For many younger Britons, the humble mince pie is a festive tradition they believe they dislike. However, food writer Felicity Cloake argues this is often because they've never tasted a truly good one—a homemade version with crumbly, buttery pastry and plump fruit. Yet, with mince pies so ingrained in Christmas culture, some retailers arguably prioritise price and shelf life over quality, leading to disappointing, sour-filled offerings that can mar the season.
Determined to find the best of the high-street bunch, Cloake teamed up with professional baker Benjamina Ebuehi for a rigorous blind taste test. Their mission: to hunt down pies with crisp, golden pastry and a genuinely fruity, well-spiced filling, giving fair consideration to any innovations along the way.
The Top Tier: Best Overall and Best Bargain
The clear winner, earning the title of best overall and best bargain, was Mr Kipling's Signature All Butter Mince Pies. Priced at just 97p for two from Asda (49p each), these pies impressed both testers.
Benjamina Ebuehi noted their wider, shallower shape, which she felt was a positive, preventing them from being overly stodgy. She praised the well-baked pastry for having "one of the most appealing colours" in the test, though she detected a touch too much apple in the filling. Felicity Cloake was equally complimentary, highlighting the attractive colour, crisp pastry, and a filling with a pleasant citrussy note, gentle booziness, and a good chunky texture. Both awarded them a solid four stars.
The Middle of the Pack: Hits and Misses
The test revealed a mixed bag in the mid-range. Sainsbury's Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies (£3.50 for six) were deemed pretty but pale, with an artificial buttery flavour and a pasty filling texture, earning three stars.
Morrisons The Best Signature Collection pies (£2 for two) were described as "arrestingly, troublingly large" by Cloake. Their very deep design and sugar-dusted top divided opinion. While the thick pastry had good colour, the filling was deemed too gloopy, making them better suited to being served warm with custard than eaten straight from the packet.
Other notable entries included M&S Collection All Butter Mince Pies (£4 for six), which were praised for their prettiness and brandy flavour but criticised for being small and overly acidic. Tesco Finest All Butter Mince Pies (£3 for six) had a disappointingly floury, underbaked pastry but a decent filling, while Waitrose All Butter Mince Pies (38p each) featured buttery pastry let down by a bland, artificial-tasting filling.
The Bottom of the Pie Tin: The Festive Failures
Several contenders fell seriously short of the mark. Asda's Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies (24p each) were branded "the least attractive of them all," looking underbaked and overflowing with filling, though the chunky fruit was a minor saving grace.
Co-op Irresistible All Butter Mince Pies (54p each) had a odd, dusty pastry that dried out the mouth, paired with an overly sweet filling.
The discount supermarkets fared particularly poorly. Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies (25p each) were criticised for thick, sandy, underbaked pastry and a sharp, gloopy filling heavy on citric acid. Cloake memorably described it as "like a malevolent festive Jammie Dodger."
However, the title of worst pie unanimously went to Lidl Deluxe All Butter Mince Pies (25p each). Ebuehi detected an "overwhelmingly artificial taste" and a thick, pasty filling, awarding them zero stars. Cloake noted a decent peppery spice but was put off by the soft, floury pastry and an aggressively citrussy tang in the filling.
The verdict is clear: while a perfect, homemade mince pie is hard to beat, a good supermarket option does exist. For a balance of quality, flavour, and value this Christmas, the experts point you towards Mr Kipling. But steer well clear of the bottom-ranked offerings unless you fancy a festive disappointment.
