Now this is going to be complicated. We have two varieties in this one box of mince pies. 3 of them are almond topped and 3 are walnut topped. Yes, I know it would have been easier to just have just reviewed 6 of their their standard mince pies, but when they're bought for you, I cannot really complain! On closer inspection of the ingredients, the only difference is the topping on each mince pie, one walnut and other almond. Therefore, this review will proceed as normal, but we'll take into account the different toppings on each. Make sense? Lets go.
Presentation - 9
This is the first mince pie box that had a lid and opens up from the top rather than from the side. I must say that I like it. The box is robust, sturdy and feels luxurious. However, the box could have any had anything in them, let alone anything Christmas related or mince pies.
As for each mince pie, they look neat and presentable, but a bit small considering their price later! The almond topped ones look perfectly baked while the walnut ones are covered with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar. Now, the mince pies were not labelled, so i'm going to hope I get this the right way around!
Nutritional Content & Price - 8
According to the nutritional content at the back of the cardboard band surrounding the box, the nutritional content for each type of mince pie is the same. While they have written is per 100g, I have worked out that each mince pie has 195 calories, 8.5g of fat and 11.2g of sugar. This is very good for a regular mince pie. Definitely lower than your average in all areas.
As for price, these are £6.99 per box of 6. That's £1.17 per mince pie. Considering they are from Selfridges, I would have expected to be paying more, so I guess they are not hugely bad value. my only gripe is that they are a little small compared to regular mince pies.
Pastry - 30
Both varieties of mince pies have the same pastry and it is absolutely lovely. Perfectly cooked all around, not too sweet, full of butter and perfectly crumbly all around. There is more pastry in the almond topped pie and it is in this pie that it appears to be a little stodge as it looks like the pastry has absorbed some of the moisture from the mincemeat. I loved the crumbly top on the almond pie and the almond and vanilla flavours comes through perfectly. As for the walnut topped pie, the pastry was the same and only suffered with a little "stodginess". I couldn't really taste the walnut topping on this one which was a shame.
Mincemeat - 28
The mincemeat, again the same in each variant, appears to have been puréed mostly and stuffed inside. The walnut pie's mincemeat was filled to the top, where as the almond pie had significantly less. As for the mincemeat itself it was full of very subtle flavours. While brandy is listed on the ingredients, you cannot taste it, but what does come through it the quality vine fruits and apples that have been mashed together. The mincemeat looked quite dry, but was not as dry as you expect when eating it. It's not quite a mincemeat I would eat out of a jar, but definitely one I would consider placing into one of my own mince pies (if I ever made any!)
Overall Satisfaction - 6
I was not blown away by these mince pies. I was expecting quality and this is what I got, but I was not introduced to something different. I liked the nutty flavour, but It wouldn't have been missed if they were not there. This is bog standard mince pie using quality ingredients and baked to perfection. As for the £6.99 price tag and size of each mince pie, after eating them, I am leaning towards the "not worth it" category.
Here are the scores from my fellow mincers;
Tester 1
Presentation (7) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (22) Mincemeat (20) Satisfaction Level (7.5)
Presentation (8) Nutritional content & Price (8.5) Pastry (31) Mincemeat (32) Satisfaction Level (8.5)
Tester 3
Presentation (8.5) Nutritional content & Price (5) Pastry (29) Mincemeat (12) Satisfaction Level (4)
OVERALL
72.5 / 100
Look at where these fit in on our leader board.
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Presentation - 9
This is the first mince pie box that had a lid and opens up from the top rather than from the side. I must say that I like it. The box is robust, sturdy and feels luxurious. However, the box could have any had anything in them, let alone anything Christmas related or mince pies.
As for each mince pie, they look neat and presentable, but a bit small considering their price later! The almond topped ones look perfectly baked while the walnut ones are covered with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar. Now, the mince pies were not labelled, so i'm going to hope I get this the right way around!
 |
| Almond |
 |
| Almond |
 |
| Walnut |
 |
| Walnut |
Nutritional Content & Price - 8
According to the nutritional content at the back of the cardboard band surrounding the box, the nutritional content for each type of mince pie is the same. While they have written is per 100g, I have worked out that each mince pie has 195 calories, 8.5g of fat and 11.2g of sugar. This is very good for a regular mince pie. Definitely lower than your average in all areas.
As for price, these are £6.99 per box of 6. That's £1.17 per mince pie. Considering they are from Selfridges, I would have expected to be paying more, so I guess they are not hugely bad value. my only gripe is that they are a little small compared to regular mince pies.
Pastry - 30
Both varieties of mince pies have the same pastry and it is absolutely lovely. Perfectly cooked all around, not too sweet, full of butter and perfectly crumbly all around. There is more pastry in the almond topped pie and it is in this pie that it appears to be a little stodge as it looks like the pastry has absorbed some of the moisture from the mincemeat. I loved the crumbly top on the almond pie and the almond and vanilla flavours comes through perfectly. As for the walnut topped pie, the pastry was the same and only suffered with a little "stodginess". I couldn't really taste the walnut topping on this one which was a shame.
 |
| Almond |
 |
| Walnut |
The mincemeat, again the same in each variant, appears to have been puréed mostly and stuffed inside. The walnut pie's mincemeat was filled to the top, where as the almond pie had significantly less. As for the mincemeat itself it was full of very subtle flavours. While brandy is listed on the ingredients, you cannot taste it, but what does come through it the quality vine fruits and apples that have been mashed together. The mincemeat looked quite dry, but was not as dry as you expect when eating it. It's not quite a mincemeat I would eat out of a jar, but definitely one I would consider placing into one of my own mince pies (if I ever made any!)
Overall Satisfaction - 6
I was not blown away by these mince pies. I was expecting quality and this is what I got, but I was not introduced to something different. I liked the nutty flavour, but It wouldn't have been missed if they were not there. This is bog standard mince pie using quality ingredients and baked to perfection. As for the £6.99 price tag and size of each mince pie, after eating them, I am leaning towards the "not worth it" category.
Here are the scores from my fellow mincers;
Tester 1
Presentation (7) Nutritional content & Price (6) Pastry (22) Mincemeat (20) Satisfaction Level (7.5)
"Tasted nice, not enough filling. Left grease marks on my paper! Thought they would be better?!"Tester 2
Presentation (8) Nutritional content & Price (8.5) Pastry (31) Mincemeat (32) Satisfaction Level (8.5)
"I absolutely loved the almond one, but the walnut, not so much..."
Tester 3
Presentation (8.5) Nutritional content & Price (5) Pastry (29) Mincemeat (12) Satisfaction Level (4)
"A good buttery flavour in the pastry, but the mincemeat was dissapointing, it was more mince paste than mince meat!"
OVERALL
72.5 / 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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