MINCE pies from Waitrose and Aldi have been named the best for Christmas.
The posh supermarket’s brown butter mince pies with Cognac were voted a “best buy” in the Which? annual mince pie test.
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Waitrose’s mince pies were described as having a buttery aroma and citrussy aftertaste, by a panel of taste testers.
They come in at £3.50 for six or 58p per pie and were rated 74% by the judges – the top scorer.
The judges said the almonds and chunks of fruit provided plenty of texture and praised their ‘home-made’ quality.
But Aldi’s specially selected mince pies were also named a “best buy” – and they cost half the price.
Costing £1.75 for six – or 29p per pie – and scored just one percentage point behind Waitrose at 73%
Which? also crowned the Aldi pastries as “great value”, and award that means an item costs much less than the typical price, but still score impressively well overall.
The panel of baking experts included Great British Bake Off 2021 semi-finalist Jürgen Krauss, food writer Dan Lepard and french pastry chef Nathan Rave.
They rated each pie on its taste, aroma, texture and appearance.
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Co-op’s irresistible all butter pastry luxury mince pies were not named a best buy but took third place.
Some of the judges said they did not disappoint when it came to their “buttery aroma”, but others said alcohol dominated the flavour.
These pies cost £2.25 for six, or 37p a pop.
Which? head of home products and services Natalie Hitchins, said: “There’s nothing quite like a deliciously warm and crumbly mince pie straight from the oven to get you in the festive spirit.
“The competition was tight this year but the luxury mince pie offerings from Waitrose and Aldi have come out on top.
“Our experts tasted pies from the biggest supermarkets in the UK to find out which ones will make the holiday season extra festive this year and found some great options which won’t break the bank.”
Although Asda’s extra special mince pies were not ranked top, judges praised their enticing, festive design and well-balanced flavour.
These come in at £2.50 for 6 or 41p a pop.
Meanwhile, Morrisons’ the best and Tesco’s finest mince pies did not stand out from the crowd and came bottom of the rankings.
Of course, prices can vary online and in-store and depending on location.
They can also change each day depending on any offers available at the time.
Last year, Iceland’s luxury all butter mince pies, Co-op’s irresistible all butter luxury mince pies and Tesco’s finest mince pies shared first place.
