LIDL - Snowy Lodge - Deep Filled Mince Pies

LIDL have made themselves a household name in recent years. Their wallet friendly products have got us flocking to their stores, but are their mince pies another reason to go?

The Facts

This is a treat; a whopping 12 mince pies for the price of just £1.89! The box describes these as "crumbly shortcrust pastry cases, generously filled with a lightly spiced mincemeat". These appear to be the healthiest of all the pies that I have tried so far at just 192 calories, 17g of sugar and 7.6g of fat per pie. They claim a fairly even split of 54% pastry and 46% mincemeat which does sound promising.

First Impressions

These are definitely a little smaller than the other pies I have tried so far. The pie does however, look almost perfect; a lightly brown edge, decorative holly leaves on top and a light sprinkle of sugar. I have to admit, at this stage I was quite impressed with LIDL for this picture perfect mince pie. I just hoped that it's beauty is not pastry deep!

The Bite
 

Unfortunately, what started out to be a very hopeful mince pie, almost set for my highest pedestal, has come crashing down.

One bite into this pastry and you'll be asking for something liquid to wash it down with. It is far too thick which has resulted in what tastes like an undercooked pie. The very outer layer of the pastry is fine, but delve any further than about a millimetre in, and you are met with a doughy mess. You can barely taste the butter, but I guess I should have seen this coming considering this is such a healthy mince pie.

The mincemeat is even worse. They claim a 54% by 46% split, but I am certain that this is a lie. There is a small layer of mincemeat at the bottom and if you peel away the pastry lid, it appears as though it has been intentionally squashed down by something. I was actually rather glad there was not much mincemeat as it's taste was dreadful. It was also dry like the pastry and mostly a mush. There was little to no whole pieces of fruit discernible. It needed more sugar and fruit just for starters.

I was very disappointed with this pie, so much so, that I decided see what a heated version would taste like. There was very little improvement. The pastry was still doughy and the mincemeat was just the same, only warmer.

Overall

If you are part of the sort of family that takes a family photo each year and need Christmas props to lay on the table nearby, then you can do no wrong than buying some LIDL mince pies. If they made fake plastic mince pies for this sort of occasion, they would undoubtedly cost more than these. 
LIDL have made mince pies that are great to look at, but that's it. Taste-wise, this is one of the worst mince pies I have had. So bad, that I regretted eating the second.

"Hasta la vista, Pie"

1.5 / 5

If you've tried this mince pie and have different thoughts, let me know in the comments below.