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?

late entry! - i'll try to try the co-op ones this weekend.

NDP - hey there suger lips!

i've got the last of the duchy originals in my lunch and my stomach has started rumbling...

lol, DC.

Got to go and tax the car which involves going past greggs and waitrose yum which one shall I buy sod it both I thionk lets push the boat out!!!

waitrose. orgasmic pies.

at this thread still marching on!

actually I got there before you DC - Booths are the orgasmic ones!

I could murder a mince pie. but will have to make do with portuguese custard cake, in about an hour. with a nice cup of earl grey.

I can't get the booths ones. You have to post me some jools so i can include them in the 2005 taste test.

I have been watching this thread and thought I should mention that they tested pies in the The Guardian today...

Fraid Waitrose only scored 3/10 DC...

Morrisons topped the poll with 7/10... I was actually thinking of getting some from Harvey Nics actually...

see now, i just don't understand some of these taste tests.

waitrose wasn't a light decision. it really was the very best pie by a long shot and everyone i work with agreed.

Ahh, but which version of Waitrose pies. EG Tescos Finest are completely different to Tescos Bogstandard.

lol, I am sure DC. The thing is we don't have a Waitrose here so I can't help but feel bitter and post these terrible results!

soupy - the highly recommended ones, the all butter bad boys.

this taste test concentrated only the luxury breed of mince pie.

actually, I lie. I had one colleague who like the Tesco finest ones best and another colleague who didn't like the strong brandy in the waitrose so htey opted for the M&S pie.

So, the Guardian might have tested an inferior Waitrose pie...

saying that, the colleagues who didn't like the waitrose ones best were the ones who don't really eat mince pies.

all the mince pie lovers in the group agreed on the waitrose pie.

So, have you tried Fortnum and Mason's pies?

they must have soupy!

i'm not exaggerating here.. you opened the waitrose box and you could just tell that these were superior pies. they are perfect

snort! Did you sniff them to check the bouquet?

i can't get fortnum and mason's. the test was really just on the mainstream supermarket pies. the more exclusive or lesser known pie could not be tasted due to supply chain deficiencies.

soup - i did actually comment on the 'intriguing bouquet' of one of the pies. it might have been the waitrose one.

F&M pies are shelf stacked by men in tail coats - they simply must be superior to all others!

dh went into F&M the other day, he said he was mystified how it survived.

It wasn't an inferior pie I am afraid but Waitrose all butter...

What was your second fav? So those without Waitrose can also enjoy superior taste?

Although I am having doubts about your tastebuds now..

see below my full review.

surprisingly tesco finest came in second and M&S third.

I can't plough through all this - top three?