by Amazon Our Selection Deep Filled Mince Pies
£2.50 for 6, amazon.co.uk
Smells incredibly buttery and gorgeous. The pastry is nice and golden, the filling spot on. Good cold or warm. I really love these.
★★★★
Morrisons Free From Mince Pies
£3 for 4, morrisons.com
The pastry is a little powdery, you get that with GF pastry. Served warm, it’s very good. If I was coeliac or vegan, I would be seriously impressed. It is sweet; but put a bit of cream on, no problems.
★★★★
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Gingerbread Blondie Pies
£2.25 for 4, sainsburys.co.uk
If I didn’t like mince pies, I probably wouldn’t like that – it’s quite spiced and quite sickly. Nicer cold.
★★
Heston from Waitrose Pear & Fig Mince Pies in Cheese Pastry
£3.50 for 6, waitrose.com
I love puff pastry mince pies, but not this. It’s cheese pastry? I can’t taste that. It might’ve worked better if they’d put a square of cheese in the middle.
★
Asda Extra Special Giant Sharing Mince Pie
Serves 6, £4.50, groceries.asda.com
Needs to be served warm. Thick pastry and a thin filling – some people love that. It’s tasty enough and serves a good purpose.
★★★
Co-op Irresistible Cinnamon Sugar Knots
150g, £1.80, coop.co.uk
It smells spiced but it’s not overpowering. Warming flavour, super crunchy. I’d dip this in a hot drink so the sugar melts. Love this.
★★★★
Crosstown Cinnamon & Blackberry Vegan Biscuit
£12.95 for 6, crosstown.co.uk
Quite good for a vegan biscuit. It doesn’t taste of butter, but it’s a good texture. The jam inside is swee-eet. I would be happy to give that to someone.
★★★
TOP TASTE
Heston from Waitrose Mandarin Negroni Stollen
530g, £10, waitrose.com
Wow! It’s super orangey, and spiced. A ripple of marzipan, and the dough is fluffy. I’d love it warm, with custard. Looks retro and pretty. I’d serve this.
★★★★
Morrisons The Best Hand Finished Stollen
600g, £7, morrisons.com
It smells so boozy. This is dense. It’s got so much marzipan, way too much. I love marzipan but find this is overwhelming.
★
Waitrose Christmas Parmigiano & Black Pepper Panettone
500g, £9, waitrose.com
Woah, that’s cheese! Unnecessary. I don’t think I like that. Why would you put cheese in a panettone? Leave it alone.
★
Carluccio’s Vegan Panettone
750g, £17.95, carluccios.com
Really quite good. I don’t know if I’d know straight away that it’s vegan. For a bake that usually takes so many eggs and so much butter … you can’t taste it doesn’t have them. Interesting.
★★★★
Aldi Specially Selected Black Forest Snow Globe Dessert
550g, £7.99, groceries.aldi.co.uk
This is so cool. You break the dome and scoop out mousse and sponge. There’s jammy cherry. Yum! Can you imagine putting this on the table and telling everyone to grab a spoon? It’s so fun.
★★★★
Asda Extra Special Vegan Chocolate Bauble
£4.50 for 2 (340g), asda.com
Vegans never get milky chocolate mousses, so this is different. Could do with some salt.
★★
BEST BUY
M&S Helter Skelter cake
1.1kg, £25, marksandspencer.com
Slide sweets down the shell … then lift it and there’s a penguin. It’s so silly and cute. The cake is lovely, well made. Perfect tea-time cake. Full marks for how fun it is.
★★★★★
Tesco Finest Salted Caramel & Chocolate Millionaire Choux Wreath
472g, £4.72g, tesco.com
I love elaborate choux. Caramelly toffee; choux is crisp. For those who like incredibly sweet desserts.
★★★
Ravneet Gill is the author of Sugar, I Love You, and founder of Countertalk
