Anyway.
The best (generic high street) mince pies of 2021 are, in reverse order for the artificial generation of tension:
#3: Iceland Luxury and M&S Classic. Nothing can separate these two heavyweights, just like the final shot of Rocky III.
#2: Sainsbos Taste the Difference. A hefty, boozy, flavourful pie, for the semi-posh.
#1: The big winner, the champion of champions, the PRINCE OF MINCE is...
COOP Irresistible! What a glorious pie. Bold, confident, and full of beautiful festive flavour. A chunky champion.
The day after I posted my review, people across the country reported that the pies had all sold out at their local COOPs. I'd like to believe that is my influence.
Although the COOP ones are -- officially, scientifically -- the best, any of those top three/four will see you right this Chrimble. Enjoy!
Here's the rest of the top 9. It's a top 9 because the next six are all 3.5 and I don't want to bore you with mediocrity.
("Mediocrity" is a bit harsh, as I'm a fan of all mince pies and am happy with any variety. Except the McDonald's or Tesco rum ones. I'm not sure I could face those again.)
And for those of you interested in a bit of light statistical analysis...
COOP has upped its game (or my tastes changed). The clear winner in 2021 only scored 3.5 in 2018 and 2020.
Good Housekeeping did a taste test and its top three were: Morrisons Best (I scored them 3.5), Iceland Luxury (4) and M&S Collection (3.5) as joint second, and Tesco Finest (3.5) and Lidl Deluxe (3) in joint third.
The Grauniad's top three were: Sainsbos Taste the Difference (4.5) in first place, Waitrose Brown Butter (3) in second, and M&S Collection (3.5) in third.
Huffpost UK's top three mince pies were: M&S Collection (3.5) at the top, Waitrose Brown Butter (3) in second, and COOP Bourbon and Orange (N/A) in third, which is just mental.
All of which tells us little except that the M&S Collection are consistent.
If you've enjoyed my mincey odyssey, please consider bunging me a couple of quid so I can do this again next year:
(Obviously I will do it again next year whether you bribe me or not, who am I kidding?)
As mentioned above, I'm going to continue to munch on mince pies for the next few weeks, so it's not quite over yet...
#mincetagram #MincePieADay #MincePieFest2021
Are mince pies especially popular in the UK? My dad is the only person I know here in the U.S. that likes them, and he's fond of saying he only eats two kinds of pie - hot pie and cold pie - so I'm not sure he's anything to judge by.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question! They are a tradition that is unique to Britain (although I have heard Canadians have them too) so from that perspective I suppose they are popular, but I'm the only person in my household that likes them, and none of my partner's family like them either.
DeleteOn the plus side, that does mean more for me!
But yes, it's not uncommon to come across Brits who don't like mince pies or Chrimble pudding.