What is the Best Mince Pie?

What is the best Mince Pie? 2010

Continuing our inherited tradition of judging more than just graphics cards, CPUs and processors at this festive time of the year, we've once again put our stomachs on the line to find which is the best mince pie currently gracing the super market shelves ok Britain. Will Marks and Spencer once again triumph? Will Mr Kipling send us another letter? Will the Duchy Mince Pie be edible? Allow us to reveal all, in no particular order!

Sainbury’s Deep Mince Pies

Number 1
Price £1.39 inc VAT for six
By the look of these pies they may well be impervious to time, so firm and thick was the crust, which came away in large slabs. Still, this allowed the pie to hold together well and the filling, while un-inspired, was tasty enough and had a palatable tang. Dubbed by one of our judges as ‘generic pie,’ it’s a fairly safe bet that has the advantage of a very low price tag.
Score: 3/5

Mr Kipling Mince Pies

Number 2
Price £1.25 inc VAT for six

Mr Kipling’s mince pies didn’t seem to want to hang around for too long, as the exceedingly crumbly pasty saw our judges rushing to cram the pies into their mouths before they disintegrated. Opinions were divided over the filling, with some noting a lack of zest and fruitiness, although the pastry, while crumbly, was very nice. Still, it’s far from a disaster for Mr Kipling, which once again puts in a solid performance.
Score: 3/5

Selfridges & Co Mince Pies

Number 3
Price £5.99 inc VAT for six

These brandy drenched pies were more suited to a local pub lock-in than a fire side treat. The overly buttery pastry, verging on the soggy, was also disappointing and while the filling itself wasn’t too bad, the battle between too much butter and too much booze resulted in a pie that many of our judges couldn’t finish. Like its apparent clientele, it’s disgustingly over-endowed. Perhaps useful for setting on fire and flinging as a Christmassy Molotov, but not for serving up to the in-laws.
Score: 1/5

Tesco Iced Top Mince Pies

Number 4
Price £1.50 inc VAT for six

We once described a set of ice topped mince pies as ‘as sweet as a bag of kittens and as difficult to eat.’ Tesco’s iced top offering, while an improvement on previous year’s, is still only for sugar junkies. Overpoweringly sweet and with an unconvincing filling and unpleasantly crumbly crust, these are best palmed to your relative’s children so you can watch them go hyper on the inevitable sugar rush.
Score: 2/5