We tasted mince pies from every supermarket and this…

We tasted mince pies from every supermarket and this 33p one won by a mile

Whether you love them or hate them, at Christmas time there's no escaping them.

Around every supermarket corner, the mince pie seems to be everywhere you look and there are more varieties than ever.

As well as basic versions and luxury versions, there are ice topped, lattice topped, mini ones, giant ones, you name it.

With so many to choose from we had to draw the line somewhere, so decided to taste test the basic and luxury version from each of the main supermarkets.

And with M&S impressing shoppers with its grocery prices this year - and always a big hit for its festive food - we added it to the list too. It was only Asda where we struggled to pick up its basic pack, perhaps an early indication of their popularity.

Looks wise, they've all got some sort of festive design on the top, ranging from snowflakes and stars to holly and, on Sainsbury's basic ones, a Christmas tree.

We tasted 13 different mince pies (Manchester Family / MEN)

Most of the basic ones seem to be smaller in size, with a more prominent edge, whereas the luxury ones mostly have a top that covers the whole pie, albeit with gaps on some of the designs.

Now tasting 13 mince pies is no easy task and we knew from the start that we'd be having 'a sample' of each one, rather than the full pie. I mean, we like them, but not that much.

Many of them were much of a muchness - a decent mince pie but nothing to write home about.

A couple - Lidl's and Aldi's basic boxes - were a little on the bland side, while the alcohol flavour was oozing out of two others, the cognac in the M&S Collection and the brandy from Sainsbury's Taste the Difference.

We tasted mince pies from every supermarket (Manchester Family / MEN)

Pastry is obviously a key ingredient and you could taste the butter in the 'all-butter pastry' ones from Asda and Lidl.

What we did find was that the luxury pies seemed to have thicker pastry overall - and it didn't do much for the overall flavour. Making them a bit too dry.

On the Lidl Deluxe and Morrisons 'the best', it was far too thick and dry, with the filling on the latter being a bit too sloppy and generally lacking in flavour. We all felt Morrisons' basic pies were superior to its 'best'.

Aldi's Specially Selected and M&S Collection were both complimented for their strong fruity flavour, but it was Tesco Finest - with the subtle French brandy and port flavours - that took the second place.

Tesco Finest came second (Manchester Family / MEN)

As for the overall winner, the decision was unanimous - M&S Classic, 'crisp all butter shortcrust pastry, deep filled with classic mincemeat'.

We couldn't quite work out what it was specifically making it so tasty, but the sugar sprinkled pastry is nothing short of perfect; the filling rich and fruity without being overpowering. Simply delicious and the one we all agreed we'd buy again. If we can ever face another mince pie that is.

At £2 a pack, they might be the most expensive of the retailers' basic pies, but when we ranked them above all the top branded ones, then you're actually paying less for that little slice of luxury. I think you'll agree they're well worth the 33p a pie price tag.

The winner was unanimous - M&S Classic (Manchester Family / MEN)

Here are the prices for the packs

M&S Classic £2
M&S Collection £3
Tesco Finest £2.25
Tesco £1.09
Aldi Specially Selected £1.75
Aldi 99p
Lidl Deluxe £1.75
Lidl 99p
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference £1.75
Sainsbury's £1.25
Morrisons the Best £2.25
Morrisons £1.25
Asda Extra Special £2.25

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