Durban – One of the little indulgences of Christmas is the mince pie … but which mince pie should you be serving if you want to impress your guests this year?
Every year the Independent on Saturday team tastes the mince pies of all our major retail outlets to bring you the pick of the bunch.
What was noticeable this year was the lack of variety in the mince pies on offer. While the Independent on Saturday has always tasted the standard mince pie, most retailers in the past had selections like extra spicy, or deep filled, or ones with different fruit selections or even chocolate mince pies. This year only Woolworths offered some citrus mince pies.
Also noticeable this year is inflation and a large variance in pricing. Last year packs of pies were between R35 and R40, this year they are between R31.99 and R49.99, although Woolworths does offer a discount of R10 if two packs are bought. Pick n Pay actually bucked the trend, costing less than last year.
So which pie should one leave next to the chimney for Santa?
The winner this year is Spar, scoring a total of 25.5 out of a possible 35. Woolworths and Pick n Pay were neck and neck with 23.5 and 23 respectively. Fourth was last year’s winner, Checkers, with 20, and bringing up the rear was Food Lover’s Market with 14. Once again, Shoprite didn’t have mince pies for sale.
All pies were blind tasted with each judge getting a pie with only a letter assigned to it. The team is made up of photographer Shelley Kjonstad (SK), reporter Duncan Guy (DG) and intern Phindile Nqumako (PN), for whom this was her first tasting. Sub-editor Nalane Walker (NW) gave her words of wisdom and we invited former IOS editor, Mazwi Xaba (MX), now group exec: editorial and content, and a mince pie lover, to give his views. He sat down with his daughter Zama. Completing the team is news editor Lindsay Slogrove (LS) and myself (FC). Enjoy.
Spar (R49.99)
LS: Looks inviting, with the pastry covering the lip of the “cup” and a delicate coating of sparkly sugar. The lip makes it easy to pick up and the pastry is firm, allowing for polite eating at tea. There’s nothing overpowering on the first bite. It has a fresh citrusy taste, is not too rich or sweet, and there’s a good amount of filling, including some chewy fruity bits. Could go back for seconds. (4)
NW: This pie in its plain pastry jacket beat four rivals with its aroma, mild spices and high citrus notes. What it lacked in visual festive frills, it made up for in zest. It surprised me with its firm, buttery pastry, fruity flavours and subtle sweetness. I’d pair it with custard for pizazz as a Christmas serving. On second thought, two packs of these “plain Janes” could make for a daily treat for the 12 Days of Christmas without leaving me feeling too guilty. (3)
SK: At first glance I didn’t find this pie appealing, with thick pastry and a generous sprinkling of sugar, so I was delighted to have my suspicions thwarted as the aromatic fruit filling oozed out of a light and buttery pastry. This traditional wholesome flavour won my favour. (4)
MX: This one didn’t surprise. Its top crust was plain, and lacked those golden-brown edges I like to see when eating first with the eye. And then there was nothing remarkable still after munching on the pie. The filling was bland, and the crust also seemed undercooked, lacking that crispiness. (3)
DG: Pleasant sharp aftertaste. Design has character, almost a home-made edge to it. (3)
PN: A sweet buttery flavour with soft texture. Grapes were popping in my mouth. Had a nice icing sugar top. (5)
FC: This was never going to win a mince pie beauty competition, but this plain Jane was deceptive. A soft buttery pastry revealed a stuffing full of citrus notes. It’s zesty lemon flavours would be worth a second one (3.5)
Woolworths (R46.99)
LS: Nicely browned with a slight dusting of sugar, it had a firm, tasty pastry. There was plenty of filling with crunchy fruity bits, but lacked an enthusiastic flavour. Would please people who don’t like sweet or rich things. (3)
NW: A petite pie ‒ golden, frilled and dainty ‒ that was smaller than its rivals. I wondered if load shedding had disrupted the fruit mincing process because it had a plump, syrupy filling of whole raisins and currents. It was another pie that lacked the distinctive festive spiciness, with a thin, crisp pastry and an aftertaste that reminded me of a Danish biscuit. (2)
SK: A perfectly shaped pie, lovely browned edging with a goldilocks amount of sugar sprinkles. The pastry was buttery and light, while the spice-infused mince was chunky with loads of whole sultanas. Unlike the mashed up traditional mince. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed the different textures. (3.5)
MX: This one looked to be right up there with the best. With an almost perfect golden crusty top embellished with the right amount of icing, it promised a lot. But it failed the eating test. The filling was just a dry currant jam. No trace of any spices or any flavour that would please anyone other than the little sweet-toothed monsters who gobble up everything. (3)
DG: Looks absolutely clinically perfect but downside is that it lacks character. The taste stands out brilliantly though and it all holds together nicely. (4)
PN: Like a sophisticated lady, subtle taste and sweet. Soft texture and silk on outside and oozing grape flavours. (5)
FC: The looker of the set with its crisp golden edges, and a fruit that was chunky and not minced to jam. Pastry was a little heavy but pleasant all-round. (3)
Pick n Pay (R31.99)
LS: With a good dash of dusting, the firm, tasty pastry covered the lip of the cup, so it was easy to extract and would be fine to eat in public. The ample filling had strong citrus notes and plentiful chewy pieces. It was fairly sweet, but not overwhelmingly so unless, perhaps, you don’t have a sweet tooth. Would definitely have seconds. (5)
NW: “Tart” describes this plump but disappointing pie with a jammy filling. Its saving grace was a thick, buttery pastry. However, even the generous sprinkling of sugar failed to balance the tanginess. (1)
SK: This pie had a generous traditional mince filling of tasty rich dried fruit. Topped with a thick sweetened pastry. It wouldn’t have won a beauty pageant, but made up for it in taste. (3)
MX: This was another average mince pie. The crust was okay, and so was the filling. The only noticeable positive was the nice, spicy and moist filling. Nothing to really write home about, but slightly better than the others. Again this would have won the hearts and palate of the sweetie pies who are always hungry for something sweet over the holidays. (3.5)
DG: Handsome amount of mince, which has moderate taste. Design looks quite original. (3.5)
PN: Sweet and sour fruity texture that melts in your mouth. (3)
FC: Soft pastry was slightly doughy, with a mince that was very sweet yet had some decent spice flavours. Nicely filled. (3)
Checkers (R36.99)
LS: This pie, even with its decorative star, says “please don’t eat me!” The pastry was shrivelled into the cup, brown and hard, with a distinct lack of sprinkle. The first bite shouted “overcooked pastry” which overwhelmed the skimpy and very “bleh” filling. I want those calories back. (2)
NW: A plump pie oozing its filling through a cut-out star which had me drooling to dig in. The thick, toasty pastry held a moist, generous minced filling that was rich and sweet but lacked the spicy punch I expected of this rustic “looker”. Nevertheless, it’s a flamboyant pie that will impress young and old. (3)
SK: As the star of David guided the Wise Men, I was drawn to this pie for its cute cut-out star, which made this pie stand out from the rest. Unfortunately tough and dense pastry wrapped around overcooked chewy fruit was the only gift I received. (2.5)
MX: This was the best. From the top crust that was perfectly baked, with a star-shaped pie vent in the centre. The spices provided the right aroma as I munched away. It was no different to the many store Christmas mince pies I’ve noshed over the years, but it was simply the best of the bunch. (4.5)
DG: Both pastry and mince are nicely intact. Taste is a bit bland. Star pattern doesn’t do much for me. (2.5)
PN: Light sour tones. Thick texture, sweet outer layer, fruity yet vinegar notes. (3)
FC: It looked pretty with its cut-out star, but sadly the pastry was somewhat stolid and the underfilled pie just sweet with no real flavour. (2.5)
Food Lover’s Market (39.99)
LS: The Grinch that stole Christmas. No idea what happened to this one. The very thin pastry had shrunk in the cup and fell apart as soon as you touched it. Then it went south: the first bite induced a bitter grape face, which turned to a grimace when the underlying sugar hit kicked in and made your teeth crawl. Eye-wateringly unpleasant. Great for guests you don’t want. (1)
NW: If sugar rings your bells, then this pie was made for you. A thin pastry hid a fruity heart with distinct candied-cherry notes. But for me, this paler pie with its blizzard of sugar screamed for some glazing in the oven and custard or cream to tone down its sweetness. (2)
SK: Its jaundiced appearance, and the thick doughy pastry didn’t help the tart and acidic fruit mince at all. I am afraid I wasn’t able to finish this pie. (1.5)
MX: This one was bland, both in looks and in the eating. While meeting the basic Christmas mince pie standards, this brand went no further. Even if the criteria allowed more points for extra icing, the snow-topped crust would not have been enough to make up for the bland, half-baked crust. (2)
DG: Some strength in the design which earns it more credit than the taste. (2.5)
PN: Cool, calm and collected. Taste was sweet but not too sweet. Someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth would enjoy. The texture was creamy and firm. (4)
FC: Lindsay Slogrove and I shared mince pies this year, and this was the only one that disintegrated while cutting it in half. Lindsay got something that still vaguely resembled a pie, I got the crumbs. Horrible pastry hid a mince that was too sweet, yet had overdosed on something bitter ‒ possibly cinnamon, or mace or cloves. (1)
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