Welcome to the first column from the Everyday Sommelier, where we celebrate all the little things that make life better. Each week, we’ll taste the best of the supermarket and deli aisles, to tell you about the food and drink products we love – the ones we buy for ourselves. Ever find yourself getting evangelical about a particular brand of jarred beans, Greek yoghurt or chilli sauce? Welcome, you are our people.
This time, however, it’s less “everyday” and more “every day in the weeks leading to Christmas”. For some people it’s the lights on the high street, for others a Christmas meal deal for lunch al desko, but we mark the season by the first mince pie. They’ve been in supermarkets since September, but we abide by a strict not-before-December rule when it comes to this festive classic. (We may have broken that by a week, to get these results in.) In addition to being sticklers when it comes to date, we keep it straight when it comes to form. Keep your twists and new-fangled flavours – we don’t want frangipane, or chocolate, or piped buttercream. A shortcrust case (preferably not too sweet), fruit mince with plenty of booze (nuts, welcome), and full pastry top, or maybe a star, is what we’re after.
If you’re a real traditionalist and can’t countenance shop-bought, we direct you to Nigel Slater’s excellent recipe, here. If you prefer someone else to do the hard work, we’ve chosen our three supermarket favourites that will work well with a cuppa, and three exceptional artisan offerings from bakeries that deliver nationally.
Clockwise from top left: M&S Collection, Waitrose No 1, Gilda, Farm Shop
Iceland Luxury £3 for 6, iceland.co.uk
The lovely buttery, slightly salty and friable pastry sets this pie apart. The whole-fruit filling is on the softer, looser side; the yuzu listed in the ingredients isn’t immediately obvious, but perhaps gives the mince its fresh, bright lift. Might be our favourite from the supermarkets.
M&S Collection £4 for 6, ocado.com
This smells great straight out the packet. There’s a decent hit of orange aroma and noticeable peel in the dense, dark filling and the traditional spices are at the fore. Would have with ice-cream.
Waitrose No 1 Brown Butter with Cognac £4 for 6, waitrose.com
Pleased to see that these have become an annual part of the Waitrose offering. The fruit filling here is lightened a little with apricots and nuts, and we may be suckers for marketing language, but think the pastry really does taste nuttier from browned butter.
Gilda from £8.95 minimum delivery applies, gildabakery.com
This outstanding bakery, based near Canterbury in Kent, won our hearts with their cinnamon morning bun (best we’ve had) and buttermilk crackers (same). Their pies are made with mincemeat that’s heavy with local apples (and a good slosh of Kentish sloe gin), and though their “luxury” version topped with an almost-too-rich buttery cookie swirl nearly changed our purist minds, their star-topped versions (in mini and regular) won out.
Farm Shop £12 for 6, farmshop.co.uk
Perhaps the office favourite. A shade darker outside and in, these are juicy and well spiced. We found the pastry a little thinner and more biscuity than others we tried (in a good way), making them the best to eat at room temperature with a tea – or something stronger.
Pump Street Eccles Cakes £21.50 for 6, pumpstreetchocolate.com
The mince pies from this landmark Suffolk bakery have already sold out for the year. However, their fantastic, booze-forward fruit filling is available year-round in their eccles cakes. If buttery, flaky puff pastry is more to your tastes, then a box of these is what you need to order. Warmed slightly to crisp up, these are traditionally served with a wedge of lancashire, but work with anything on the traditional Christmas cheese board. The thinking foodie’s choice for a festive treat.
Illustration by Charlotte Durance