9/10 Archives | Mince Pie Reviews

Co-op Irresistible Butter-Enriched Deep Filled Mince Pie Review 2019

November 18, 2019November 18, 2019Mince Pie Reviews2019, 9/10, Co-op, StandardLeave a Reply

Overall rating: 9/10

Review: The winner from 2017 returns triumphantly. Another great mince pie from Co-op.

The biscuity pastry is sweet and crumbly – but not too crumbly. Inside this towering beast of a mince pie is a lovely, rich, fruity and spiced mincemeat. A great mix of actual whole fruits and mincemeat paste. A generous filling too – not quite to the top, which is a good thing because it’s a big eat already! This one has brandy & port but not in huge amounts, just enough to give it hint. A sprinkling of coarse sugar on top finishes this pie off perfectly. These only come in packs of two, but get a few in for Christmas as they’re sure to be somewhere close to the best of the best in 2019.

See more mince pie reviews or see the mince pie leaderboard.

Aldi Specially Selected Sloe Gin Mince Tart Review 2018

November 30, 2018Mince Pie Reviews2018, 9/10, Aldi (Specially Selected), FancyLeave a Reply

Overall rating: 9/10

Review: They may have dropped the ball with the salted caramel mince pie (4/10), but this sloe gin mince ‘tart’ is amazing.

It’s not really a mince pie, you can tell that by the name, but if you want something a bit different for Christmas – this could be the one.

There’s a hint of sweet mincemeat in there, a light hint of sloe gin – and the rest is great too – the pastry is soft and the glaze on top is sweet. A sprinkle of almonds on top finishes things off.

Really impressive Aldi. Some of my favourite this year for sure.

Co-op Irresistible All Butter Pastry Deep Filled Mince Pie Review 2018

November 27, 2018Mince Pie Reviews2018, 9/10, Co-op, Standard1 Reply

Overall rating: 9/10

Review: The King is dead, long live the King. So very close from Co-op…last year’s 10/10 mince pie has slipped one point to 9/10. It’s just not as good as the ASDA Extra Special deep filled pie.

The pie pastry is still sweet and biscuit-like but it’s too thick. So very slightly too thick. It’s a bit of a task to chomp through the (not so) little bugger. The mincemeat is sweat and full of whole fruity bits – it’s sweat and has a hint of brandy to it. But the taste of the mincemeat isn’t as good as the ASDA pie.

That’s not to say this isn’t nice – it’s a really great mince pie…it’s just not a 10 anymore. Maybe next year Co-op.

Sainsbury’s Mince Pie Flavour Cookies Review 2018

November 10, 2018Mince Pie Reviews2018, 9/10, Alternate, Sainsburys (Taste the Difference)Leave a Reply

Overall rating: 9/10

Review: This is a first for me – a cookie with mince pie flavour. And it’s good, really good.

The cookies are just what you’d want in consistency – firm enough to hold but nice and soft when you bite into them.

I know you’re only interested to hear about the taste though – and they do taste like mince pies. They’re full of sultanas and raisins which does help – and if I’m being honest you do get a little hint of them being ‘gingerbread-y’. But overall, in this alternate category, they’re the clear winner.

Aldi Specially Selected ‘Exquisite’ Mince Pie Review

December 4, 2017December 4, 2017Mince Pie Reviews2017, 9/10, Aldi (Specially Selected)Leave a Reply

Overall Rating: 9/10

It’s clear there’s two camps in the mince pie market. There’s those happy to be the workhorse of mid to late December, bought in their dozens and eaten just as swiftly. At home cold on a plate, with brandy butter or warm with ice cream. Then there’s the upper class, the equivalent to the ‘nice china’ that you only get out for special occasions. This mince pie is the latter. And it’s amazing.

Disclaimer: if you don’t like almonds you won’t like this one.

These six handcrafted mince pies from Aldi have a frangipane topping – really nice to bite into, plenty of flavour and sweet. Might be a tiny bit too thick – should have slightly more mincemeat in my opinion. Why? Because the mincemeat is rich with brandy – more so than the other ‘boozy’ options available but still not overpowering. Full of juicy spiced fruit as well!

And finally the pastry – pretty much tastes homemade, like the ones a grandparent used to make. Flaky and crumbly but holds it’s shape.

If this didn’t have almonds on and the frangipane was slightly less deep…it would’ve had 10/10. Buy some of these to bring out and impress.

Lidl (Favorina) Mince Pie Review

November 6, 2017Mince Pie Reviews2017, 9/10, Lidl (Favorina)Leave a Reply

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.

The mincemeat is tasty, sweet and contains plenty of full fruit – not a blended paste like some this year.

Considering the price (£1.59 for 12) and that these are a ‘standard’ pie – not Specially Selected or Extra Special – this is a triumph.

It’s official, the ‘budget’ supermarkets rule the mince pie roost in 2017.

Aldi ‘Specially Selected’ Cognac Steeped Mince Pie Review

October 21, 2017October 21, 2017Mince Pie Reviews2017, 9/10, Aldi (Specially Selected)Leave a Reply

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’ in my opinion. But it does give it that specially selected feeling and it’s pretty festive too. The pie has a pastry snowflake on top with gives it another point of difference, a little sprinkle of sugar to top it off as well.

The pastry is as it was last time out – pretty near perfect. Crumbles just enough but not so much that it’s annoying. The mincemeat is coarse but nicely so – it’s not a paste like some pies seem to go for, you can see the individual fruits.

A lovely mince pie from Aldi again in 2017, can this be number 1 this year?