Surprising supermarket crowned best for mince pies in blind taste test beating Aldi
THE tastiest mince pie for 2023 has been revealed and it is not Aldi.
In a blind taste test conducted by Which?, the winner "wowed" the panel of judges.
Consumer champion Which? has awarded two Best Buy recommendations to premium mince pies this year.
What's more, the overall winner won't send the price of your shopping basket soaring, as it costs just 46p a pie.
Winner of the top spot in the blind taste test were Co-op's Irresistible Luxury Mince Pies.
They received a 73% rating that earned them the coveted Which? Best Buy recommendation.
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The panel were "wowed" by the buttery pastry and sweet glossy filling, and also noted the generous ratio of filling to pastry.
The Co-op mince pies cost £2.75 for six, or 46p per pie.
Following closely behind, Tesco Finest Mince Pies also earned themselves a Best Buy award.
They scored an impressive 72%, coming just a fraction behind its top-rated rival.
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Tesco Finest Mince Pies were praised for their festive citrus zing and pleasant, well-balanced flavours.
They were not much more expensive than the Co-op pies either, coming in at £3 for six, or 50p per pie.
The Which? panel was made up of baking experts including Great British Bake Off 2021 semi-finalist Jürgen Krauss and award-winning baker and food writer Dan Lepard.
Also on the panel was Bake Off The Professionals 2022 winner Nathan Rave, and pastry chef and author Shaheen Peerbhai.
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Which? only awards its Best Buy logo to the very best products, based on its own independent expert taste tests.
The experts were looking for mince pies that had an attractive golden appearance, with rich, buttery, well-baked pastry, and a flavoursome filling with a good balance of fruit and spices.
Other supermarket mince pies were also highlighted despite not receiving a Which? Best Buy recommendation.
The cheapest on test this year was Aldi’s Specially Selected Mince Pies at £2.19 for six, or 37p a pie which makes them worth considering if you are keen to keep costs down.
Iceland’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies, which are priced at £2.50 for six were praised for the tastiness of their fillings but the experts felt that the pastry was a little too soft and doughy.
Lidl’s Deluxe Luxury Mince Pies priced at £2.49 for six also did fairly well, although the panel thought that the spice and fruit flavour was slightly lacking.
Meanwhile, some mince pies did not go down well at all with the experts.
Asda Extra Special Brown Butter and Rum pies priced at £2.75 for six and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference pies at £2.75 for six did not stand out from the crowd when it came to the taste test and came bottom of the rankings.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services said: “Our experts tasted pies from the biggest supermarkets in the UK to find out which ones will make the holiday season extra special this year and found some great options that won’t break the bank.
“The competition this year was tough but the luxury mince pie offerings from Co-op and Tesco have come out on top.”
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Meanwhile, have you ever wondered why a mince pie is called a mince pie? We can reveal the answer.
We have also checked out who is offering the best deal this week on Christmas chocs.