Review: Tesco have had a good showing with their “Finest” range over the last few years – 8/10 in 2019 and 8.5/10 in 2020. So how will these fair?
The last two years have seen a brand name cognac (Courvoisier) listed on the box. That’s been dropped for 2021 with a fall back of “with brandy and port”. But does that matter? I’m not sure anyone’s palate is good enough to distinguish between port, brandy and cognac in a mince pie – and all that really matters is that you still get a nice kick from it. And you do.
The mincemeat is sweet and full of plump fruits – and a very generous fill right to the top of the pie too. That’s something you still find lacking in many mince pies and would be a solid reason to mark down.
The pastry is a good consistency as well, a nice crumble but maybe a touch too soft in places. The top is pretty fancy, they’ve stuck with a snowflake design but it’s bigger than the previous two years and has more sugar on top as well. These are very moreish, in fact I ate all 6 over 3 days which must be a good sign.
For those reasons, it’s a very healthy score of 8.8/10 for the Tesco Finest All Butter mince pie. A good start to 2021’s tasting season
Cost: 29p each (£1.79 for 6)
Overall Rating: 8.8/10
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