This is the second year running the King household has tackled the mammoth task of testing, tasting and reviewing the best and worst mince pies Britain’s supermarkets have to offer.
We learned our lesson in 2023 - there are only so many pies one man and his wife can eat.
So this year, we pressganged the wider family into the fun to give our most thorough pie tasting notes yet.
Most of the brands offer a classic mince pie and something with a twist (often an unwelcome one). What were we testing for? Buttery pastry, generous filling of mincemeat, and a good balance between the two.
All these pies were tasted and considered at room temperature, though can be served warm with a glass of something suitably boozy. Here are the results.
These deep-filled and attractive pies were not too sweet and certainly boasted the crumbly, buttery pastry a mince pie fan yearns for.
In fact, there is too much of that tasty pastry and the filling is somewhat lost. 3/5
Mincemeat here is delicious and the flavour comes through just as you would want it to.
Topped with an attractive star of crumbly butter pastry, we would certainly recommend nabbing one of Lidl’s little treats at any festive occasion this year. 4/5
Find out more about these mince pies here.
Here’s where things got spicy - or rather, didn’t.
Waitrose entry level classic mince pie has less pastry than its rivals, and a little less mincemeat.
The result is that the ratio between the two is better, but otherwise this pie was described by the family as “weak”, “watery” and “meaningless”.
The thin lid could not hide this multitude of sins. 1/5
Average. Good pastry. Slightly better than average filling.
This is, simply put, the standard mince pie.
Just as you would expect from our biggest supermarket. Par. Average. Not exceptional but not bad. 3/5
Perhaps this beloved brand should have stuck to what they do best, mainstream produce. Because this Finest offering is anything but.
The pastry was floury to the point that one taster asked “has this even been cooked?”
Not only that, but there was too much pastry, and to nab a phrase usually spoken by whisky connoisseurs, the mouth-feel was poor. 1/5
Aesthetically, this is the best pie of the whole menagerie. But that is all we have to say in the way of positives - the pastry itself is similar to the classic Tesco Finest offering, floury, and the filling of these is nearly inedibly bad.
Not a popular choice among the family. A true triumph of style over any substance. 0/5
Good pastry envelopes a decent flavoured mincemeat here.
It is really clear that this is proper butter pastry, but there is a tad too much of it and as a result this ends up being an average pie. 3/5
Brilliant. No notes. Well, not many. Straighter sides means deeper, more generously filled pies.
Which is a good thing because the mincemeat is among the best of any of the treats with a lovely orange tang.
A triumph, topped with short buttery pastry. 5/5
Frankly, this is not a mince pie. Tasty? Yes. Probably a bit too sweet.
But you would be very disappointed if you asked for a mince pie and received these.
Crumble top is, however, delicious. 2/5
Find out more about these mince pies here.
Nowhere near enough filling to be considered a mince pie, and once again too sweet.
What is it about this ‘pies with a twist’ that sweetness is seen as superior?
Crumble topping is a winner though. 2/5
Find out more about these mince pies here.
If this was sold and presented as a frangipane tart, it is a stone-colder five out of five.
But it’s supposed to be a mince pie. Well, allegedly. 1/5
Another pie, this time from the most upmarket store, embracing the crumble-topped pie concept.
To its credit, the orange flavour is tasty, and this is improved from the similar product in 2023.
Well, the reaction certainly was. 3/5
Weird. Simply put, the pastry is weird.
If you want a ‘not a mince pie’ frangipane tartlet, you’d be better plumping for Waitrose. 2/5
It’s not very clear where the brown butter flavour is even supposed to come from because the booze is overpowering - “it’s like drinking doubles in a nightclub”.
Now that may appeal to you, in which case, this rum pie is the choice for you, but it was not a winner in the King house. 0/5
