The season is upon us, so a thread to find the best commercial pie.
My first of the year was one of these:
Which is pretty much what you would expect. Over sweet, generic and cheap as chips. Standard.
Anyone had a good-un yet?
Which is pretty much what you would expect. Over sweet, generic and cheap as chips. Standard.
Anyone had a good-un yet?
Tried Morrisons and co op so far,both average. Will be onto lidls this week,just had a stunner at johns bake off,home made jobbie
Home made with his own mince?
Cheapskate.
Their finest ones with brandy are better 
Ms ICHM thinks the Marks & Spencer premium ones are the best, so I buy Sainsburyās. 
Think it was just homemade pastry. Other ones had chocolate and mincemeat in
Hey, donāt blame me! It was the missus wot bought them!
I dispise the posh ones
One of my abiding childhood memories is of a long session with my uncle Brian going through a range of mince pies, deciding which of port or brandy was the best addition. I think that our conclusion was a mix about 2/3 port and 1/3 brandy. Remove top, pour in fluid, replace top, eat.
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Waitrose (Cheapo and āall butterā)
Cheapo = seeds still in the currents, hard rind. - Threw two in the bin rather than finish the box
All butter, Mince meat too rich - Threw one at a cat taking a dump in our garden - Even the cat didnāt eat it
Sainsburys, Cheapo type, Ate the lot not memorable
Co-op, The Ā£1 box has been the choice for post nap tiffing
Aldi, Fake booze flavoring - Currents succulent but taste wrong
Tesco - claggy, but do able
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As they have been every year (except 2016) Calnan Brothersā are the Rolls Royce of all mince pies.
Post needs tasting notes.
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A well proportioned pie - almost as deep as it is wide. Very short pastry - firm but flaky.
Well filled without too much air. Not overly sweet, good combination of fruit and peel without any āforeignā or ātrendyā fruit, all liberally soaked on rum - warming but without alcohol harshness. Very moist but holds together well without getting a soggy bottom.
Slightly over dusted but I can live with that.
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This was my only grumble too. Mrs VB popped down to the Calnansā at the end of our street for a pork pie this morning and picked up a mince one too as they were already in. I had it with my mid-morning coffee. I think in future Iāll just brush the excess caster sugar off.
VB
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Hard times. 
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The hard part was that she only bought one mince pie. One. What was she thinking ?
VB
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So that seems to be a vote for co-op then! Good news, as I have a co-op a couple of minutes walk from my door.
So how do us proles down in deepest Kent get yer actual middle class, over dusted pie? Seem a bit exclusive to meā¦
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Get Pete to bring you some down from leafy Hertfordshireā¦
Calnanās not just in Oxfordshire then?