Mince pie reviews

rick_chasey

The only mince pies worth eating so far are the frangipane mince pies from Saino's.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

The only mince pies worth eating so far are the frangipane mince pies from Saino's.

Disappointed, yet not surprised.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

The only mince pies worth eating so far are the frangipane mince pies from Saino's.

No, just no - anything that includes additions to the basics of pastry and mincemeat should be disqualified from this thread. Why can't things just be left simple these days? Besides, wasn't Frangipane a British gymnast a few years ago?

rick_chasey

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

The only mince pies worth eating so far are the frangipane mince pies from Saino's.

Disappointed, yet not surprised.

Which bit, the Frangipane mince pie or the shortening of Sainsbury's to sainos?

surrey_commuter

Pross said:

surrey_commuter said:

bianchi_dave said:

Another one to report -
M&S "Collection" (Black box of 6). Amazing for a pre packed pie, the best I've tasted in fact.
Shortcrust butter pastry to die for and the perfect amount of filling with plenty fruit present.
Tried them both warmed in microwave and cold. As above, 15s in the micro just made the shortcrust a bit too soft so not recommended.
Excellent (cold) at room temp though.
My highest rating was for Morrisons instore baked at 4.5. But these M&S ones are easily a 4 from me.
Can any mince pie really be a 5?? Nowhere to go after that!

well every day is a schoolday, I always thought short crust did not contain butter.

As somebody who is lactose intolerant I will be peering at the ingredients

You can make it without butter but it usually has it. I can't imagine it without to be honest as the butter gives it the taste.

My favourite are Waitrose Essential and have just checked and their short crust is dairy free. Happy days.

rick_chasey

FWIW Deepdish are terrible as the ratio of mince to pastry is all wrong.

Don't knock the frangipanes till you try them. They work well wit the mince and it's a softer, less tart experience all round. the mince takes the sweet edge off the frangipane. Excellent.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

pblakeney said:

rick_chasey said:

The only mince pies worth eating so far are the frangipane mince pies from Saino's.

Disappointed, yet not surprised.

Which bit, the Frangipane mince pie or the shortening of Sainsbury's to sainos?

Both.
I suspect it was done on purpose.

rick_chasey

Saino's was, but I stand by my mince pie choice.

Pross

Got some Holly Lane ones in the cupboard (research tells me these are Aldi). I'd love to give a review but they've been there a few weeks without being opened so I'm assuming they are intended to be tucked away for Christmas. They're always initially tucked away for Christmas before the wife's willpower goes and she opens then but it looks like she meant it this time and there's no way I'm daring to open them without permission.

surrey_commuter

rick_chasey said:

FWIW Deepdish are terrible as the ratio of mince to pastry is all wrong.

Don't knock the frangipanes till you try them. They work well wit the mince and it's a softer, less tart experience all round. the mince takes the sweet edge off the frangipane. Excellent.

I have never had too deep, the pastry is just there to contain the mincemeat

seanoconn

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

FWIW Deepdish are terrible as the ratio of mince to pastry is all wrong.

Don't knock the frangipanes till you try them. They work well wit the mince and it's a softer, less tart experience all round. the mince takes the sweet edge off the frangipane. Excellent.

I have never had too deep, the pastry is just there to contain the mincemeat

Just! Just! Pastry accounts for at least 35% on the importance scale of a good mince pie.

bm5

I never realised there was so much to them. Just overly sweet in my view. Years ago I made a dessert with apple and mince which was ok as the apple took the sweetness off the mince.

surrey_commuter

seanoconn said:

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

FWIW Deepdish are terrible as the ratio of mince to pastry is all wrong.

Don't knock the frangipanes till you try them. They work well wit the mince and it's a softer, less tart experience all round. the mince takes the sweet edge off the frangipane. Excellent.

I have never had too deep, the pastry is just there to contain the mincemeat

Just! Just! Pastry accounts for at least 35% on the importance scale of a good mince pie.

bad or too much pastry can ruin a mince pie but for me it is all about the mincemeat

seanoconn

Sainsburys from the bakery. Slight sour chemical aftertaste from the filling. Decent crunch to pastry but lacking sweetness.

2/5

rakkor

Bread Ahead - Wembley - Served as a snack during a Bread Making course coffee break - gloriously rich with a sweet crisp shortcrust pastry 9/10

pblakeney

gpitcaithly36 said:

Nobody seems to have mentioned Costco mince pies yet - the best I have tried. Also, cold is the way to go, you get the full flavour and none of the third degree burns!

I was in Costco yesterday so I thought, why not? I deserve a treat just for being here.
Mince is fine, pastry is bleh. Better cold than hot but I'll not be buying more. 1/5 for the mince ruined by the pastry.

seanoconn

Slightly OT. Had my first slice of stollen this season. Overly sweet sugary stodge. M&S, not for me. I know we have some stollen fans on here, I’d imagine a good one would be drier with some taste other than sugar?

veronese68

The EPO had a blind mince pie taste test when she was in the office Thursday. There were 8 tested, so not complete. They generally seemed to agree with people on here. The fancy, trying too hard ones were not enjoyed. Apparently the Heston Blumenthal ones were awful, and awfully expensive. The winner was a local bakery chain, Cavan Bakery. Second was Aldi normal ones, apparently just a good basic mince pie that gets the right balance between pastry and filling.

veronese68

seanoconn said:

Slightly OT. Had my first slice of stollen this season. Overly sweet sugary stodge. M&S, not for me. I know we have some stollen fans on here, I’d imagine a good one would be drier with some taste other than sugar?

Wife is a fan of Stollen, says the Waitrose ones are good. She reckons they shouldn't be too dry, marzipan and a bit of stofge. I got some Stollen bites in Lidl a couple of weeks ago and they were good, being small is good in this case I reckon.

rick_chasey

veronese68 said:

seanoconn said:

Slightly OT. Had my first slice of stollen this season. Overly sweet sugary stodge. M&S, not for me. I know we have some stollen fans on here, I’d imagine a good one would be drier with some taste other than sugar?

Wife is a fan of Stollen, says the Waitrose ones are good. She reckons they shouldn't be too dry, marzipan and a bit of stofge. I got some Stollen bites in Lidl a couple of weeks ago and they were good, being small is good in this case I reckon.

In the UK they’re best lathered in butter.

bianchi_dave

veronese68 said:

The EPO had a blind mince pie taste test when she was in the office Thursday. There were 8 tested, so not complete. They generally seemed to agree with people on here. The fancy, trying too hard ones were not enjoyed. Apparently the Heston Blumenthal ones were awful, and awfully expensive. The winner was a local bakery chain, Cavan Bakery. Second was Aldi normal ones, apparently just a good basic mince pie that gets the right balance between pastry and filling.

Your last sentence sums it up for me as I don't care for the 'trying too hard' pies and their frippery, and its all too easy to ruin excellent pastry with a poor filling (and vice versa).

However, I've found the Tesco Finest Crumble mince pies to be excellent for a pre pack offering. A nice creaminess to the pastry but slightly let down by the congealed texture of the filling but a lovely taste of alcohol nonetheless, which saves it. 4 / 5.

I do however have a new front runner - Keptie Bakery, Letham, so if you're outwith Angus, Scotland I'm afraid you're probably out of luck!

A truly incredible (and quite large) pie, about twice the size of the Tesco ones mentioned (and 2 or 3x the calories!). First class melt in the mouth pastry (but not too greasy) with a lovely fruity filling. Ratio is spot on. Just the right amount of sweetness and perfect cold.

My previous highest mark (4.5 / 5) was awarded to Morrison's in-store baked - as long as you could time it to get them fresh from the oven, but these Keptie ones just pip them at 4.6 / 5.

Bar raised (for me at least!)

seanoconn

bianchi_dave said:

veronese68 said:

The EPO had a blind mince pie taste test when she was in the office Thursday. There were 8 tested, so not complete. They generally seemed to agree with people on here. The fancy, trying too hard ones were not enjoyed. Apparently the Heston Blumenthal ones were awful, and awfully expensive. The winner was a local bakery chain, Cavan Bakery. Second was Aldi normal ones, apparently just a good basic mince pie that gets the right balance between pastry and filling.

Your last sentence sums it up for me as I don't care for the 'trying too hard' pies and their frippery, and its all too easy to ruin excellent pastry with a poor filling (and vice versa).

However, I've found the Tesco Finest Crumble mince pies to be excellent for a pre pack offering. A nice creaminess to the pastry but slightly let down by the congealed texture of the filling but a lovely taste of alcohol nonetheless, which saves it. 4 / 5.

I do however have a new front runner - Keptie Bakery, Letham, so if you're outwith Angus, Scotland I'm afraid you're probably out of luck!

A truly incredible (and quite large) pie, about twice the size of the Tesco ones mentioned (and 2 or 3x the calories!). First class melt in the mouth pastry (but not too greasy) with a lovely fruity filling. Ratio is spot on. Just the right amount of sweetness and perfect cold.

My previous highest mark (4.5 / 5) was awarded to Morrison's in-store baked - as long as you could time it to get them fresh from the oven, but these Keptie ones just pip them at 4.6 / 5.

Bar raised (for me at least!)

Bianche-dave 😃 A rare privilege. 700 posts in 10 years.

bianchi_dave

seanoconn said:

Bianche-dave 😃 A rare privilege. 700 posts in 10 years.

Not a prolific poster, but do like a good mince pie

surrey_commuter

I am back to bang the drum for Waitrose Essential, but more importantly cooking them on a logburning stove, the intense heat nicely crisps the base

briantrumpet

bianchi_dave said:

seanoconn said:

Bianche-dave 😃 A rare privilege. 700 posts in 10 years.

Not a prolific poster, but do like a good mince pie

Do you still ride a Bianchi though?

webboo

The missus’s home made ones. Possibly a 5 out of 5 but then again I prefer an Eccles cake. Against yesterdays M & S Eccles cakes I would say 4 out of 5. I was going to get a second opinion from Frankie the Japanese Spitz But I was threatened with death if I gave him any as did I know how much time and effort she put in to making them.

bianchi_dave

briantrumpet said:

bianchi_dave said:

seanoconn said:

Bianche-dave 😃 A rare privilege. 700 posts in 10 years.

Not a prolific poster, but do like a good mince pie

Do you still ride a Bianchi though?

Not for 7 or 8 years

bianchi_dave

webboo said:

The missus’s home made ones. Possibly a 5 out of 5 but then again I prefer an Eccles cake. Against yesterdays M & S Eccles cakes I would say 4 out of 5. I was going to get a second opinion from Frankie the Japanese Spitz But I was threatened with death if I gave him any as did I know how much time and effort she put in to making them.

5/5 - high praise indeed! I thought I was bad posting about a small Angus Bakery which very few had access to, but I'm sure we've even less chance of sampling Mrs webboo's efforts!

seanoconn

bianchi_dave said:

webboo said:

The missus’s home made ones. Possibly a 5 out of 5 but then again I prefer an Eccles cake. Against yesterdays M & S Eccles cakes I would say 4 out of 5. I was going to get a second opinion from Frankie the Japanese Spitz But I was threatened with death if I gave him any as did I know how much time and effort she put in to making them.

5/5 - high praise indeed! I thought I was bad posting about a small Angus Bakery which very few had access to, but I'm sure we've even less chance of sampling Mrs webboo's efforts!

I can confirm they are excellent 👌

Munsford0

However $h1t they are, please don't feed them to dogs...

"The raisins, currants and sultanas in the festive sweet treats are poisonous to dogs and eating them can lead to sickness and diarrhoea – and potentially fatal kidney failure"

https://www.vets-now.com/2018/12/dogs-and-mince-pies/