Asda and Fortnum & Mason excel in Christmas mince pie taste test

Asda has been awarded a top accolade in an annual Christmas mince pie taste test that has seen Waitrose’s efforts described as “beige-tasting” and devoid of “notable flavours”.

An expert panel gathered by Which? tasted more than 100 premium mince pies, awarding Asda’s Extra Special mince pies and Fortnum & Mason’s Traditional mince pies its Best Buy accolade.

Fortnum & Mason’s pies, costing £10.95 for six, secured the top score of the test at 74% and plaudits from the judges, who declared them a “surefire winner” and “rammed with mincemeat”.

Asda’s effort costing £1.50 for six pies won a 71% score from the judges, who noted their “subtle spicing” and “lovely buttery aroma”.

Judges also praised Lidl’s pies, costing £1.79 for six, for their “pleasantly fruity taste” and awarded them an overall score of 69%.

However, Which? said the judges felt the standard of mince pies had slipped in recent years, believing a major contributing factor was the rising cost of ingredients including dried fruit and butter, which had led supermarkets to use cheaper ingredients to keep prices low.

Waitrose fell to the bottom of the ranking with a score of 51% for its Waitrose 1 All Butter mince pies, with judges describing them as “beige-tasting” and ”devoid of any notable flavours”.

The pies were among the more expensive in the test at £2.50 for six.

The panel also found pies from upmarket department store Harrods to be underwhelming, describing the £9.50 pack as “overly sweet” and having a “sour aftertaste”.

Which? Magazine editor Harry Rose said: “Nothing smells or tastes more festive than delicious mince pies warm from the oven. Despite concerns over falling quality in recent years, our research shows that there are still great pies on offer this year, at a range of price points.

“Whether you splash out at Fortnum’s or treat yourself at Asda or Lidl, our expert testing means you will be getting a real taste of Christmas with these excellent mince pies.”