The pastry is so soft as to be almost non-existent, like biting into a particularly sugary cloud. The filling is quite tasty, although it's all fruit and no interesting booze or spices, and it's a bit stingy.
These are okay, but nothing special. Vegans deserve better. 3 out of 5. (Palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
I'm guessing the pastry usually isn't that soft in the pies (it sounds like eating a yeast doughnut). Did you feel like that hurt its score, or did it make no difference? What's your preference, if you have one, with the pastry?
ReplyDeleteI like a firm pastry, with a bit of bite, but stopping short of crispy. I also don't like it to be too sweet, as I prefer the filling to carry most of the flavour.
DeleteOn the bright side, it was edible. A lot of things marketed to Vegans are terrible.
ReplyDeleteThe Heretic
You are not wrong. One of the main reasons I haven't made the jump is cheese. Vegan cheese has improved a lot over the past few years but it's still a long way from being good!
DeleteNice find! A shame it didn't score a little better, but I suppose it could be much worse...😅
ReplyDelete(You speak truth regarding vegan cheese btw. I have actually found that there are a couple of brands now that I'm happy to use and don't just endure because they're cheesy enough, but for YEARS I couldn't believe the primitive level at which vegan cheese technology was stuck. I bet I was a lot of fun to talk to about cheese during those years.)
It's the pastry that holds these back for me. I sometimes make my own pies, and they are vegan, so I know it's possible to make a good, firm vegan pastry.
DeleteIt certainly is possible to make a good vegan pastry. As and when, i've been doing so for decades.
DeleteThe vegan cheeses have certainly improved. I think some of them now suffer a little 'uncanny valley'. It's like expecting a Gloucester to taste like a Cheddar. I find it's best to treat them as their own thing, as it were.
'Uncanny valley' is the perfect way to think about them. There's a fine line between a decent savory experience and enduring a mockery of 'real' cheese...
DeleteIt's the texture for me. Vegan cheese (in particular on pizza) has a texture that's a bit too close to liquid for me.
DeleteI'm not a fan of soft "real" cheese for the same reason.