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Christmas 2014: 11 best mince pies
If you're having mince pie withdrawal symptoms after 11 months without, sink your teeth into one (or five) of these — just try to save one for Santa
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We’ve worked our way through piles of warm mince pies to bring you news of this season’s best offerings. So grab the brandy cream, put the kettle on for a cuppa and indulge yourself. Strapped for cash? Fear not, there are plenty of budget options here, too.
1. Iceland Deluxe Mince Pies: £1.50 for 6, iceland.co.uk
These are beautifully finished with crumbly, buttery pastry and generously filled with sweet fruity mincemeat, brandy and port. And they cost a fraction of their more exclusive rivals.
In store only
2. Betty’s Classic Mince Pies: £10 for 12, bettys.co.uk
You could easily pretend you made these yourself, such is their homemade appearance and indulgent filling. In fact, they’re so fresh that they’re best eaten within three days of delivery (or freeze them for Christmas), but you won’t have much trouble, they’re as moreish as they come.
3. Tesco Finest All Butter Mince Pies: £2.50 for 6, tesco.com
These pies are filled with vine fruits, glacé cherries, almonds and walnuts and citrus peel, soaked – if your mouth isn’t watering already – in Cognac, brandy and port. The pastry is lovely and crisp, too.
4. Fortnum & Mason Traditional Mince Pies: £9.95 for 6, fortnumandmason.com
If you find the filling of mince pies is often on the stingy side, then these deep-filled, generously-sized offerings will be just up your street. Best eaten warm from the oven, the pastry is particularly buttery and crumbly and they have the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess.
5. Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Mince Pies: £1.19 for 6, aldi.co.uk
These festive morsels are another example of how you don’t have to splash out to get a great mince pie. Beautifully moist, there’s a nice boozy kick and a slightly spicy flavour to the mincemeat, which is by no means skimped on. The pasty is melt-in-your-mouth, yet crisp and light.
In store only
6. Melrose and Morgan: £8.75 for 6, melroseandmorgan.com
These award-winning mince pies are entirely handmade and utterly delicious. For a luxury choice, they are as festive as they come and there are mini pies available too, at £9.95 for 12. Definitely pies to heat up if you have the time.
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7. Marks & Spencer Hand Crafted Cranberry and Clementine Mini Mince Pies: £5 for 12, marksandspencer.com
These bite-size, handcrafted pies look fabulous on a serving plate and are made with Clementine and cranberry mincemeat that is to die for. Choose a plain one or alternatively one with a nut or cranberry topping. They come in a lovely box too, making them a great gift.
In store only
8. Morrison’s Fruity Festive Mince Pies: £1.00 for 6, groceries.morrisons.com
Morrisons’ mince pies are hard to fault this year, but if we had to pick an absolute favourite, it’s these due to their traditional flavour, rich buttery pastry, golden colour and generous filling of luxurious mincemeat. But their Signature Deep Mince Pies are well worth checking out too.
9. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies: £2.50 for 6, sainsburys.co.uk
These are decent sized pies with a light and crunchy pastry that, as their name suggests, is wonderfully buttery. The deep filling is packed with a luxury mincemeat and best of all, they are currently on offer so two boxes will only set you back £4.
10. Heston from Waitrose Spiced Shortcrust Mince Pies: £3.50 for 6, waitrose.com
People just can’t get enough of Heston’s quirky slants on yuletide foods, with his Christmas puddings and mince pies still selling out in many stores. We love these mince pies that contain lemon curd, rose water and apple purée in addition to the rich mincemeat. You get a sachet of tangerine flavoured sugar for dusting on top.
11. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Blackcurrant and Cassis Mince Pies: £3.50 for 4, sainsburys.co.uk
These are hand made by a family of six brothers in Northern Ireland, whose passion for baking was handed down from their parents, who founded the bakery in 1968. The all butter pastry is filled with a unique blackcurrant mincemeat which has a hintof warmth from crème de cassis.
In store only
Verdict:
We can't quite choose between our favourites: Tesco Finest All Butter Mince Pies, Iceland Deluxe Mince Pies and Melrose and, for something a bit different, Marks & Spencer Hand Crafted Cranberry and Clementine Mini Mince Pies. Maybe just go ahead and pick up all three.
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