Best mince pies to enjoy this Christmas

Packed full of oozing minced meat, these are the kind of hearty and delightfully rustic mince pies your nan would have made. They look and taste a million miles away from the usual cookie-cutter supermarket types of mince pies. And that’s because they are lovingly made by hand by Taylors of Bruton, just one mile away from the Durslade Farm Shop, the original outpost from the ArtFarm team, which was followed up by the Farm Shop in London’s Mayfair.

We love the generously thick and buttery pastry, and that they’ve been dusted with a very light touch of sugar on top, giving a touch of sweetness and a superb level of warming festive spice.

As ever with Farm Shop, aesthetics haven’t been forgotten either and deserve a mention as we adore the simple but chic festive plastic-free packaging that harks back to a more traditional Victorian style of festive decor and is a welcome tonic to gaudy shiny boxes with lots of plastic.

Everyone’s favourite frozen meal provider, Cook, always has our culinary backs. Whether it’s an excellent casserole, a hearty chicken, leek and ham pie, or a Friday night curry that feels like a much healthier option to our usual takeaway, it’s also a real go-to for puddings as well, saving an awful lot of time – especially for the not so gifted bakers among us. Falling into that category is its mince pies, but don’t worry they don’t come frozen.

Cook’s mince pies are another one that looks and tastes handmade, which they have been in Sussex, using an old well-guarded family recipe. With a generous fruit-filled sticky filling, the pastry is soft and crumbly and has been generously dusted in icing sugar. They’re sizable and we know your guests will be impressed.

These were the first mince pies we saw this year with frangipane, and once we got into our testing, we realised it’s everywhere. To the uninitiated, it’s a rich and creamy filling, that is similar to marzipan, but differs as marzipan is a thick paste that’s usually used to decorate baked with. With a deliciously dark brown crumbled top that has a real crunch to it, along with caramelised almonds, these mince pies are exactly what Waitrose does so well – little luxuries that instantly make us happy.

As there’s a layer of frangipane under the crumbled top, there’s not the largest amount of mincemeat inside the pies, but with the added almond notes and sweetness, we don’t think anyone will mind. We certainly didn’t as these almost took the top spot.

We’ve had the cruffin, the cronut, and the crookie hybrids, but now, Pophams Bakery in east London’s Hackney has made a crince pie! Based on the flakey, buttery pastry of a croissant, the baking masterminds at Pophams have filled them with not only mincemeat but also piped in a dash of clotted cream. It is a dream come true for croissant and mince pie lovers alike.

Aside from the pastry setting these mince pies apart, the mincemeat has been soaked in King’s ginger spirit for months, giving it a wonderful infused festive ginger spice tang. It’s not over the top to say they are genius and utterly divine – a masterpiece in the world of festive treats.

Pophams has three outposts in the capital, Islington in the north and London Fields and Victoria Park in the east. They are available to order online but can only be delivered within London. They come in a large brown box with a hand-stamped logo, and a luxurious branded big bow that really sets the tone for how decadent these mince pies are. Yes, they’re expensive, but for any baked goods lover, or people looking for a twist on a mince pie, we don’t think you can get better than these. They are worth a trip to the capital alone.

Packed full with a hugely generous amount of mincemeat, these hefty pies have some of the best festive spicing we’ve tasted with a glug of brandy that has been aged for a few months to let the flavours really develop.

It’s this little Suffolk bakery, Pump Street Bakery, in the village of Orford that has caused a bit of a stir for the price of its mine pies. Owned by Joanna Brennan and her dad, Chris, who opened in 2010, they are the most expensive on the list coming in at £25 for six, that’s £4.16 each.

They’ve been baked in pastel de nata moulds, which gives them the chunky depth and plenty of space for the all-important filling. The mincemeat is densely packed full of fruit (unlike some cheaper pies which have more syrupy filling and less fruit) which is made from apples from a farm just two miles away, along with Vostizza currants from Greece, raisins, sultanas, lemon and orange peel, an undisclosed mix of spices and brandy. As soon as we took it out of the oven, the kitchen was full of the scent of the festive filling.

Each comes individually wrapped, ensuring they’re kept fresh if you only take one or two after opening. They’re absolutely delicious, but don’t be wasting them on just anybody, save them for the real mince pie lovers, as they’re who will appreciate them the most. The price hasn’t deterred many people either, as they’ve sold out, but you can sign up to be notified when they make more, which we suggest you do.

Increasing amounts of people are choosing a gluten-free diet, but for people who are coeliac, there’s no reason to miss out on one of the festive season’s best treats. Something M&S knows and has done something about, thankfully.

When we first took this warmed pie out of the oven and cut it in half to share with our other testers, we really noticed the waft of supremely smelling mincemeat, which was thick with festive spice.

We did think it was a little drier than some others we’ve tested, as was to be expected with the gluten-free option, but this is a fantastic pie for people who can’t have gluten.

We loved its simple star-topped decoration, which also really helps to differentiate it from others at a drinks party or gathering (which is very important for coeliacs), and we think it’s an overall fab mince pie.

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks has made a name for himself with his family businesses and some of the country’s best restaurants including the Black Swan Oldstead and Roots in Yorkshire, and he’s also pioneered the delivery food box side, Made in Oldstead, with feasting boxes using local produce.

We’ve been a fan of his mince pies for a while too. Looking more like a muffin or a mini handmade savoury pie, these mince pies are perfectly formed and chunky with a real rustic look to them. We really liked how the top is soft with a slight chew to it.

Inside is a hefty depth of mincemeat, which is dark, intense yet smooth and lightly spiced. But what’s different here, is the mincemeat is made using root vegetables, giving it an ever so slightly earthier yet still familiar taste. Made with perfect shortcrust pastry that’s buttery and not too crumbly or hard.

Looking more like a mini savoury pie, this little creation is from the supermarket’s no.1 range, so you know they’re going to be a cut above your usual fare. And we were not disappointed.

Instantly noticeable after pulling them out of the packet is that they’re the shallowest pies we’ve tested, while also having the biggest circumference, looking more like a mini quiche than a sweet mince pie.

There’s not an awful lot of filling due to the rather squat shape but you don’t feel you’re missing out as it’s packed full of flavour from Valencian orange peel oil in the mincemeat, that’s then topped with a layer of cranberry curd. It’s one of the sweeter mince pies owing to the chunky crumble topping but is a great creation with lots of flavour.

These traditional mince pies are everything you’d want from the humble festive treat – buttery pastry, decent filling, nicely spiced and a festive decoration on top.

It’s a pleasant traditional mix of apples, currants, sultanas and candied citrus peel. What did stand out about these ones though was the brandy. They’re one of the booziest mince pies on the list, so likely not one to be dishing out to the kids, and are best saved for the adults.

The all butter pastry is not quite as thick as some of the higher-end mince pies, but we did like the pretty star decor on the top. 

What is it about food (or just about anything) coming in mini form that is just too cute to resist? Coming in three assorted festive favours, including traditional, flaked almond and amaretto, it’s a shame there’s no info on which flavour each row is as it wasn’t immediately obvious, even though one is supposed to be topped with flaked almonds. After some taste detection, (we think!) our favourite was the amaretto flavour, shortly followed by the almond (only identifiable by the lumpy top which doesn’t look like almonds, but tastes like it), which has a thin layer of marzipan underneath too. Each has a slightly doughy pastry from the filling which we actually quite liked. You can buy them separately too for £12.95.

We also love the bottle of mulled wine and think it’s the best in the business. Wonderfully smooth, it’s made with organic wine and a well-balanced mix of spices. Once you’ve had this, you’ll never buy a cheap bottle again and there’s nothing more festive than the smell of mulled wine warming either.

If the gift is for yourself (why not), serve the mince pies slightly warmed at a drinks party and they’ll go down a treat – and are much easier to eat with one hand while the other is preoccupied with a glass of bubbly or the mulled wine.

Another mince pie with a fantastic chewy top, these pies have large almost puffed lids which are topped with flaked almonds too, adding a touch of nutty sweetness.

Inside, the mince meat is made up of a luxurious mix of festive flavours including sour cherry and prune that give plenty of depth. It’s also quite sour, unlike any other mince pie we tested, while also being quite tart.

The shortcrust pastry is a little crispier than we’d usually like but the filling is so superb it’s barely noticeable. We think these make a great treat to contribute to a big gathering as a great alternative to the traditional mince pie.