Mince pie reviews

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

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?

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 said:

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

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

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?

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