I don't know about everyone else, but i've been noticing that Morissons have been trying to pass themselves off as a, sort of, market. I get the impression they are trying to make you feel like you are buying from a "stall" as if you were out in a local farmers market? To me, this is failing as it's just a giant supermarket with various counters and isles. I like the smell of a farmers market, all the different fresh smells; and sticking the fish counter right by the entrance of most of your stores is a lovely stench. However, I digress, lets see if their mince pies are "market stall" quality.
Presentation - 3
I'm not impressed by the box. It's all pretty dull. I think they have actually gone down from last year's design. They couldn't even be bothered to write Morissons in full. I think I may just start writing M for short too.
The pie itself is it's only redeeming factor, you have a nice wavy design around the edge of the pie and a Christmas tree pattern on the top. It looks fairly evenly baked and like it should be a tasty mince pie.
Nutritional Content & Price - 5
The nutritional content is written on the front, however, on the back the table is not highlighted like other supermarkets making it take ever so slightly longer to spot what you're looking for. Just one of my little niggles. Other than this, they have managed to add more calories than last year, but reduce everything else; strange. These come in at 252 calories, 20.9g of sugar and 8.8g of fat per mince pie.
At the time of purchase these were £1.45 for a box of 6. I would say this is reasonable for Morriso...I mean... M to charge as long as they are at least satisfactory for a mince pie.
Pastry - 10
This was terrible. After just one bite you could feel that it was far too soggy. I tend to bite into my review mince pie quite carefully so to ensure that I can get a good photo of the inside. Had I been eating this mince pie in my normal manor, this would have fallen to bits. In fact, my fellow Mincers, not hindered by a photo, discovered this first hand. The pastry has not only been undercooked, but its also absorbed the moisture from the mincemeat, making this stodgy and soggy. I actually felt there was a little too much pastry, but had they made it any thinner, I think the pie would have fallen apart while taking it out of it's foil base. The pastry itself is actually quite bland too. Could have done with more sugar.
Mincemeat - 20
This was at least better. What is immediately noticeable is the fact that this is another mince pie that is half filled. I found there was plenty of vine fruit, but I had an odd bitter taste that lingered for a little while after. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it was akin to the bitterness of having brandy in your mince pie, but without the brandy flavour. Other than this and the lack of filling, it was not half bad.
Overall Satisfaction - 3
I have to say, I was highly disappointed with this pie. I was expecting a pretty standard mince pie from M (getting the hang of this now) but what I ate was entirely below average. Previous readers of the blog will know I like a a good filling, but the pastry was so bad that it affected the whole pie. Thankfully, the dull packaging will hopefully prevent people from buying these.
Here are the scores from my fellow Mincers.
Tester 1
Presentation (5) Nutritional content & Price (5) Pastry (10) Mincemeat (26) Satisfaction Level (4)
Presentation (6) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (20) Mincemeat (22) Satisfaction Level (6)
OVERALL
50.3 / 100
Look at where these fit in on our leader board.
(Don't forget to follow us on twitter @TheMincePieBlog and on Facebook)
Presentation - 3
I'm not impressed by the box. It's all pretty dull. I think they have actually gone down from last year's design. They couldn't even be bothered to write Morissons in full. I think I may just start writing M for short too.
The pie itself is it's only redeeming factor, you have a nice wavy design around the edge of the pie and a Christmas tree pattern on the top. It looks fairly evenly baked and like it should be a tasty mince pie.
Nutritional Content & Price - 5
The nutritional content is written on the front, however, on the back the table is not highlighted like other supermarkets making it take ever so slightly longer to spot what you're looking for. Just one of my little niggles. Other than this, they have managed to add more calories than last year, but reduce everything else; strange. These come in at 252 calories, 20.9g of sugar and 8.8g of fat per mince pie.
At the time of purchase these were £1.45 for a box of 6. I would say this is reasonable for Morriso...I mean... M to charge as long as they are at least satisfactory for a mince pie.
Pastry - 10
This was terrible. After just one bite you could feel that it was far too soggy. I tend to bite into my review mince pie quite carefully so to ensure that I can get a good photo of the inside. Had I been eating this mince pie in my normal manor, this would have fallen to bits. In fact, my fellow Mincers, not hindered by a photo, discovered this first hand. The pastry has not only been undercooked, but its also absorbed the moisture from the mincemeat, making this stodgy and soggy. I actually felt there was a little too much pastry, but had they made it any thinner, I think the pie would have fallen apart while taking it out of it's foil base. The pastry itself is actually quite bland too. Could have done with more sugar.
Mincemeat - 20
This was at least better. What is immediately noticeable is the fact that this is another mince pie that is half filled. I found there was plenty of vine fruit, but I had an odd bitter taste that lingered for a little while after. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it was akin to the bitterness of having brandy in your mince pie, but without the brandy flavour. Other than this and the lack of filling, it was not half bad.
Overall Satisfaction - 3
I have to say, I was highly disappointed with this pie. I was expecting a pretty standard mince pie from M (getting the hang of this now) but what I ate was entirely below average. Previous readers of the blog will know I like a a good filling, but the pastry was so bad that it affected the whole pie. Thankfully, the dull packaging will hopefully prevent people from buying these.
Here are the scores from my fellow Mincers.
Tester 1
Presentation (5) Nutritional content & Price (5) Pastry (10) Mincemeat (26) Satisfaction Level (4)
"The pastry was a major let down!"Tester 2
Presentation (6) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (20) Mincemeat (22) Satisfaction Level (6)
"Average, not bad but not great. Would probably buy if getting a weekly shop, but more for convenience."
OVERALL
50.3 / 100
Look at where these fit in on our leader board.
(Don't forget to follow us on twitter @TheMincePieBlog and on Facebook)
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