The long wait is over. We’ve just compiled our Mince Pie ratings for Christmas 2019.
We tried mince pies from all major supermarkets and ranked them to decide which ones are the best and which ones are the worst.
We did the tasting so you can just do the shopping.
Three of our most discerning team rated each mince pie out of 5 for each of the following categories: Taste, Quality, and Value. Here you will see all the scores added together.
Sainsbury’s All Butter ‘Taste The Difference’ (infused with Brandy) £2.20
- Taste = 12/15
- Quality = 13/15
- Value = 10/15
- Total = 35/45
“I got a whiff of Christmas as I bit into it.”
Lidl Deluxe All-butter Mince Pies £1.35
- Taste = 8/15
- Quality = 10/15
- Value = 13/15
- Total = 31/45
“Tasteless pastry – mince tasted a bit overpowering.”
Waitrose All-butter Mince Pies £2.50
- Taste = 15/15
- Quality = 13/15
- Value = 12/15
- Total = 40/45
“Rich pastry with a not overly overpowering filling, can definitely taste the butter.”
Co-op Luxury Mince Pies ‘All Butter’ £2.00
- Taste = 7/15
- Quality = 7/15
- Value = 6/15
- Total = 20/45
“Not so buttery, dry pastry, a bit of an aftertaste of margarine/lard.”
Iceland Luxury Mince Pies £1.89
- Taste = 11/15
- Quality = 11/15
- Value = 14/15
- Total = 36/45
“Definitely taste of Christmas. Nice Christmas spices. Very eco-friendly packaging.”
Tesco All Butter with Courvoisier £1.75 (2 for £2)
- Taste = 13/15
- Quality = 14/15
- Value = 15/15
- Total = 42/45
“Can taste the Courvoisier in the filling. Pastry a bit soft.”
Marks & Spencer ‘The Collection’ £2.25
- Taste = 13/15
- Quality = 14/15
- Value = 11/15
- Total = 38/45
“A very orange citrus taste. Rich and smooth.”
Aldi Mini Mince Pies £1.79
- Taste = 5/15
- Quality = 4/15
- Value = 9/15
- Total = 18/45
“Tasted a bit false. Sticky filling. Pastry didn’t taste of anything.”
ASDA Luxury Mince Pies £1.39
- Taste = 7/15
- Quality = 6/15
- Value = 10/15
- Total = 23/45
“Not a nice filling – a bit chewy and crunchy.”
The Verdict
With a score of 42 out of 45, the Tesco All Butter with Courvoisier came out on top, closely followed by Waitrose All-butter Mince Pies. At £1.75 a pack, Tesco came out as the best value pies too.
The worst ones as rated by us were the Aldi Mini Mince Pies.
| Rank | Pie | Total Score |
| 1 | Tesco All Butter with Courvoisier | 42 |
| 2 | Waitrose All-butter Mince Pies | 40 |
| 3 | Marks & Spencer ‘The Collection’ | 38 |
| 4 | Iceland Luxury Mince Pies | 36 |
| 5 | Sainsbury’s All-butter ‘Taste the Difference’ | 35 |
| 6 | Lidl Deluxe All-butter Mince Pies | 31 |
| 7 | ASDA Luxury Mince Pies | 23 |
| 8 | Co-op Luxury Mince Pies ‘All Butter’ | 20 |
| 9 | Aldi Mini Mince Pies | 18 |
So there you have it, our definitive ranking of supermarket mince pies. A big thank you to all the supermarkets who donated mince pies for our testing with the exception of Aldi, Lidl and Asda who refused to supply any and told us to buy them – we didn’t dock them any points but their Christmas scrooge-like spirit was noted.
Do you agree with our rankings?