What’s your favourite Christmas nibble – mince pies, perhaps? There’s so much lovely stuff to choose from isn’t there? Delicious food and the excuse to indulge is one of my favourite parts of Christmas and it’s the reason I’m scared to stand on the weighing scales come New Year!
Boxed own brand mince pies
Mince pies. The arrival of a single shelf of boxed own brand mince pies is the first sign that Christmas is coming. It’s usually just after I come back from my summer holidays that they appear and makes me hate them slightly. But then as the weeks move into Autumn and someone at work, a Christmas lover, has one on their break that’s when the craving for spiced fruit and sugary pastry kicks in.
Now I’m a little bit fussy about my mince pies. I like a gorgeously warm, homemade one slathered in cream. Sometimes Christmas time gets a little busy and baking just isn’t practical and so I’ll turn to shop bought treats. We all need a break from being a full on domestic goddess even at Christmas time!
Taste test of the best mince pies on the market
BBC Good Food Magazine is a great source of Christmas food inspiration, their November edition is the go-to for all things tinsel, turkey and treats in our house. They have kindly (though I imagine it wasn’t VERY hard work) conducted a blind taste test of the best mince pies on the market this year and in doing so have saved us all the sadness of a disappointing shortcrust or a gritty fruit filling and we present to you the results.
When you think of delicious festive food it’s likely that Marks and Spencer or Waitrose will be at the front of your hungry mind. Glossy adverts, interesting flavours and higher price point make you assume they would be the best at everything. Not so!! Morrisons’ All Butter Deep Filled Mince Pies won the taste test and at £2 for a box of 6 we think that’s amazing news.
‘Free From’ Mince Pie category
Morrisons also won the ‘Free From’ Mince Pie category and the Christmas Cake category. The Yorkshire based supermarket really know how to create a tasty treat that is perfect with a cup of tea on a gloomy December afternoon. The judges described the winning mince pies as having a ‘buttery, almost shortbread-like pastry’ filled with ‘whole raisins and sultanas’ with a ‘nice balance of sweetness and booze’.
Well, don’t they sound epic?!
