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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.

 

 

 

Overall rating: 10/10

Review: It took me longer to find a 10 last year, I think we were well into December, but ASDA have sneaked up on me this time and created a beauty.

These come in a pack of 4 and bear a striking resemblance to the Co-op pies that scored 10/10 in 2017 (although they only came in a meagre 2 pack!).

First impressions are that they’re really deep – huge in fact (I think an inch deep). And the pastry is short, sweet and almost biscuit-like, all without being too dry and crumbly. A hard task indeed. The mincemeat is great too – still coarse but moist too with lots of tasty fruit and a good swig of brandy as well.

All topped with a light sprinkle of icing sugar. What a great mince pie ASDA, well done!

These will be in the house at Christmas – guaranteed.

 

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.

 

Overall rating: 4/10

Review: This probably sounded like a good idea in a product development meeting. It’s not. They’re neither a mince pie, nor salted caramel. It’s a horrible mix of the two that I would urge you to avoid. It’s easy to get carried away on the salted caramel bandwagon…Aldi need to get off. The pastry is terribly pale too…insult to injury.

 

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Review: Blimey. This is a cracker.

Remember the Co-op 10/10 from 2017? This is the closest I’ve found in 2018. Surprised to find it at Lidl to be honest – the box hides the delights inside, that could be improved for next year TBH (but it doesn’t matter at all on the taste front).

They’ve got a lovely pastry – solid enough to hold but still a great crumble, nicely sweet too. This has been the downfall of so many this year so far.

Mincemeat is great as well – it’s full of spiced fruit – not too wet, not too dry – and nicely tinged with cognac that makes itself known, but doesn’t overpower. Overall it’s sweet and fruity with a near-perfect pastry. It’ll take some beating.

 

Overall rating: 8/10

Review: Lidl is coming on strong in 2018 and their standard mince pie is a great little offering. So much value here too – it’s a pack of 12, not 6!

Nice shortcrust pasty on this one, sweet and just a nice bit of crumble. The mincemeat is really nice too – may be very slightly too ‘wet’ bit it has a lovely taste and plenty of fruit.

If you’re looking for a ‘volume’ pie – if you maybe have a load of visitors due over the Xmas period – then this is a great option. Bravo Lidl.

 

 

 

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Review: I’m not sure if it says more about this mince pie, or the Taste the Difference pie – but this 7.5/10 score is decent.

A nice pastry, maybe slightly soggy on the bottom, but forgivable at this price point. The mincemeat is quite standard but tasty – all the right things in the right place. Higher marks would’ve been achieved by a firmer mincemeat – slightly more filling and a sweeter pastry with no soggy bottom. A decent pie to bring out on Boxing Day.

 

 

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.

 

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Review: Whilst being one of the most impressive looking mince pies of the season, the Sainsbury’s flagship pie falls flat.

Probably a matter of form over function – and that probably works for them. Most people aren’t opening their 10th box of mince pies on November 9th…they go to their supermarket of choice and pick a fancy box. Don’t…well not if you shop at Sainsbury’s.

This pie isn’t terrible – but as this is their pricey offering it needs to be better. The filling is the main culprit. The after taste is almost chemical…it’s odd, I can’t put my finger on it but I don’t like it. The pastry is far too smooth and pale – verging on undercooked. Not one I’d be happy to see on a plate at Xmas.

 

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Review: There must only be a few places in the UK that supply nationwide food retailers with mince pies – and I wonder if Aldi and Tesco have switched suppliers this year? This cognac laced, deep filled finest mince pie is really good – let down only slightly by pastry that could be a tiny bit crumblier – a touch on the soft side. Last year Aldi’s specially selected pie was one of the top picks – and Tesco have managed to leapfrog them with a very solid 8.5/10 for this pie. You can definitely get a nice hit of the VS cognac and the mincemeat tastes expensive too. It looks nice and festive and I’m sure guests would be suitably impressed if you served these up over the Christmas period. I expect these to be the pick of the Tesco pies this year.