Press release

Which? Best Pie - Consumer champion reveals the tastiest mince pie for the 2023 festive season

3 min read
Press Team

An expert Which? taste test panel has awarded two coveted Best Buy recommendations to premium mince pies this year, including a top pick that costs 46p a pie.

Winning the top spot in this year’s blind tasting were Co-op’s Irresistible Luxury Mince Pies. They received a distinguished 73 per cent rating, earning themselves a Which? Best Buy recommendation and wowing the panel with their buttery pastry and sweet glossy filling. At £2.75 for six, or 46p per pie, the panel also noted a generous filling to pastry ratio.

Following closely behind, Tesco Finest Mince Pies also earned a Best Buy award. They scored an impressive 72 per cent, just a fraction behind the top-rated premium pies. Tesco Finest Mince Pies were praised for their festive citrus zing and pleasant, well balanced flavours. At £3 for six or 50p per pie, they are slightly more expensive but a guaranteed crowd-pleaser this Christmas.

The Which? panel was made up of baking experts: Great British Bake Off 2021 semi-finalist Jürgen Krauss, award winning baker and food writer Dan Lepard, Bake Off: The Professionals 2022 winner Nathan Rave and pastry chef and author Shaheen Peerbhai.

Which? only awards its Best Buy logo to the very best products, based on our independent expert taste tests. Our experts were looking for mince pies that had an attractive golden appearance, with rich, buttery, well baked pastry, and a flavoursome filling with a good balance of fruit and spices.

Despite not receiving a Which? Best Buy recommendation, other supermarkets also delivered some tasty and budget-friendly options. The cheapest on test this year was Aldi’s Specially Selected Mince Pies at £2.19 for six. At 37p a pie, they are worth considering if you are keen to keep costs down.

Iceland’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies (£2.50 for six) were praised for their fillings that brought together authentic fruity flavours with a satisfying jammy texture. On the other hand, the experts felt they were slightly let down by soft and doughy pastry. 

Lidl’s Deluxe Luxury Mince Pies also fared well (£2.49 for six) - the panel said they had a simple but elegant appearance and buttery aroma, but agreed that the spice and fruit flavour was somewhat lacking. 

Some mince pies were less impressive. For example, Asda Extra Special Brown Butter and Rum pies (£2.75 for six) and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference pies (£2.75 for six) did not stand out from the crowd when it came to the taste test and came bottom of the rankings.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:

“For a lot of us, Christmas isn't Christmas without a mince pie and there’s nothing quite like that buttery and fruity taste to get you in the festive spirit. 

“Our experts tasted pies from the biggest supermarkets in the UK to find out which ones will make the holiday season extra special this year and found some great options that won’t break the bank.

“The competition this year was tough but the luxury mince pie offerings from Co-op and Tesco have come out on top.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

Our expert tasting panel included:

  • Dan Lepard Award-winning baker, food writer and broadcaster

  • Jurgen Krauss Great British Bake Off 2021 semi-finalist and cookbook author

  • Nathan Rave French pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals 2022 winner

  • Shaheen Peerbhai pastry chef, cookbook author, and owner of Miel Bakery

Prices are correct as of 9 November 2023.

For images, please contact alice.barnard@which.co.uk

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.