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

My wife usually makes these marzipan Mary Berry ones. They’re lovely

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

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!

I had the Sainsbury’s short crust mince pies and was very disappointed, they were basically flat with hardly any filling whatsoever!

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.

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.

not delved in yet, but spotted most are now are pack of 4 for like £1.50?! WTF

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.

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.

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>

Yeah but it would have been 6 dodgy ones

😉

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