DURBAN - Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the Independent on Saturday’s mince pie-tasting test. So to get you in the festive mood we gathered the team to put our major retailers through their paces, bringing you an informed view on where to shop for the best treats for your Christmas table fix.
All tasting was done blind, with the team furiously scribbling down comments and debating the merits of crisp versus soft pastry, levels of sweetness and spice, and what separated a great mince pie from a good one.
So which mince pie should you leave for Santa on Christmas Eve? This year’s Christmas hat goes to Checkers, a worthy winner with 21 out of a possible 30. It scored for its all round taste and texture. “It hits the Christmas sweet spot for sure,” was one comment.
The next three places were very, very close. Second was Food Lover’s Market with 18.5 points, but it was the winner in the eyes of two of our judges. Third was Pick n Pay with 18, while following hard on its heels was Woolworths with 17.5. The wooden spoon this year went to Spar, with an underwhelming 15.
The judging panel consisted of editor Mazwi Xaba (MX), Lindsay Slogrove (LS), Omeshnie Naidoo from Affluence (ON), Tanya Waterworth (TW), Anelisa Kubheka (AK) and me (FC).
Checkers R34.99
MX: What you see is what you get with this brand of Christmas mince pies. The standard supermarket look followed by a similar taste. Nice and soft, I first thought, but then remembered how the real McCoy tasted. The pastry wasn’t buttery and crunchy. The mince didn’t hit that dizzying balance between sweet, zesty and spicy. It was just jam. 3 ½
LS: The crust looked thick and “flat” and was not enthusiastically welcoming. However, it held together well, tasted good and worked well with the sweet filling which had plenty of “whole” fruit distinguishable. Worth taking on a few calories. 4
FC: The pastry looked thick and overall not the most visually appealing of the bunch, but the filling was present, pleasant and nicely rounded, if a little sweet. The pastry was soft and a shade doughy but all round a good effort. 3 ½
ON: The lightest, softest and sweetest mince pie of the lot if that’s what you’re going for. It hits the Christmas sweet spot for sure. 3
TW: Lots of mincemeat and soft pastry – a tasty favourite. 4
AK: A well done pastry that is smooth with the right amount of moisture and a mince filling that has just the right amount of sweetness. 3
Food Lover’s Market R34.99
MX: The star cut-out top is always a nice touch (it’s even more inviting if you were the kid who participated in the cutting out process). It made this brand of pies stand out from the crowd, but sadly that was all that was nice about it. The mince didn’t rise to stick out through the little windows left by the star top to invite you. It was also a bit too spicy. 3 ½
LS: Star shape was attractive, but the crust was too thin and the filling left a bit of an aftertaste, but was not too unpleasant. It also missed the spot on sweetness, although that is a personal preference. 2 ½
FC: The star-shaped top looked appealing but the pastry was very soft and crumbly and the filling jammy with a heavy aftertaste of cinnamon. I felt like I had bitten into a cinnamon stick. 2 ½
ON: Topped with a pastry star this fruit mince pie wins on festive presentation. The casing itself was soft with a smooth textured filling. The spices were robust with an aftertaste, just a hint of nutmeg. 4
TW: The star shape has festive appeal, but the filling was quite spicy with an aftertaste. 2
AK: Well presented with the star shape on top, with a soft pastry and a sugary and milky taste to it. The filling perfectly sweetened. 4
Spar R32.99
MX: There was nothing remarkable about this brand. Instead of the crunchy cover, I got a soft, mushy pastry. The mince was a bland jammy mix. Not great at all. If you kept these in your freezer for unexpected guests, you’d need to warm them up and then brush them with a punchy desert sauce, like brandy butter, for something special. 2½
LS: Attractive, plump looking pies but did not deliver because the filling was on the skimpy side. It was also dry and not very sweet, but the crust did hold together well. 3
FC: These were under-filled and left that sinking feeling in the middle. They were doughy and disappointing, in that they had no real flavour beside being sweet. The most boring of the bunch. 2
ON: A crumbly pastry case with excess sugar topping and a mince filling that missed the mark, lacking the traditional taste sensation. 2½
TW: Needs more filling, less pastry – disappointing. 2
AK: While the pastry was soft, almost crumbling while being cut, it had a smooth buttery taste. The filling, though, was heavy with spices and too sticky and the helping in each pie was a bit too much with a thin soft pastry. 3
Woolworths R35.99
MX: This brand was the best in terms of looks, crunchiness of the pastry (but all supermarkets clearly no longer use real butter when baking mince pies) and taste. The golden outer ring said “eat me, I’m tasty and crunchy”. The only slight let-down was the mince that was a bit too dry. It was the right mix but probably lost its moistness during the cooking. But still, it was the best. 4 ½
LS: These were flat and looked solid, and were the only ones with browned edges. The crust was crispier than the others. There was not enough filling and it lacked interest. 2 ½
FC: A nice crisp pastry which was unfortunately too thick, with a spicy filling that was not too sweet but had a lingering after-taste. A pleasant enough crowd pleaser, but not a stand-out winner. 3 ½
ON: Slightly browner than the others, the pastry wasn’t the easiest to get a knife through. Too dense and dry for my liking. 2
TW: Too crisp pastry – I am one
who prefers softer one – with a chunky filling. 3
AK: Flaky, dry pastry with a filling that lacked moisture and had a heavy lingering spicy taste. 2
Pick n Pay R35.99
MX: This brand was bland. Overfilled with jammy fruit mince, this pie had an inviting look, but disappointed on taste and the quality of the pastry. I struggled to find notes of any of the traditional spices, like cinnamon and cloves. Not good. Another one that would need a special sauce accompaniment. 2 ½
LS: Looked inviting enough to dent the diet a bit, with a firm pastry and a filling that was not quite sweet enough and needed a cuppa to remove the aftertaste. 3
FC: These looked promising with their deep filling and almost homemade appearance, the pastry was firm but crumbly and probably the best of the bunch, but the filling was way too sweet. I grabbed the water. 3
ON: The most wholesome looking of the lot with a fuller centre and therefore a dome shape, this fruit mince pie had the thickest pastry which also felt a bit dry and hard. The dark, rich filling might well have included a dash of brandy. 3 ½
TW: With a homemade appeal, loads of filling but a little sweet. 3
AK: The pastry was overdone and too crunchy but the filling was just right with the right amount of lingering spice and sugar. 3