Top 10 Mince Pies for Christmas 2018
The Top 10 Mince Pies for Christmas 2018 include a number of producers, both small, and large. From Marks and Spencer and Pret, to Tesco and Morrison, The Food and Drink have complied a list of our go-to mince pies for Christmas this year.
The following mince pies have been selected from a diverse range of bakeries, supermarkets and artisan producers from all over the country.
From Celtic mince pies produced in Ireland and Scotland, to the finest mince pies in England and Wales, rest assured; they all taste great!
With 220 million mince pies sold over the Christmas season, there’s plenty of producers competing to make the best mince pies in the country. Whether you eat mince pies hot or cold, mince pies taste of Christmas.
From mince pies in the supermarkets, to artisan and homemade alternatives, there’s nothing that tastes of Christmas more than a mince pie (preferably with brandy butter), and a warm glass of mulled wine.
I’ve reviewed some of my favourite mulled wines for Christmas this year to accompany a variety mince pies this year, so whether you’re a shortcrust, filo or puff pastry type of person, there’s something for everyone.
In my opinion, a mince pie should have a buttery pastry that crumbles. My go to mince pies usually involve a little tipple too. Well, it is Christmas after all!
Whatever your taste, let’s separate the mince, from the meat, and let you know what’s hot and what’s not this Christmas.
1. Morrison The Best Mince Pies
Filled with vine fruit mincemeat enriched with brandy, cider and a blend of spices. When William M. Morrison opened his first market stall in 1899, he was committed to giving his customers the very best in quality and taste. That passion is behind the inspiration behind The Best – a collection of mouth watering products made with great quality ingredients, for the best possible flavour. It has also been Taste Approved in 2018 by the Good Housekeeping Institute.
2. Pret a Manger Mince Pie
A cut-out star window reveals a generous amount of sticky mincemeat and is topped with a dusting of icing. We loved the aroma of fresh, buttery pastry, gentle spices and boozy, sweet mincemeat. Zesty, tart flavours from the orange and lemon balance the sweet, juicy vine fruit. Apples add a touch of fruitiness however, some found the flavour a little too intensely rich.
3. Gail’s Mince Pies
Gail’s mince pies have a soft, crumbly pastry, which is filled with sweet spiced fruit and topped with demerara sugar. This dark golden pastry of has an indulgent, heavy fruit filling which is made with a slightly tarter mincemeat, which balances the sweet buttery pastry perfectly. Gail’s is a a bakery in London based bakery and has been producing their mince pies using the same family recipe for 13 years!
4. Fortnum and Mason Mince Pies
Fortnum and Mason Mince Pies are mini mince pies with a generous pastry case. The mincemeat in their mince pies is there to complement the pastry, so deep filled mince pie lovers will most probably be a little disapointed when they discover very limited filling. Nevertheless, a decent mince pie for pastry lovers. Having said that, the mincemeat is infused in brandy which gives this mince pie some depth (even with little filling). Perfect for Christmas canopies at seasonal gatherings.
5. Walkers Shortbread Glenfiddich Mince Pies
Walkers traditional Whisky Mince Pies are baked with a generous addition of Glenfiddich whisky. With deliciously moist mincemeat, made with apple, currants, sultanas, candied citrus peels… and a generous dash of Glenfiddich 12-year-old malt whisky, this sweet little mince pie packs a rather big punch! Encased in a pure butter shortcrust pastry this one’s sure to warm your cockles this Christmas!
6. Heston’s Mince Pies, Waitrose
Heston has been doing what he does best, and has brought something new to the classic mince pie of old. A deliciously indulgent combination of rich, seasonal flavours make this mince pie both unique and distinctively festive.
Great as a gift, or to enjoy yourself with a glass of Heston’s Mulled Cider, this all butter chocolate pastry is topped with a sour cherry mincemeat that contains Heston cherry bakewell vodka. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Heston has pulled out all the stops this year and finished his mince pie off with with a chocolate crumble topping… and sprinkle of sugar dusting to give the pie a festive snow-like dusting. Enjoy!
7. ASDA Extra Special Mince Pies, ASDA
ASDA Extra Special Mince Pies are generously filled with spiced vine fruits, with a splash of rich ruby port and French brandy, all encased in crumbly shortcrust pastry. These have been so popular this year that they are currently completely out of stock, but with Christmas approaching, they’ll be getting more baked as soon as possible. That said, they’ll go like, hot cakes, so you had better get them while you can!
8. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mince Pies, Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mince Pies are all butter mince pies are packed with a festive blend of luscious vine fruit, cranberries and clementine juice. They are then infused with a generous drop of brandy, then baked by shortbread specialists, Walkers
9. Tesco Finest Mince Pies, Tesco
Tesco Finest Mince Pies are made with all butter pastry, in cases filled with mincemeat and infused with Courvoisier VS Cognac and port. Delicious served warm with brandy butter!
10. Dominique Ansel Rudolph Mince Pies, Dominique Ansel London
Meet Dominique’s Rudolph the (red nose) reindeer mince pies. This fun mince pie is by far the cutest of them all. With a sweet pastry with macerated fruits (enriched with alcohol) with cinnamon, brandy, nutmeg and orange and white chocolate eyes, milk chocolate antlers and a red chocolate nose for Rudolph, this mince pie looks super cool and tastes great too!
