From traditional and tasty, to those with an unexpected twist: Your ultimate mince pie guide

We tested 20 mince pies to find the Metro.co.uk faves (Picture: Getty)

When it comes to mince pie taste testing, it’s a task the team at Metro.co.uk takes very seriously. 

Yet, who knew it could be so controversial? Turns out that while some of us love a good twist on an old classic, the traditionalists among us were not so amused. ‘This is not a mince pie’ was a phrase mumbled many times between mouthfuls of frangipane and crumbly toppings. 

With pen and paper in hand and over 20 pies to sample, our judging criteria included texture, flavour, appearance and overall yumminess (a true taste test technical term), along with an overall mark out of five.

Here’s how we got on: 

Score:

‘Boozy and crumbly, what a way to kick off the festivities.’

‘Aesthetically beautiful, texture amazing, flavour and yumminess pretty good too.’

, £1.95 for four (Picture: Asda)

Score:

‘Presentation is nice but not a fan of the citrus flavour.’

‘Not a mince pie. It’s a very average jam tart – even the glitter doesn’t make up for it.’

, £2 for four (Picture: Co-op)

M&S Collection Mince Pies

Overall score:

‘Nice crisp outside and tastes nice, but marking it down due to low mince pie to pastry ratio.’

‘Has a slightly bitter taste – not bad though.’ 

M&S Collection Mince Pies, £2.50 for six (Picture: M&S)

Score:

‘Super soft buttery pastry. They look gorgeous – if you were serving at Christmas do these are great size.’

‘Look great, but not loads of filling… and a bit bland.’

, Aldi, £2.49 for nine (Picture: Aldi)

Score:

‘Why is it so spicy? Bad texture, doesn’t even look like a mince pie.’

‘Tasty and crumbly – love the apple/cinamon vibe, but too large.’

£3 for four (Picture: Waitrose)

Tesco Mince Pies

Score:

‘OK, this is delicious. Crumbly pastry but still holds together to eat.’

‘Classic mince pie goodness. Saucy filling, good pastry.’

Tesco Mince Pies, 87p for six (Picture: Tesco)

Morrisons The Best Deep Filled Mince Pies

Score:

‘Sadly forgettable and a bit dry. Yule regret the calories… Geddit?’

‘Really chewy – a bit like biting into a Jammie Dodger in terms of texture, which might be fine for some people!’

Morrisons The Best Deep Filled Mince Pies, £2 for six. (Picture: Morrisons)

Greggs Sweet Mince Pies

Score:

‘Overall, a solid mince pie! The pastry wasn’t too flaky and the filling was gooey and moist with lovely citrus and spice flavours.’

‘Slightly on the aneamic side to look at, but a bloody good mince pie.’

Sweet Mince Pies, Greggs, £1.75 for six (Picture: Greggs)

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