I try mince pies from the top 4 UK supermarkets to see which is best for Christmas...

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Mince pies are a proper British Christmas tradition with ingredients dating back to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits, and spices.

Nowadays, we often enjoy a mince pie at the end of the day with a brew in front of the fire, unwinding in true culinary style during the festive season. And so I decided to head out and sample some of the mince pies on offer from the top four UK supermarket chains - Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Aldi.

Note: My original plan was to do the top five UK supermarket chains and include Morrison’s, but my local branch had scandalously run out of mince pies on December 16th, so for that unforgivable Christmas faux pas, I’ve had to disqualify them.

Aldi

Price: £1.25

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As an Aldi adherent, I was expecting their mince pies to be solid performers, but what I was greeted with instead was something a little underwhelming if I’m being honest. The mincemeat was very basic and seemed mainly to be relying on the sharper flavour of raisins and currants whereas other mince pies got a bit funkier on the taste front. Disappointingly basic.

Mince pies taste test: Aldi's mince piesMince pies taste test: Aldi's mince pies
Mince pies taste test: Aldi's mince pies | National World

Score: 2/5

Sainsbury’s

Price: £1.70

Immediately, the mince pies from Sainsbury’s looked a lot paler than their counterparts from the other supermarkets, which I didn’t like as much because I like a richer biscuity colour to my pastry - I always think it adds more flavour. The mincemeat was pretty monochromatic in the flavour department as well and, given these were the most expensive ones, I was pretty underwhelmed. Very average.

Mince pies taste test: Sainsbury's mince piesMince pies taste test: Sainsbury's mince pies
Mince pies taste test: Sainsbury's mince pies | National World

Score: 2.5/5

Tesco

Price: £1.25

Much better - these had a light dusting of sugar on top as well as a charming little snowflake emblem to insert a little Christmas cheer into the whole experience. The pastry was definitely a little firmer, almost biscuity without being heavy. In fact, it was nice and light and had a lovely buttery flavour, while the mincemeat definitely had a few more flavours coming through than just your standard raisins. Much better.

Mince pies taste test: Tesco's mince piesMince pies taste test: Tesco's mince pies
Mince pies taste test: Tesco's mince pies | National World

Score: 4/5

Asda

Price: £1.38

Now, please don’t excuse me of cheating, but I had to plump for the fancy Asda mince pies because they were reduced in price and because their standard ones had sold out. Yes, I know these were bound to be a bit better, but I was not expecting them to be so much better - they were brilliant. The orange flavour really came through and the overall taste was delicate and delicious - amongst the best mince pies I’ve ever had.

Score: 5/5

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