The 10 best pork pies

The 10 best pork pies

• 1/10

  (1). Walter Smith Pork Pie
  The standout winner in our taste test, the Birmingham butcher's pie has a deliciously coarse, gristle-free filling and fiery pepper kick. Superb.
  £2.79 for 400g waltersmith.co.uk

• 2/10

  2. Waitrose Melton Mowbray
  If only all supermarket pork pies were like the Waitrose Melton Mowbray. The uncured pork is well paired with a golden pastry that has just the right amount of crunch.
  99p for 135g waitrose.com

• 3/10

  3. Dickinson Morris
  Dickinson Morris is the oldest and most venerable piemaker in Melton Mowbray, and it shows. The thick and chunky meat - seasoned with a secret blend of spices - is perfectly accompanied by a liberal covering of tasty bonestock jelly.
  £1.25 for 140g porkpie.co.uk

• 4/10

  4. Fortnum & Mason Poacher's
  A feast of a pie, made with great chunks of well-seasoned pork interlaced with Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and topped with Borettane onions, which add a pleasant sweetness. £7.50 440g fortnumandmason.com

• 5/10

  5. Sainsbury's 6 Mini Crusty Bake
  Bite-sized, golden brown and made using a decent cured pork, Sainsbury's mini pies are unfussy but very pleasant on the palate.
  £1 for 300g sainsburys.co.uk

• 6/10

  6. Elite Meat
  Made by a family butcher in Harrogate, Elite's pies have a distinct tang of sage and a kick of pepper, which goes well with the rich filling.
  £1.25 for 135g elite-meat.co.uk

• 7/10

  7. Michael Kirk
  This pie scored highly with our tasters for its moist meat and flavoursome jelly. The Wolverhampton-based maker will even personalise your pie with a baked-on message.
  £2.75 for 500g porkiepies.com

• 8/10

  8. Forman and Field Old Spot
  Named after the rare breed of pig used for the filling, the Old Spot is a cracker. The coarse pork meat is luscious and the Gloucester bacon that's added to the filling gives it extra depth of flavour.
  £9.95 for 500g formanandfield.com

• 9/10

  9. Marks & Spencer 6 Mini Cured
  The thin pastry on these picnic pies means the delicate outdoor-reared pork filling can really shine through. Perfect for picnics or long car journeys.
  £1.99 for 300g marksandspencer.com

• 10/10

  10. The Ginger Pig
  Thick crusts usually spell pork-pie disaster, but not so here. The chunky, Yorkshire-reared pork isn't lost even among the endless layers of pastry. By far the most filling of those tasted.
  £2.45 for 500g thegingerpig.co.uk