It seems that for every holiday there is a much loved holiday pie that i cannot eat. For Thanksgiving it's pumpkin pie. For Christmas it the much beloved mince pie. On paper I should really love a mince pie after all it's loaded with cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, brandy and spice. My aversion comes from the fact that the whole pie is centered around raisins and sultanas. Those little wrinkly dried fruits push my gag-factor to the limit.
Now you are probably wondering why I'm spending my time writing about gag inducing mince pies? Well in my household the search for the perfect mince pie is akin to searching for the perfect little black dress for the holiday party season. We spend weeks going from shop to shop, buying their best mince pie in the hopes of finding the perfect little pies to consume over the holiday season. You can't be hasty in the search for the perfect pie and assume that the best pie from last year will be the best pie again this year.
My personal mince pie expert Christian will do the duties as a guest judge. Christian has an opinion on everything, especially mince pies; their merits and shortfalls.
Christian's mince pie expedition has taken him to sample pies from Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys, Fortnum & Mason, Mr Kipplings, Asda, and Tesco.
Mr Kipling's Exceedingly Merry Mince Pies
£1.49 for 6 (Found them on special offer for £1 for 6) Available nationwide
They Say: 'Santa's Favourite. Butter enriched pastry with a mincemeat filling baked with a sprinkling of sugar.'
Christian Says: 'Considering that I love most of Mr Kipling's cakes and pies, these mince pies were an abomination. The pastry crumbled like wet sand that put me off eating the rest of the pie. I managed to bin a whole package. Exceedingly Merry? No Exceedingly dissapointing!' Rating: 0/10
M&S Connoisseur 6 All Butter Pastry Deep Filled Mince Pie.
£2.99 for 6 Available Nationwide at M&S food.They Say: 'Delicious, Crisp, All butter pastry deep filled with a rich, fruity mincemeat made with fruits, nuts & lashings of brandy and port'
Christian Says: 'Pastry as the aroma and taste of sweet butter, unfortunately very crumbly. On the first bite you get a heady hit of the brandy and port, lashings indeed. The port and brandy really overpower any sort of spice or flavour of the filling. Great if you get you kick from brandy, not so great if you seek a balanced flavour' Rating: 3/10
Tesco Finest Deep Filled Mince Pies
£1.65 for 6 available nation wide and onlineThey Say: 'All butter shortcrust pastry filled with luxury mincemeat, containing juicy sultanas and currents, almonds, walnuts and laced with Courvoisier VS Cognac'
Christian Says: 'Pastry tastes of buttery shortbread, but on the dry side. I would hardly call them deep filled but the filling that is there is rather one dimensional, no real taste of the Courvoisier, just tastes sweet. This is not Tesco's finest moment' Rating: 5/10
Asda Rich Fruit Mince Pies
£1.00 for 12 Available Nationwide and onlineThey Say: 'Golden shortcrust pastry crammed with sweet, fruity mincemeat'
Christian Says: 'There is nothing exceptional about these pies, not overly buttery and the filling is perfectly acceptable. What makes them somewhat desirable is the price £1.00 for 12. The price point makes them perfect fodder for carolers that may come to your door or for the office Christmas party' Rating: 6/10
Fortnum & Mason Almond Mince Pies
£9.99 for 6 Available in London and Online
They Say: 'In the spirit of experimentation, we re-dressed our traditional mince pies with a crunchy, chewy almond lid. Each pie is made with crumbly, buttery pastry and filled with our own mincemeat; the almond topping just adds a little something extra.'
Christian Says: 'Luxury pies at their finest! Intoxicating almond sent that marries perfectly with the butter rich pasty, spiced filling heaving with fruit and a decent splosh of brandy. Only complaint was that they broke apart after one bite, not very practical for an elegant tea party. If money were no object I would rate these 10/10 for taste alone, but seeing that these are £1.65 per pie, they are not for everyday eating' Rating: 8/10
Sainsburys Taste The Difference Luxury Mince Pies
£1.99 for 6 Available Nationwide and Online
They Say: 'All butter pastry filled with sweet fruity mincemeat and a dash of brandy…it's Christmas in a pie'
Christian Says: 'Pastry is crisp but not dry and scented with the lovely fragrance of butter. The truly deep filling it a perfect balance of large fruit and spices with the perfect glug of brandy. Overall it's the perfect tasting pie for it's price. You can truly taste the difference to other supermarket mince pies' Rating: 9/10
