Hubby and I are pretty flexible.
We are also honest, open-minded, unbiased and tell things as they are.
So, on a par with the Belgian Buns and Doughnuts, I would like to offer our services as official tasters for……..
Mince Pies.
We won’t mind if they’re of the mini, individual or family size variety, or if they have flaky, short crust, puff or filo pastry, we promise to give our unbiased opinion as to taste, content, visual appeal and value for money.
We have tried a few already. OK scratch that. We have had a lot, and once again they did not survive to see the following day of purchase.
Today I had a BOGOF of Mr K @ £1.50 or 2 boxes for £1.50 of the supermarket’s own at 89p each. I opted for the supermarkets, and once devoured, wished I’d gone for the brand!
Not bad, but the filling was disappointing, and the ratio of that to pastry was considerably less.
Last week, Mr K was £1 for six at another supermarket, with their own brand at the same price. I weighed the boxes, and opted for Mr K as it was heavier. Very nice, good ratio and a lot of flavour without being too sweet.
However, at the weekend, the price had gone up, though the supermarket’s own were still £1. They were actually better than Mr K. In fact, to be honest, they are the best we’ve had this year. Loads of filling, tasty and the pastry melted in the mouth.
Not all that long ago, we sampled a budget pack at 39p in one of the discount stores.
Don’t bother. All pastry, dry at that, and the filling, what little there was, was tasteless.
At the other end of the scale, we are not prepared to pay more than £1 (or equivalent with special offers) for a pack of 6, and in some of the more highbrow supermarkets, you are looking at £2 to £3 a box .
Of course you can’t beat homemade.
A 410g jar of mincemeat will set you back around £1 (12 pies) or an 820g jar is just under £2 (24 pies) these days. If your own pastry is iffy (like mine), you can cheat and buy ready made for about £2, and you can definitely get two dozen pies out of a twin pack.
So for £4 or so, you can make 24 individual mince pies.
Or on today’s offer, you can buy 24 pies for £3.
No wonder the pie business is booming.
Wonder if I can take out shares…………
pensitivity101 
thank you for the lucious recipe. I love Mince meat pie , adore it. My husband does not. A friend once made one for me, she is a fabulous pie maker. I’ve nver had such a lovely pie before or since. this recipe is going in my faves! thank you.
I’ve never made the sweet mincemeat from scratch, having always relied on buying a jar. The problem is Hubby likes them and it doesn’t matter if they’re bought or homemade, they never last long, even if I freeze or hide them!
I think she used the mincemeat from the jar but added some things.
Some people add a little alcohol (brandy is nice) or extra fruit, even nuts. Everyone has their own little ‘secret’ ingredient. It’s what makes them special. Enjoy yours.
Yes. I think hee brandy would be nice
what a timely post. We had chicken pot pies tonight. I suggest to the Mrs…we could make our own for a fraction of the cost..plus since I always pick out the peas and carrots, I would just put things in a like 🙂
We did a lot of this kind of thing when we were checking added fats and sugars in our purchases. By making our own, we can add more of what we like and omit what we don’t, plus of course add less sugar and fat.
This is the time of year I also check out any kind of sweetie. I bought a lemon square mix, a maple bacon cookie mix and chocolate mint chips this week and am working my way through them. Not much in terms of mince pie on this edge of the world (Alaska) but perhaps I shall try one for the Jewish Christmas party I have been invited to, mostly Chinese Food. I think it will be a first mince pie for many there
It doesn’t have to be Christmas for us to want the sweet things in life. We are away again this year, but our friend has been given a hamper with all the goodies in it. We are supplying the fresh veg for Christmas dinner plus a few extras that he won’t know about as we sneak them into his cupboard. He doesn’t ‘do Christmas’ so no presents are agreed. However, we don’t go empty handed any time we visit.