Which? reveals its pick of the best supermarket luxury mince pies

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Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Which? reveals its pick of the best supermarket luxury mince pies” was written by Patrick Collinson, for theguardian.com on Thursday 21st November 2019 00.01 UTC

This year’s best mince pies are from Marks & Spencer, according to baking experts at Which?, with Iceland the much cheaper runner-up.

The panel blind-tested 11 supermarket premium mince pies to uncover the most delicious, as well as the blandest, wettest and least appetising.

The best buy went to M&S Collection Mince Pies, priced at £2.50 for six. Which? experts said they had a “quintessentially Christmassy aroma”, praising the “golden, buttery pastry” and the “boozy, fruity mincemeat” and describing them as attractive-looking pies.

Steer clear of Spar, whose luxury pies were judged by Which? to be bland and under-baked, while the “overly sweet” filling was too wet and lacked spice.

Iceland, perhaps better-known for its prawn rings and value-for-money frozen burgers, was the surprise runner-up. The tasters liked the star decoration, which partly exposed the “juicy” mincemeat underneath, but some experts said the filling lacked spice. Iceland Luxury Mince Pies sell for £1.89 for a packet of six – 25% cheaper than the M&S equivalent.

The other budget option that scored well were Asda’s Extra Special All-Butter Luxury Mince Pies – at £1.50 a box, one of the cheapest in the test – which impressed with its “moist, well-flavoured” mincemeat, although the pastry was found to be pale and a little dry.

Waitrose’s pies were jointly the most expensive with M&S but were the biggest let down. Which? said its No 1 All-Butter Mince Pies (£2.50 for six) looked appetising but the mincemeat disappointed, with one expert describing it as claggy.

But the supermarket scored better with its own-brand champagne, which was named last week by Which? as its Christmas best buy, tasting better than established brands Piper-Heidsieck and Veuve Clicquot.

Taste test – winners and losers

The winning pies combined buttery pastry with fruity mincemeat
Tesco’s offering came in fifth place. Photograph: Tesco

1. M&S Collection Mince Pies £2.50

2. Iceland Luxury Mince Pies £1.89

3. Asda Extra Special All Butter Luxury Mince Pies £1.50

4. Waitrose No. 1 All Butter Mince Pies £2.50

5. Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies £1.35

6. Tesco Finest Mince Pies £1.75

7. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies £2

8. Lidl Deluxe Luxury Mince Pies £1.79

9. Co-op Irresistible Luxury Mince Pies £2

10. Morrisons The Best All Butter Deep Filled Mince Pies £2

11. Spar Luxury All Butter Mince Pies £2

Source: rankings according to the Which? mince pie expert panel: Patrick Moore, the Artisan Bakery, Rebecca Levell, Hobbs House Bakery, Aidan Chapman, Bread Ahead and James Adams chef and restaurant food consultant)

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