All posts by Will O'Hara

Overall Rating: 8/10 The mighty M&S strides into battle. This isn’t their ‘extra special’ pie – it’s a standard pie, but expectations are still high… The mincemeat is the star here, just sweet enough with some lovely plump fruit too. Just how a mince pie should taste in my opinion. The pastry is nice and… Read More

Overall Rating: 6/10 A fairly forgettable mince pie. The pastry is grainy and a bit too crumbly with an unpleasant aftertaste. The mincemeat lacks flavour and sweetness. Sorry Morrison’s. Not wasting any more time on this one. Avoid.

Overall Rating: 9/10 I missed out on the Lidl mince pie last year, something that makes me wince having just tasted the class of 2017. What they’ve produced is a a really well filled pie, with a lovely pastry – just crumbly & sweet enough – and a superb sprinkle of fine sugar on top.… Read More

Overall rating: 5/10 When you consider the quality, taste and texture of the Aldi Cognac-steeped mince pie I reviewed a week or so ago, I was expecting similar levels of greatness from their standard range. I was wrong. Overall the mince pie is too dry, mainly thanks to a disappointing shortcrust. The mincemeat itself has… Read More

Overall rating: 9 out of 10 Tasting Notes: This was one of my absolute favourites of recent years – I think I got through three packs easily in 2016. Aldi’s ‘fancy’ mince pie is here. Whilst Cognac ‘steeped’ might be a bit of an exaggeration, that’s not bad thing. More ‘with a hint of Cognac’… Read More

Overall score: 8 out of 10 Being wider and shallower than the traditional mince pie gives no particular advantage to the Co-op Shortcrust offering. While eating it I did think it felt a little ‘mean’ but then you realise it’s wider so it balances out. Not sure why they’ve gone for this form factor. Onto… Read More

Overall Score: 7.5/10 Tasting Notes: In a departure from the traditional mince pie, a nice layer of sweet white icing adds a Christmas cake feel athough it does look a little stark next to a standard mince pie. Maybe an icing holly leaf would’ve made these feel more special? They have a good pastry (which you’d… Read More

Overall Score: 8/10 Tasting Notes: This is a really nice mince pie. The mincemeat has a good flavour and a smooth texture, it’s on the more moist side. Nice bit of sugar on top and good sweet pastry. No more needed. Buy it – cracker!

Overall Score: 7.5 out of 10 Tasting Notes: A very decent mince pie. A slightly firmer, less moist filling with a sweet taste. Not an overly spiced mincemeat, a firm but crumbly pastry with a good amount of sugar on top too. No issues with this one, a solid choice for the mainstream.