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How healthy and cheap are the best mince pies this Christmas?

Emma Clarke and Marie-Claire Dorking
Updated ·4-min read
Mince pies close up
Mince pies are a festive season staple in the UK but how healthy are they? (Getty Images)

Nothing says Christmas is coming like that first mouthful of mince pie. The humble treat with its buttery, crumbly pastry filled with juicy mincemeat is a total festive classic.

If you're a fan of mince pies, then you’re not alone. In fact, the UK eats around 800 million of them every year, but not all mince pies are created equal. From pastry that's too dry, to filling that's too tart, some of us take our mince pie eating very seriously and we want to know that we're tucking into a tasty one.

Luckily, Which? and its panel of experts – Bake Off’s Nathan Rave and Edd Kimber, baker and food writer Dan Lepard, and pastry chef and author Shaheen Peerbhai – have blind-tested a variety of premium supermarket mince pies to find out which are the best value for money – and the best tasting.

Which? has tested the best mince pies, discovering a few clear winners. (Getty Images)
Which? has tested the best mince pies, discovering a few clear winners. (Getty Images)

Waitrose – No.1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac

Coming top in the blind taste test were Waitrose’s No.1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac. The judges loved the pastry, the generous amount of filling and the 'subtle boozy warmth'. While on the pricier end of the spectrum, they are perfect for a Christmas-time treat.

💷 £4 per pack of six or 67p per pie

🫀265 calories per pie

Aldi – Specially Selected Mince Pies

In addition to the cute snowflake design, the judges were impressed with the buttery flavour of the pastry. And, at £2.29 for six or 38p per pie, they were one of the cheapest tested and earned their stripes as an affordable crowd-pleaser this Christmas.

💷 £2.29 for six or 38p per pie

🫀223 calories per pie

Iceland – Luxury All Butter Mince Pies

These reasonably priced pies were praised for their packed fillings of sultana and fruit but the experts felt they were too dry and lacked in spice and flavour.

💷 £3 for six or 50p per pie

🫀230 calories per pie

M&S – Collection Mince Pies

Judges were impressed with the generous filling and golden pastry in these offerings, with one member of the panel praising the crisp pastry and subtle sweetness. However, another noted they would have liked more spice.

💷 £4 for six or 67p per pie

🫀218 calories per pie

Morrison’s – The Best Deep Filled Mince Pies

The panel was happy with the ratio of filling to pastry and the traditional currant-filled mincemeat, but concluded that though they liked the festive look, they weren’t so taken with the taste.

💷 £2.75 for six or 46p per pie

🫀244 calories per pie

Tesco - Finest All Butter Pastry Mince Pies

Tesco's offering failed to impress the experts, with an overly acidic flavour and doughy pastry.

💷 £3 for six or 50p per pie

🫀236 calories per pie

Asda - Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies

These reasonably priced pies let down the panel because they felt it had underbaked pastry.

💷 £2.75 for six or 46p per pie

🫀226 calories per pie

It can be healthier to make your own mince pies at home. (Getty Images)
It can be healthier to make your own mince pies at home. (Getty Images)

Of course it's fine to enjoy a festive feast – everything in moderation – but it can also be tricky to maintain a healthy, balanced diet when there's so much choice and temptation on offer. Often, at this time of year, our gut health takes a hit and can make us feel quite sluggish, especially if we overindulge in rich, sugary foods.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) points out that mince pies are not only high in sugar, but also high in saturated fats because of the pastry case, as well as the suet and sugar in the mincemeat filling. As outlined above, they're also high in calories. Just one mince pie is, roughly, an eighth of a woman's recommended calorie intake a day and a tenth of a man's. So if you're also eating a lot of other high-sugar foods in the same day, it's easy to exceed the suggested limit.

One simple way to avoid this is to swap shop-bought versions for healthier, homemade ones. The BHF suggests using a low-fat pastry, such as filo, and leaving your mince pie uncovered or partially uncovered with just a small star of pastry.

Read more about eating well at Christmas:

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