Okay, so Tesco's finest annoyed me, so I've turned to one that I would call a "safe bet". M&S' Christmas All Butter Mince Pies. However, I haven't reviewed an M&S mince pie since 2013. Lets see if they are still a solid entry.
Presentation - 5 / 10
A lot of red, ribbons of green and mistletoe written in large faint(ish) text. I think it looks like a half wrapped gift, but I cant be certain. It certainly has all the colours that is usually linked to Christmas but, i'm just not quite feeling it. The mince pies on top look large, but they are actually the actual size of the mince pies inside. Yes, I measured it!
The pies themselves are pretty simple well baked and with a star-shaped hole on top. Some have the star quite off centre, but I'm just being irritating.
Nutritional Content & Price - 7 / 10
These are just £1.80 a box which, for the usually up-market M&S brand is very very reasonable.
These have 8.5g of fat, 24.6g of sugar and 229 calories, which while appear reasonable (except for the high sugar amount) are actually identical to the M&S mince pies we tried 2 years ago. Uh oh..
Pastry - 29 / 35
These are very well baked, plenty of butter, not too sweet and structurally sound. Very very similar to the ones I tried two years ago. Nice and even all around, crumbly and generally quite a tasty pastry. I have to say, I like it.
Mincemeat - 30 / 35
This is where the magic happens. I love it. These are properly deep filled despite M&S not actually advertising these as deep filled. They reach the ceiling of the pie and some! I know the picture shows a gap, but the mincemeat that filled that gap went in the first bite. I can assure you that the next 3 mince pies I ate were all properly filled!
The mincemeat is packed full of whole fruit, very tangy (I like it) but maybe just a little bit too sweet.
Overall Satisfaction - 8 / 10
I'm thoroughly satisfied. I tend to try and not eat each box of 6 mince pies I eat and will often take them to the day job (unfortunately, this blog is a labour of love rather than a means to an end!) for others to eat, but these are not going anywhere near the office. I'll happily take on these calories myself!
OVERALL SCORE - 79 / 100
See where this mince pie sit on our leader board here.
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Presentation - 5 / 10
The pies themselves are pretty simple well baked and with a star-shaped hole on top. Some have the star quite off centre, but I'm just being irritating.
Nutritional Content & Price - 7 / 10
These are just £1.80 a box which, for the usually up-market M&S brand is very very reasonable.
These have 8.5g of fat, 24.6g of sugar and 229 calories, which while appear reasonable (except for the high sugar amount) are actually identical to the M&S mince pies we tried 2 years ago. Uh oh..
Pastry - 29 / 35
These are very well baked, plenty of butter, not too sweet and structurally sound. Very very similar to the ones I tried two years ago. Nice and even all around, crumbly and generally quite a tasty pastry. I have to say, I like it.
Mincemeat - 30 / 35
This is where the magic happens. I love it. These are properly deep filled despite M&S not actually advertising these as deep filled. They reach the ceiling of the pie and some! I know the picture shows a gap, but the mincemeat that filled that gap went in the first bite. I can assure you that the next 3 mince pies I ate were all properly filled!
The mincemeat is packed full of whole fruit, very tangy (I like it) but maybe just a little bit too sweet.
Overall Satisfaction - 8 / 10
I'm thoroughly satisfied. I tend to try and not eat each box of 6 mince pies I eat and will often take them to the day job (unfortunately, this blog is a labour of love rather than a means to an end!) for others to eat, but these are not going anywhere near the office. I'll happily take on these calories myself!
OVERALL SCORE - 79 / 100
See where this mince pie sit on our leader board here.
(Don't forget to share this review and follow us on twitter @TheMincePieBlog and on Facebook to ensure you don't miss out on new reviews.)
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