So... What are the best mince pies?

[DaddyCoolNippingAtYourNose]

.. and i don't mean the crappy standard ones. i mean the finest ones ever. i was always partial to tesco 'finest' and sainsbury 'taste the diff' but someone last year recommended the next step up on the posh scale to 'Duchy Originals' which i've bought but haven't tucked into yet.

which are the very very best in your opinions?

OMG!...

WAITROSE ALL BUTTER MINCE PIES

Taste Test 28.11.05

Initial impressions are very good. Large, golden brown and no naff icing suger or suger plastered all over the top.

intriguing bouquet. a mix of brandy and cherries with a strong smell of the butter pastry.

and now for the taste...

These are by far, the best store bought mince pies so far.

The strong brandy and addition of glace cherries is impressive but the most impressive and what I think sets these pies apart from the others is the addition of cranberries.

I'm very very impressed. The pastry is almost identical to Duchy Originals but without all the suger on the top to make your fingers messy and the filling is generous and superior to other brands.

this pie is a perfect 10.

yay!

I have two boxes in my christmas cupboard

DC - 'suger' ???? Shame on you....

they really are nice. seriously good quality.

(should we try to find out where frizbe lives and go rough her up a bit? she's committing mince pie crimes as we speak)

whoah! ... sorry NDP, that really was a typo, honest!

sugEr

tut tut tut

waitrose stuff just is good generally

(enid has a 'christmas cupboard' )

yes, i know, sugar

I'd believe that if you'd mistyped it once, but twice in quick succession on the same post.

seriously?? this is awful! i'm not a dumb-ass! honest! they were genuine typos.

oooh Daddycool! I just happen to be preggers and on a budget that's all! if I craved my way thru piles of pies from waitrose we'd be out of a house!

sometimes you have to make sacrifices frizbe......

plus the nearest waitrose is about 50miles away

PMSL @ an accountant advising someone to buy luxury mince pies at the expense of their mortgage

well we tried the waitrose minis on saturday and they are very very nice indeed (no cream though cod, sorry...)

saw in the Times test that M&S Luxury deep filled are apparently the best

was wondering whether DC was behind that but he hasn't tried them yet...

is he really! think mine might disagree with you dc!

and am wondering why I care and am still posting on this thread...... sigh

I think the M and S luxury ones are a bit icky personally

Had some Sainsbury's ones yesterday and they were nice but not fabulous, need to get to Waitrose

icky how? they're on their way tomorrow but they'll have to be pretty damn special to beat out those waitrose bad boys.

Girly - the sainsbaggers ones aren't bad. the filling is nice and the pastry is, well, strange. it's kind of soft and gooey isnt it?

thick gooey overly sweet filling

DC they were a bit too sweet so only had one, dh managed 2 or was it 3! he was reeling after I presented him with my christmas list anyway dh can have the Sainsbury's I am off to Waitrose later!

yes, they certainly make your teeth tingle a bit. I'm thinking they could be as low as 5th place in the end.