and Kirsch filling, in a butter-enriched chocolate pastry case, topped with all-butter chocolate chip crumble, finished with a sweet glittery dusting.
Delicious
Strictly speaking, not actually a proper mince pie……
My tolerances are very broad in this regard. If it's a mince pie, or even remotely mince pie adjacent, I'll eat it.
Assuming they're still in business at Christmas, Patisserie Valerie are the best I've had, and I have done extensive testing...
Aldi salted caramel mince pies, a tad light on filling, but taste ace.
You can have mine.
Mince pies are rotten
Unless its a pie with minced animal...
Aldi salted caramel mince pies, a tad light on filling, but taste ace.
Ditto
The only mince pies I've managed to find here in Spain are Mr. Kipling or Iceland. Better than nothing, but still 🙁
I worked at the dockyard in Plymouth for a while. Every meeting in December started with mincepie. Etiquette was to remove lid, add teaspoon of clotted cream, replace lid. Wallow in the warm glow of high sugar / high saturated fat festiveness.
The one thing I miss at christmas here in Sweden. Would any kind soul send me some? i can send a can of rotten fish in exchange?
I believe Asda won the blind tasting somewhere this year.
I make my own.
I'm normally happy with the Aldi deep filled ones. Haven't tried them yet this year though. And, as mentioed above, their salted caramel ones are lovely.
In the not-strictly-pie mincemeat related product catagory, I have just finished (over a couple of days) a pack of Sainsbury mince pie flavoured cookies. They were lovely too. I love this time of year but do tend to put on quite a few pounds each year.
I usually get the Tesco finest ones, they never top the taste tests but win for me. Have tried their spiced rum ones so far this year and they're not as good, will be giving the Aldi ones a go new time I go there.
Asda Extra Special come top of Which tests. Followed by Lidl Deluxe and Iceland Luxury (out of the oven tests, rather than eaten cold)
Lidl Deluxe or very good but I believe Morrirons also won a tase test.
Lidl 12 for £1.59 are excellent. Even better if you put them in the microwave one at a time for exactly ten secs.
Tried some Aldi sloe mince tarts this week. Could have more filling but what is there is pretty good and nice light pastry. Worth adding to your mince pie platters this Christmas and will be excellent covered in warm brandy cream...
Am I the only person in existence that doesn't really like mince pies?
A few years ago now I was sitting on the sofa watching Get me outta here or somethin' and the fair Mrs R bought me a mince pie.
Now this bad boy pretty much took up the whole of the desert bowl and if I'm honest I was a little put off. I wasn't sure I could plough through all that pastry.
So imagine my surprise when taking my first bite i found the lid of the pie to be made of sponge !! A lovely light and tasty sponge.
Get yourself to Costco a tray of a dozen is something silly like a fiver.
Good luck
We have the luxury / benefit of a Walkers shortbread shop on our High Street.
While it sells standard tartan shortbread tins by the barrowload, it also acts as the factory seconds outlet -- mince pies, Dundee Cake (eh), all manner of shortbread and fired biscuits -- ones that are over-cooked, under-weight and all the rest - including a bit bashed - get flogged off at pretty insane ticket price.
As above, I wait all year for Costco to release theirs.
We buy loads and freeze them
Am I the only person in existence that doesn’t really like mince pies?
Nope, some other utter wrong'un outed himself above.
However, I broadly support his views on minced animal pies.
I can't get out of my head the time my mum served up mince pies in custard. She'd mis-read / assumed the wrong kind of mince pies when taking them out the freezer. Yuk.
It did act as a suitable counter when she would ask me - every month - if I "still didn't like baked beans.." This was a bit rich since there's only about 5 foods I really can't stomach (marmalade, tea of most varieties, baked beans, and bananas, as well as the usual liver/offal foodstuffs) and her off-limits menu was a whole folder-full..
I don't like mince pies with crunchy bits in the filling, I don't like mince pies with a puff pastry (or any non-short-crust pastry lid really), I've never had a mince pie I've liked from a bakery (haven't tried many though) and always preferred supermarket ones over my gran's homemade ones (she'd turn over in her grave if she heard that :p )
A mate adds a mince pie to his porridge every morning during December. Looks vile, tastes really nice. (The pie n porridge, not my mate)
M&S won our Mince Pie tear down at work last year, the M&S Lattice topped ones in particular. Almost impossible to get afterwards. Special mention to the Heston ones from Waitrose. But they were £3.50 a box
Running it again in a few weeks.
Not started my testing yet, but saw this;
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/nov/15/asda-beats-waitrose-harrods-which-mince-pie-taste-test
Usually I will buy the Waitrose luxury mince in jars, then buy pastry separately and put together. Can fill then right up, and the Waitrose luxury mincemeat filling is lovely stuff!
Sainburys ecclefechan tarts, far superior to mince pies.
Morrisons The Best Black Forest Mince Pie Crumbles.
Strictly speaking, not actually a proper mince pie……
Morello cherry mincemeat and a cherry and Kirsch filling, in a butter-enriched chocolate pastry case, topped with all-butter chocolate chip crumble, finished with a sweet glittery dusting.
Delicious
waitrose do something similar with Heston’s name on them. Substitute vodka for the kirsch. £3 for six, delicious if somewhat crunchy
If you are anywhere near Derby, Croots Farm Shops own mince pies.
It's like the festive equivalent of having your dream bike delivered by your dream date. Naked. And up for it.
My search ended when I walked into eat near Hanover Square and tried one of their mince pies. https://eat.co.uk/our-menu/christmas-menu/christmas-treats/the-mince-pie_10001902.html
Even better if you put them in the microwave one at a time for exactly ten secs.
And put a gert dollop of clotted cream on top afterwards.
A mate adds a mince pie to his porridge every morning during December.
I am definitely going to try this.
What, no one makes their own? Robertson's filling, add winter ale, port, whiskey, Brandy, whatever floats yer boat, pastry, bake. Bit of icing sugar on top. Takes 20 minutes. The smell while they are in oven is killer. First one burns the tongue. If I make 24, it's a good day if 12 of the little buggers live long enough to get cool.
Aldi don't seem to be doing the magical almond-topped ones with a blob of marzipan in 'em
The silver lining is that this may actually be the cure of my T2 diabetes
I support your no mincers before December stance. To answer a question I'm surprised you needed to ask - Kipling obviously.
Special mention to the Heston ones from Waitrose. But they were £3.50 a box
I wasn't impressed by those didn't seem any better especially for the price.
Greggs.
Do any have chunchyish pastry like homemade ones? Or are they all that shit soft butter pastry or whatever it is?
Because I can murder about 20 homemade mince pies a day - but feel sick at the thought of eating more than one shop bought one.
Aldi don’t seem to be doing the magical almond-topped ones with a blob of marzipan in ’em
WHAT, the ones in the light blue box, not here this year?
Local fancy-pants-bakery ones then for me (Hobbs House), but sadly in US until 3rd Dec so will be 2 days behind in my quota (2min per day) so will have to catch up
Sainburys ecclefechan tarts, far superior to mince pies.
Holy sheeeit! He's right you know!. Grabbed a box last night, bloody crack cocaine those things, need to go back for more later on today....
If you’re a mince hater then Tesco finest rhubarb and stem ginger pies are a delight.
What, no one makes their own? Robertson’s filling, add winter ale, port, whiskey, Brandy, whatever floats yer boat, pastry, bake. Bit of icing sugar on top. Takes 20 minutes. The smell while they are in oven is killer. First one burns the tongue. If I make 24, it’s a good day if 12 of the little buggers live long enough to get cool.
I made my mincemeat last week, as per Delia Smith, just need to start assembling them into pies. Got about 2 kilos I think, should make a few tasty morsels 🙂
I actually had a tiny bit left over after filling my jars, and had it on a toasted bagel, was most delicious!
