DADDYCOOL'S MINCE PIE DISCUSSION AND RATING 2007!

[DaddyCool]

Hello laaayyddee's, I'm back with my mince pie rating and discussion forum. I missed last year as I was out of the country and stuck with only mince pies from my local bakery which tasted too much of cinnamon and not enough of brandy.

Let me remind you ladies that the taste testing is based ONLY on LUXURY mince pies and not bog-standard ones. Also, if you eat Mr. Kipling pies, you should be ashamed and you have no place to take part in this discussion ()

ok, well the start of this year's taste testing was delicious but a little disspointing as I suspect 1 company is making pies for various supermarkets.

My first taste test was Tesco Finest. Historically an unusual pie which sported a very thin, saucer like shape and very light soft pastry. This year's was different. Pastry was similar but it was a deep filled pie as opposed to it's old saucer like shape.

The dissapointing bit was that on my second taste test, the 'Asda Extra Special' pie, I found that other than the little snow flake punched into the top, IT WAS THE SAME PIE!

Both quite nice pies but I'm dissapointed with the standardisation of these pies.

Btw, I thought Waitrose Luxury pies were the best in 2005 with M&S a close 2nd.

Opinions please.

hey DADDYCOOL!!!!

mwah, welcome back

Good to have this back. I bet Waitrose wins! I haven't eaten any yet this year. (halo emoticon)

hot or cold, it doesn't matter. I think you can rate them the same either way. I can't imagine one testing better hot than another tasting hot but not testing so good cold.... i'm getting confused now.

Let me know if there are large discrepancies in taste between hot and cold. For instance if Sainsbury's are really good hot but really crap cold and waitrose are really good cold but horrible hot... then we have a much more complicated issue here.

What about the cream then ? I find this an absolute must now.

Well we all know that cream is better. I think you can cast your opinion based on your own personal preparation preference.

Are you a 'cream on top' person or a 'cream poured through the holes so the mince pie fills with half cream and gushes out when you stick your fork into it' sort of person?

now mince pies I can take or leave tbh

pastry gives me heartburn since I have had children (number 2548 of why not to have them)

I like the fully prepared mince pie - hot, cream (cream on the inside if possible) but I'll eat them any which way. I've got some sitting on my desk beside me and I of course eat them cold as I don't have the facilities to prepare them for properly (ie: a kitchenette in my office which I'm sure if I installed, would be grounds for immediate sacking)

[happy sigh]

Heating them up can improve the texture of the pastry.

I like it blobbed on the side of the plate, just touching the pie, so you can take a spoonful of pie and add a bit of cream on the way to your mouth. I think letting it pour all over ruins the overall effect.

What about brandy butter?

Harrods mince pies are yummy
I like Sainsburrys and waitrose too.

Interesting suggestion re. the discrepancies in taste when hot or cold, but difficult for office workers to monitor (though if any of my staff ever installed a kitchenette solely for this purpose I might well promote them there and then).

As I am a SAHM I'm v. happy to spearhead this facet of the research if need be.

WRT adornments I'm something of a purist and like mine naked. If I were pushed though it would be brandy butter.

dc have you ever been so welcome anwyerhe?

brandy butter? A nice choice and I don't always think of buying brandy butter... but I should.

What, do you think there are particular pies that taste better with brandy butter than others and that the brandy butter would change the outcome of the decision if tasted cold or plain afterwards? (or beforehand)

OH NO the waitrose conitreau cream

and i haet liquers(apart from amraetto)

My only mince pie experience so far this year has been a Starbucks luxury mince pie - does that count? It was quite large and very nice, but with a star shape cut out of the top so reducing the pastry quanity. Pastry was thin and tasty, filling generous and very nice, sticky not sloppy.

Of to waitrose tomorrow - heading for those mini ones...

Harrods ? Off subject, I used to work in a bakery sticking the labels on 'luxury' fruit loaf - most of which went to the bakers chain of shops, but a special tray had gold stickers lovingly placed on them and went off to Harrods to be sold for about 4x the price - they were the SAME LOAVES . I confirmed this many years later when I worked near Harrods and went in to get one. So beware, the Harrods mince pie may have more humble origins...

at our annual illicict drugsfestxmas party w e serve htis at abou midnight

i couldn't get the link to work!

I cancelled our office christmas party

I had a sainsbos one at dd's school xmas ye olde fayre

It was very good

hmmm interesting because Sainsbaggers came in last in 2005. One of the ladies on here had a brother in law who was some supply chain manager at sainsbury's baked good division. She said she would mention it to him and said that he wouldn't be best pleased.... maybe she did and he has sourced them from elsewhere!!

I just inhaled another 'Asda extra special' pie and I must admit, regardless of the tesco similarity, it was very nice indeed. Quite a surprising amount of brandy. yum.

I love this thread. Welcome back DaddyCool.

I am looking forward to the results of this year's test .

What, all of that, Cod?!