Mince Pie Reviews

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Overall Rating: 6/10

Oh dear Co-op. Such fancy packaging, such a lovely name. Yet such a poor mince pie.

Nothing much to shout about here I’m afraid folks. Pastry is just ‘claggy’ – stuck in my teeth for a minute or so after I’d finished the damn thing. Mincemeat tastes of nothing. I’ve got so many better things to do than eat a bad mince pie then write a few hundred words about it. So I’m done. Avoid. You can do better, for less.

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Overall Rating: 8/10

To some a puff pastry mince pie is heresy. Certainly in my opinion you can get a very poor puff pastry mince pie. This is not one of those.

Maybe in my last post I portioned the mince pie market a little hastily – I think there’s three types. The workhorse, the very special and now the trick pie (I’d add icing topped pies alongside the puff pastry variety).

The puff pastry in this ‘pie’ is really great, silky yet with enough crunch to be a true puff pastry. A good shake of chunky sugar crystals on top and a really lovely mincemeat hidden inside. There’s enough mincemeat to make sure this isn’t too dry (as happened with the previously Review puff pastry pie) and not too much that it turns soggy.

If you want a ‘trick’ pie – something different but still really tasty, this is a good shout.

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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.

 

Overall Rating: 8/10

To some a puff pastry mince pie is heresy. Certainly in my opinion you can get a very poor puff pastry mince pie. This is not one of those.

Maybe in my last post I portioned the mince pie market a little hastily – I think there’s three types. The workhorse, the very special and now the trick pie (I’d add icing topped pies alongside the puff pastry variety).

The puff pastry in this ‘pie’ is really great, silky yet with enough crunch to be a true puff pastry. A good shake of chunky sugar crystals on top and a really lovely mincemeat hidden inside. There’s enough mincemeat to make sure this isn’t too dry (as happened with the previously Review puff pastry pie) and not too much that it turns soggy.

If you want a ‘trick’ pie – something different but still really tasty, this is a good shout.

 

Overall Rating: 10/10

Ladies and gentlemen, after weeks of looking, I’ve found a 10. And in the most unlikely place imaginable – amongst the terrible selection Co-op have managed to put out to date.

The pastry is a perfect mixture of crumbly, soft, sweet and firm. I’m not sure how they’ve done it, but they have.

The mincemeat is the best too – lovely full fruit, juicy and brandy-soaked (just the right amount of brandy) and the perfect amount to.

The top is sugary but crucially not too sweet. Again, not sure how they’ve done that.

This is a tall pie – it does say deep filled but lots of them say that and they disappoint. It’s 1 1/2 inches tall and flat on top – a real big eat. Only comes in a pack of two though – and I can’t work out why?! Maybe on some stores they sell them in 4? I’ll have to tweet Co-op and find out…watch this space.

Find these. Buy them. Goodnight.

 

Overall Rating: 6/10

Oh dear Co-op. Such fancy packaging, such a lovely name. Yet such a poor mince pie.

Nothing much to shout about here I’m afraid folks. Pastry is just ‘claggy’ – stuck in my teeth for a minute or so after I’d finished the damn thing. Mincemeat tastes of nothing. I’ve got so many better things to do than eat a bad mince pie then write a few hundred words about it. So I’m done. Avoid. You can do better, for less.

 

Overall Rating: 5/10

Bloody hell. If you thought the last Co-op Mince Pie was bad…this is worse.

It’s filled to the brim, but with a paste.

The pastry is…dismal.

Go and read about the lack of a deal Theresa May’s managed to get instead. You’ll be happier than me – cos I’ve just had to eat this mince pie…so you don’t have to.

 

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.

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Overall Rating: 7/10

Mr Kipling. The master of cakes and baking for what seems like forever. But, what are his mince pies like this year?

Pretty good actually. You expect a decent product from Mr K and he delivers, the overall experience is very pleasant. But, with that praise comes a slight tinge of criticism. I think he’s played it safe. The rest of the year he’s got the small cake and pie market pretty sewn up. He doesn’t need to fight tooth and nail for a slice of thispie (of the mince variety). So what does he do? Puts out a pie that pleases but doesn’t wow. Safe.

The pastry may be slightly on the dry and crumbly side and the mincemeat filling is a couple of degrees to ‘paste-like’. I think there’s some ‘blended mincemeat plus some whole fruits going on. It’s not very spiced or sweet but the flavour it does have is nice.

Decent sprinkle of sugar on the top and you have a solid 7/10 mince pie. Won’t disappoint, but if you want some ‘mmmmm’ at the table plump for one of the others.

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Overall Rating: 8/10

“How!?”, I hear you cry. “How can the standard Tesco pie score the same as the Finest?” You’re angry, it’s understandable. Calm down and read on mince pie lover…

I don’t take this ‘job’ lightly, nor do I ignore the costs or hierarchy that have become so entrenched in the UK mince pie market (surely the world’s most mature?) A ‘Finest’ or ‘Extra Special’ pie is judged more harshly than a standard pie. Simple. I expect more from them.

Back to the task at hand. This is a great little mince pie. Very slightly smaller than its Finest cousin, but the taste from the pastry is great. A definite buttery after taste. Probably not enough sugar on top and the star isn’t as fancy as the design on the Finest range. But that’s nit picking.

The mincemeat is almost indistinguishable from the Finest mince pie – which makes me wonder if only the pastry and size differ here?

The whole pie tastes great and I can see many families sitting round the TV demolishing multiple packs post Turkey et al. Nice work Tesco – a pie for the people in my book.