As a development team we naturally have conflicting opinions at times. Spaces or tabs for indentation? MacOS or Windows? Shall we use framework X, or write a slimmed down internal tool ourselves? However when the mornings turn dark, and the cold comes over us, there is someone in our office who unjustifiably hates mince pies, and this development conflict will brew between us for years to come!
I simply love mince pies! We are not in the office this year, to put up the tree, hang the lights over my monitors, and for me to sneak Christmas music onto Alexa when others have popped out on lunch. However that hasn’t stopped me with my yearly Key.Digital tradition of bombarding our Slack channel with photos and my scores of the mince pies I eat by the bucket load.
TL;DR
Check out Spar’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies or Waitrose’s No.1 All Butter Mince pies they are super awesome!
I love mince pies
Santa - Year unknown!
Note: The choices I have made are based on impulse buys while shopping in various food shops in and around Dorchester, Poundbury and Weymouth. This means we may well have missed a great entry in a shop, or place I have not visited. Due to primarily working at home, I also haven’t had the chance to pop into the local cafes and bakeries around our office location as I usually would this time of year, so apologies to them for not including their offerings.
- All prices were correct at time of writing, but of course may change over time or based on location.
- All images of products are from their respective companies websites
Onward to the list!
Sainsbury's in Store Bakery Short Crust (4)
6 / 10 – £1
Another entry from Sainsbury’s. Normally I rate their in store bakery items highly, but these were nothing to write home about. Fairly tasty, but super generic. Not a disappointment, but didn’t quite hit the joy I had for my first mince pie hit for Christmas.
Sainsbury's Deep Filled (6)
8 / 10 – £1
Worthy early entry tried by several of us in the office, and we all had the same sentiment : “delicious- plenty of fruit and not too much pastry”
Tesco Lattice Topped (6)
7 / 10 – £1.25
These were lovely if you are a fan of less pastry and more filling. Great taste for the price, but doesn’t hit the buttery spot you may be after with your mince pie.
Tesco Finest (6)
8 / 10 – £1.75 (£1 for clubcard holders)
If you wanted some fanciness with your Xmas (who doesn’t!) then these are for you. With the extra hint of Cognac brandy and port to give that super rich, super mince pie experience. Not the best pastry of the ones we tried, but great for the lovers of rich filling!
Mr Kipling Deep Filled (6)
6 / 10 – £1 (from Tesco)
Nothing to report here – filled the mince pie spot by my cup of coffee, but didn’t go past the generic points. Tasty, and not unpleasant, but not going down in history for Xmas snacking joy.
SPAR’s Luxury All Butter (6)
9 / 10 – £2
A surprise discovery when popping to grab some milk. These were the top of the list for me. Really tasty pastry and great filling to pastry ratio. Slightly more pricey that some other entries, but worth it. Not a shop I pop into regularly, but have popped in quite a few times since for my mince pie fix!
Waitrose No. 1 All Butter (6)
9 / 10 – £2.50
Definitely a list topper. These are as tasty as expected and look great. Super rich, super sweet, and worth the extra price. This week they are only £1.66 but the usual £2.50 is still a winner for how great these are. I’m not a regular at Waitrose, but if I’m popping in for a sandwich, or for essential supplies if I’m in the Poundbury area, then a box of these will always end up at the checkout with me
Winners
A sure win from both the Spar’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies or Waitrose’s No.1 All Butter Mince pies they are both a festive dreams, which will fill your Christmas period with the buttery, pastry fruity goodness it needs!
