Iceland. Supposedly where mum's go. Can't say I've ever seen my mum in Iceland. The store was, however, local to my university accommodation and was the source of my cheap morning chocolate cheerios. Last year's mince pie entry was definitely something to *not* talk about. Let's hope I'm not reaching for the sick bag this year.
Presentation - 4
They haven't really changed from last year. Yes, it is a different looking mince pie and a different picture on the front of the box, but without comparing it to last year's design, you would be none the wiser. It is the same typical colour scheme and fonts. You'll find that same colour scheme emanates throughout the entire Iceland Christmas range.
The mince pie itself generally looks good. A little uneven around the edges, but it looks to be an even bake all around.
Nutritional Content & Price -3
Iceland have not written the nutritional values on the front of the box, which means it looses a point there. This pie is a little on the higher side than not just from last year's mince pie, but as a mince pie in general. These have 266 calories, 20.5g of sugar and 10.8g of fat.
At £1 for a box of 6 and £1.50 for a box of 12, these are the same price as last year. I may be slightly biased as I have eaten last year's entry, but I think that it is still too much for this pie.
Pastry - 9
I'm sorry, but this is the worse pastry I've seen and tasted. When you take it out from its foil cup, the base of the mince pie is almost entirely moist and greasy. Greasy to the point where you can actually rub your finger across it and see the oil on your finger. The base is also soft to the touch - as if it was still dough. On biting, the entire mince pie caved in on top and bottom. It did not break because the pastry was so soft; it just bent.
Apart from the texture, it was also a little salty and generally lacked flavour.
Mincemeat - 13
This was better, but there was not enough compared the pastry. These are not "deep fill" as the box says. They disguise this well as due to the pastry caving in, it appears that the mincemeat is filled to the top. There are some vine fruits inside (albeit small) but there is not enough of them. There is more apple purée and glucose syrup than anything else.
Overall Satisfaction - 3
To be fair, it was not terrible tasting, as I think the lack of taste from the pastry was compensated for by the mincemeat. But, had the pastry been up to scratch, the mince pie as a whole may have been too sweet. The pastry was the major let down here. It really affected the taste and general experience in eating this pie. Iceland, I'm glad you have improved from last year, but it's still well below average. You have my colleagues to thank for your score as they appear to be more generous than I.
Here are the scores from my fellow Mincers.
Tester 1
Presentation (5) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (21) Mincemeat (21) Satisfaction Level (6)
Presentation (7) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (20) Mincemeat (23) Satisfaction Level (6)
OVERALL
51 / 100
Look at where these fit in on our leader board.
(Don't forget to follow us on twitter @TheMincePieBlog and on Facebook)
Presentation - 4
They haven't really changed from last year. Yes, it is a different looking mince pie and a different picture on the front of the box, but without comparing it to last year's design, you would be none the wiser. It is the same typical colour scheme and fonts. You'll find that same colour scheme emanates throughout the entire Iceland Christmas range.
The mince pie itself generally looks good. A little uneven around the edges, but it looks to be an even bake all around.
Nutritional Content & Price -3
Iceland have not written the nutritional values on the front of the box, which means it looses a point there. This pie is a little on the higher side than not just from last year's mince pie, but as a mince pie in general. These have 266 calories, 20.5g of sugar and 10.8g of fat.
At £1 for a box of 6 and £1.50 for a box of 12, these are the same price as last year. I may be slightly biased as I have eaten last year's entry, but I think that it is still too much for this pie.
Pastry - 9
I'm sorry, but this is the worse pastry I've seen and tasted. When you take it out from its foil cup, the base of the mince pie is almost entirely moist and greasy. Greasy to the point where you can actually rub your finger across it and see the oil on your finger. The base is also soft to the touch - as if it was still dough. On biting, the entire mince pie caved in on top and bottom. It did not break because the pastry was so soft; it just bent.
Apart from the texture, it was also a little salty and generally lacked flavour.
Mincemeat - 13
This was better, but there was not enough compared the pastry. These are not "deep fill" as the box says. They disguise this well as due to the pastry caving in, it appears that the mincemeat is filled to the top. There are some vine fruits inside (albeit small) but there is not enough of them. There is more apple purée and glucose syrup than anything else.
Overall Satisfaction - 3
To be fair, it was not terrible tasting, as I think the lack of taste from the pastry was compensated for by the mincemeat. But, had the pastry been up to scratch, the mince pie as a whole may have been too sweet. The pastry was the major let down here. It really affected the taste and general experience in eating this pie. Iceland, I'm glad you have improved from last year, but it's still well below average. You have my colleagues to thank for your score as they appear to be more generous than I.
Here are the scores from my fellow Mincers.
Tester 1
Presentation (5) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (21) Mincemeat (21) Satisfaction Level (6)
"Better than some and a definite improvement on last years mince pies."Tester 2
Presentation (7) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (20) Mincemeat (23) Satisfaction Level (6)
"Good pie - cheapest so far and quality not bad against cost."
OVERALL
51 / 100
Look at where these fit in on our leader board.
(Don't forget to follow us on twitter @TheMincePieBlog and on Facebook)
No comments:
Post a Comment