JESS LESTER tries a selection and rates them out of five.
Sweet Morello Cherry Sharing Mince Pie — 3/5
This huge pie has a real punch of succulent cherries before even taking a bite — it’s crumbly and well-balanced.
- Sweet Morello Cherry Sharing Mince Pie, Aldi Specially Selected, £3.99 — buy now
Cottage Delight Tipsy Gin Mince Pies — 5/5
Inside a beautiful, glittery pastry case, the pie definitely has a hint of a classic botanical gin cocktail, well hidden among traditional spiced flavours and tangy currants and berries.
- Cottage Delight Tipsy Gin Mince Pies, John Lewis, £4.75 — buy now
Assorted Miniatures Mince Pies — 2/5
The almond overpowers the mincemeat, the orange is almost a little too subtle and they're small you could gobble up the whole box, especially with two tantalising alternative flavours to pick from.
- Assorted Miniatures Mince Pies, Selfridges, £7.99 — buy now
Frangipane Mince Pies — 1/5
Are these Bakewell tarts or mince pies? They taste the same to me – which is not necessarily a bad thing if you like almond and jam, but if you’re a Christmas traditionalist, it doesn’t quite meet the mark.
- Frangipane Mince Pies, M&S, £2.70 — buy now
Salted Caramel Mince Pies — 3/5
It smells like a shortbread biscuit and the pastry is a little thick, but once you finally get into the centre it has a sweet and simultaneously salted caramel taste — it’s definitely there, but it’s subtle.
- Salted Caramel Mince Pies, Aldi Specially Selected, £1.99 — buy now
Chocolate Orange Mince Pies — 2/5
Chocolate orange is a classic flavour, what could go wrong? There’s lots of chocolate orange there but the mincemeat is a little redundant so for those who aren’t the biggest fans of currants, it’s probably a winner.
- Chocolate Orange Mince Pies, Lidl Deluxe, £2.49 — buy now
All Butter Frangipane Mince Pies — 0/5
More of a cake, as when you bite into it you get frangipane and no mincemeat, so something to buy if you wanted to pretend you liked mince pies — tasty, but I’m surprised it can be called a mince pie.
- All Butter Frangipane Mince Pies, Lidl Deluxe, £2.49 — buy now
Almond Topped Mince Pies — 4/5
Packed with novelty and clearly based on the traditional recipe. Well-blended currants fill the majority and the rest is topped with an almond paste and pastry — soft, delicate and, without a doubt, classy.
- Almond Topped Mince Pies, Fortnum & Mason, £12.95 — buy now
Heston’s Chocolate & Sour Cherry Crumble Mince Pies — 4/5
The packet gives off a cherry booze and chocolate aroma instantly but it will blow your socks off, so if you don’t like tangy flavours or strong alcohol in food, this pie is best avoided.
- Heston’s Chocolate & Sour Cherry Crumble Mince Pies, Waitrose, £3.00 — buy now
Salted Caramel Mince Pies — 1/5
For the price of these you’d want them to be plated in gold. The currants are thick and full. As for salted caramel, there isn’t a huge amount and it’s definitely not the dominant factor in this pie which disappointingly does not live up to its name.
- Salted Caramel Mince Pies, Harrods Foodhall, £8.50 — buy now
Holly Willoughby almost spits out food live on TV after she tries mince pie with blue cheese
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