Love 'em or hate 'em, mince pies are - and will always be - a festive staple. The buttered pastry delights date back to the 1500s, when people ate them for 12 days from Christmas Day to the Twelfth Night.
Nowadays, mince pies are eaten throughout November, December and even January (if you've got leftovers). They're the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa, and thanks to a blend of warming spices the humble mince pie encapsulates Christmas time.
Of course, you can make your own, with shop bought pastry and a jar of mince it's pretty simple. But let's be honest, the majority of us buy them readymade.
Sadly, not all of them are an enjoyable experience, with supermarket ones crumbling apart the minute you bite in, or just lacking in the festive flavours we know and love. This week, the Liverpool Echo's What's On team put some of the big supermarket own-brand pies to the test.
Here's their verdict:
M&S Collection 6 Mince Pies
I love a mince pie and will happily eat them from now until New Year, but I've had many a disappointing bake, so I'm quite fussy about where I buy them. One of my favourite places to pick up mince pies is actually Greggs, as they're huge, freshly baked and bursting with filling.
But for this particular test, I headed to M&S and was confident the retailer wouldn't let me down as its known for its legendary festive food and drink offering. I picked up the M&S Collection 6 Mince Pies, which come in a classy navy box decorated with winter berries and a stylish gold M&S motif.
A clear panel meant you could see the mince pies inside, and they certainly looked pretty. The mince pies lids were designed to look like a snowflake and they had a light dusting of sugar, making them look homemade, or the kind you would pick up in a quaint cafe.
So they looked the part, but more importantly how did they taste? First of all, the pastry, although a little pale in colour, was melt in the mouth delicious - you could really taste the butter and it held together well as I tucked in.
The filling, which included vine fruits, cranberries, clementine and Cognac, wasn't overpoweringly boozy in taste and the flavours were deep, fruity and it had the perfect sticky texture. There was plenty of filling too - there's nothing worse than a stingy mince pie - and I finished it feeling satisfied and not craving another. These are a great buy if you love the homemade taste of mince pies, without the effort of actually making them yourself.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £3
Where to buy: M&S stores or Ocado
Tesco Finest 6 Crumble Topped Mince Pies
I'm not a big fan of mince pies - in fact, before this week I'd never tried one at all. I didn't have high hopes and these mince pies certainly lived up to my expectations. On a recent trip to Tesco I picked up the retailer's Finest Crumble Topped Mince Pies; they looked luxurious and since they're made with cognac, brandy and port I assumed they'd be bursting with flavour.
While the pies looked delightful, with a decorative crumble top and beautiful packaging, I found them quite bland and stodgy. There was much more pastry than filling, with the pastry being quite heavy and dry. The filling was made with vine fruits, Napoleon glace cherries, festive spices and citrus peel, and infused with cognac, French brandy and port. After spotting the ingredients I had high hopes but actually found the filling lacking in flavour, which was disappointing.
The mince pies definitely proved that I hadn't been missing anything by not trying a mince pie all these years. I think I'll stick with other festive treats instead.
Rating: 1/5
Price: £2.25 or £2 with a Clubcard
Where to buy: Tesco stores or online here
Aldi's Holly Lane 6 Deep Filled Mince Pies
I'll be honest, I was a little apprehensive to review mince pies because I've always believed I hated them, until now. Mince pies were always a festive sweet treat that I wasn't fussed about, and I could never really understand the hype around them.
Nevertheless, I know your tastes often change, so I thought I'd give the Aldi Holly Lane Deep Filled Mince Pies a try to get into the Christmas spirit. There were plenty of boxes available at my local store, and some of them were on offer for £1 due to date life.
The mince pies actually looked really appetising, covered in frosted sugar with a snowflake design on the top. They all had a nice solid crust and didn't look like they were going to fall apart any time soon.
I took a bite and was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't say I absolutely loved the taste, but they were a lot nicer than I thought they'd be. The filling had plenty of flavour and wasn't too overbearing.
For me, the best part was the pastry. It was lovely and light yet perfectly sweet, with a nice firm crust. The mince pies were very moreish, and let's just say I think I've officially been converted to the mince pie lover club.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £1.09
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store
Morrisons Mince Pies
I'm not a huge fan of mince pies - admittedly, they'll never be my first choice of festive treat. However, having not had one for years, I was keen to give them another go. I headed to my local Morrisons store and picked up a box of six mince pies for £1.25 The pies are a decent size and I was instantly impressed by their appearance, they are dusted in sugar and feature a lovely snowflake design on the top.
But now for the important part - how did they taste? Well, I'm still not a convert to mince pies, but I must say I was quite impressed with this offering from Morrisons. The pastry was my favourite aspect, it was nice and sweet and melted in your mouth. The pies were generously filled and packed full of rich and fruity flavour.
Overall, I thought these mince pies were great value for money and tasted great. If you are a mince pie fan, then I'd definitely recommend giving them a try this Christmas.
Rating: 4/5
Price: £1.25
Where to buy: Your local Morrisons store
