I tried you don't have to.

[GettingStuffed]

I suspect I'm not the only one who does taste tests in the run up to Christmas.I

So far I've tried

Lidl mince pies, pastry is fantastic crisp with a good flavour , let down by the filling just tastes like a mixed fruit pie
Tesco bog standard, pastry is far too crumbly it disintegrated as I took it out of its cup. The filling was much better than Lidl's with a good boozy taste.

Lidl salt and pepper mixed nuts with olives. I've never had crispy olives before but the were a revelation.
Tesco salted caramel party mix. Loving this, it has nuts, pretzel bits, chocolate covered nuts, Malteser type things , chocolate buttons. A must have.

If you've tried anything perhaps you could say what they were and what you thought of them

@Startuplife was it Fevertree Mexican Lime Soda? It's delicious!

@Impatientwino it definitely looked like that one so could be similar but this one said to specifically mix it with tequila as I remember thinking I wouldn’t like it as I’m not a tequila fan but it turned out to be delicious.

I’ll give the fevertree one a go and if not I’ll have to call the estate agents and ask them!

I’ve also tried the Aldi berry and lemon roulade. I liked it but thought it was a bit sweet. Would have liked it more if it had been a bit more sour/tangy. Still enjoyable.

I bravely tried the M&S chocolate coins yesterday and thought they were nice, fully recommend

If you're making your own Christmas cake, Waitrose Essential dried fruit is superior to Sainsburys & Aldi and perfectly adequate no need for the Waitrose vine fruits (expensive) one - I won the fruit cake competition at the local produce show using Waitrose Essential dried fruit.

@MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel
Smoked salmon, Brussels sprouts and Baileys?

I’ve tried Waitrose all butter mini mince pies and Aldi almond mince pies this weekend.
Waitrose: nice buttery pastry, enough filling but it’s very smooth, not alcoholic or spicy. Perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon or for children.
Aldi: one of my favourites, the ratio of pastry, filling and almonds on top is just perfect, look and taste very good.
Also tried Baileys Original (just in case) - all good and nothing changed. I will repeat and report again next weekend.

Hate the baileys but love the other two! A

Asda Irish cream extra special mince pies. They're beautiful, the right amount of filling, not claggy pastry and the Irish cream in the top swirl... Beautiful.

I am annoyed that they're 2.50 a box though when they were 2 boxes for £3 last year.

The asda choc orange Irish cream.... 8 pounds a bottle... Eh. It was alright. Didn't taste particularly chocolate orange though. Not something I'd buy again.

I miss the m and s mince pie Irish cream of2020. That was the best I've ever tasted and was so smooth.... Last years was the chocolate blonde one. No thanks 🤦🏻‍♀️

Me too; I like the different variety in the pack.

I tried the Aldi sloe gin mince pies, very nice, especially if you like your pies a bit tart 😁

@Startuplife
It's called Double Dutch lime soda.
I bought it in Sainsburys for £1+. Just found out it's in Home bargains for 29p.

Also tried Baileys Original (just in case) - all good and nothing changed. I will repeat and report again next weekend.

This really made me laugh 😂

Oh my gosh @bettedaviseyes1999 that’s it! Thank you so much! Off to Home Bargains this afternoon….

Thank you!

Lebkuchen from home bargains it's in a blue box it's amazing it survives about a day in our house and you get loads in it which tells you how nice it is 😍😍

Here we go again, that time of year where I forget if I like marzipan or not and buy a lot of marzipan-based products only to be disappointed.

I haven't tried any Christmas food yet, however I have been through the chest freezer and cupboards and have meals plans for the next two weeks using all the old stuff thats past it's use by date nearing its use by date. This is in preparation for me then to restock on all things Christmassy! Still need to eat the Christmas pudding I got last year!

Thank you for your diligence! 😂

Volunteers required to establish the GOAT Stollen Bites please.

I'm caloried controlled avd will allow myself one box to be devoured in 10 minutes savoured over the festive season.

Sainsbury's are normally damn fine, but Lidl may be a contender.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget where are yiu finding Lakrids in the UK please? 🙏🏼

Lebkuchen from home bargains it's in a blue box it's amazing it survives about a day in our house and you get loads in it which tells you how nice it is

Totally agree.

Is there a moist/soft lebkuchen anywhere without any icing on top? I'm willing to try the cookies but I really don't like icing.

Ah you Big Bunch of Enablers!!!

I'm trying to LOW CARB. instead I'm making a (long) shopping list
🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

I haven't yet , only online but I'm hoping I can find it in London (Harvey Nichols is a 3rd party re-seller )

Though if I buy online I know it won't have been sitting on a shelf for how long