Which? reveals tastiest premium mince pies for the 2024 festive season
The consumer champion’s panel was made up of four baking experts: Bake Off: The Professionals 2022 winner Nathan Rave, Great British Bake Off 2010 winner Edd Kimber, award winning baker and food writer Dan Lepard and pastry chef and author Shaheen Peerbhai.
Which? only awards its Best Buy endorsement to the very best products, based on its independent tests. The consumer champion’s 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.
The winner in this year’s blind taste tests was Waitrose No.1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac. At £4 for six, or 67p per pie, they earned themselves a Which? Best Buy recommendation.
The winning pies impressed with lovely pastry, an enticing aroma and generous nut, spice and citrus filling, with a subtle boozy warmth. They also had a traditional homemade look that the experts appreciated. Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies impressed the judges with their great buttery taste, snowflake design and tasty filling packed with fruit and spices. At £2.29 for six or 38p per pie, they were one of the cheapest on test and are an affordable crowd-pleaser this Christmas, earning a Which? Great Value endorsement.
Despite not receiving a Which? Best Buy endorsement, other supermarkets also delivered some tasty and budget-friendly options.
M&S Collection Mince Pies (£4 for six) impressed the judges with their generous filling and golden pastry. One member of the panel praised the crisp pastry and subtle sweetness, but another wanted more spice.
Iceland’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies (£3 for six) were praised for their packed fillings of sultana and fruit but the experts felt they were too dry and lacked in spice and flavour.
Morrison’s The Best Deep Filled Mince Pies also fared well (£2.75 for six). The panel said there was a good ratio of filling to pastry, and a traditional currant-filled mincemeat. Overall, the panel liked the festive look but weren’t so taken with the taste.
Some mince pies were less impressive. For example, Tesco and Asda’s offerings both fell flat. Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Mince Pies (£3 for six pies) failed to impress the experts, with an overly acidic flavour and doughy pastry. Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies (£2.75 for six) let down the panel because they felt it had underbaked pastry.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:
"For many of us, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a mince pie. There’s nothing quite like that buttery and fruity taste to get you in the festive spirit.
"Our experts tasted premium mince pies from the biggest UK supermarkets to discover which ones could make this holiday season a little more special without stretching the budget too far.
"The competition was fierce this year, but Waitrose was the only winner of our Best Buy endorsement. For those looking for a more affordable option, Aldi's excellent Great Value pies are tasty but don’t break the bank."
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
Which?’s expert tasting panel included:
Nathan Rave French pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals 2022 winner
Dan Lepard Award-winning baker, food writer and broadcaster
Edd Kimber Great British Bake Off 2010 winner and cookbook author
Shaheen Peerbhai pastry chef, cookbook author, and owner of Miel Bakery
Best Buys
Which? only awards its Best Buy logo to the very best products, based on its independent expert taste tests. Which? Best Buys have all satisfied or exceeded our expert criteria, based on the results of rigorous comparative testing and analysis carried out by Which?.
You can be confident that you're spending money on a genuinely impressive product.
Great Value
Meticulously selected by Which? product experts, these Great Value choices not only deliver impressive performance, but also come at a budget-friendly price – at least 20 per cent cheaper than the average cost.
Useful links
Prices are correct as of 13 November 2024.
For images, please contact alice.barnard@which.co.uk
About Which?
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