Good Housekeeping Institute all butter mince pies, plus some cheaper Iceland mince pies. Purely for scientific reasons, to allow a quality cross check

Now cross checked, and (“all butter” pedantry aside) I should have bought more of the GHI pies. The Iceland ones are pretty crap – the case isn’t too bad, but the filling is too liquid, and needs a bit more acid to overcome the cloying sweetness.

BUT, a recent trip to York saw me having a munch in Bettys. Having taken a box of their 12 mixed variety back home my world was rocked, their’s a new kid in my mince pie town, I reckon I could smash the full box in 2 sittings. £14 for 12 mincers? I’d pay double!

This got me curious. Would love to go to Betty’s for tea but too far really. But just in case, thought I’d check for mince pie access online, and hey presto!

Betty’s Mince Pies

Definitely not the things that my daughter produced in her cookery class this week. Gluten free pastry, slightly burnt, with a layer of charred mince, and no lid. I’m only eating them out of loyalty to her. She’s projected to get a grade B next year – god help the hospitality industry if she cooks professionally!

Definitely not the things that my daughter produced in her cookery class this week. Gluten free pastry, slightly burnt, with a layer of charred mince, and no lid. I’m only eating them out of loyalty to her. She’s projected to get a grade B next year – god help the hospitality industry if she cooks professionally!

A great antidote to all the proud parent posts on here