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From vegan and gluten-free delights to boozier picks, these are the crème de la crème
It’s nearly here – Christmas, a time for our favourite Christmas films, sharing gifts between friends and loved ones, and, of course, the food. When it comes to the festive staples we want to enjoy on the big day, it’s fair to say a mince pie (or two) will be an essential for many of us.
Filled with spice, with warming flavours of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, paired with the juicy fruitiness of the mincemeat, then topped off with buttery, crumbly pastry, these festive treats are a little different to the mince pies served in centuries gone by, when they would have contained actual meat. Now, a Christmas tradition for many, not every brand of bake is made equal, which is where our discerning taste testers come in.
To help you choose which mince pies to plump for this festive season, our tried and tested guide to the very best has you covered, whether you prefer a boozier option, a vegan and gluten-free choice, or something a little different. Here, the team at The Independent has tried a range of the mince pies on offer this year, from Sainsbury’s to M&S, to find the pies that deserve a spot in your Christmas shopping basket.
There are so many re-engineered and re-imagined versions of the humble mince pie out there, but we stuck to tasting ones that still had at least an element of mincemeat in them. We munched our way through pies from a range of categories, whittling down our selection to the very best of each.
The Waitrose no1’s brown butter mince pies are topped with a crumbly, buttery pastry, and there’s no scrimping on boozy filling here – for this perfect pairing, these were the pies that stood out for us in our taste testing and took the top spot. For a traditional mince pie with melt-in-the-mouth pastry to boot, we were impressed with Morrisons The Best deep-filled mince pies, while the Sainsbury’s Free From pies have delivered in the vegan and gluten-free department. For something a little different, Lidl’s speculoos almond mince tarts are the pies to plump for.
Looking for Christmas gifting ideas? Read our guide to the best stocking fillers for him and for her