The best supermarket mince pie revealed: We tried 29 festive pastries from across UK shops - and a surprising offering comes out top
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Festive jingles are roaring across the supermarket aisles, cinnamon is floating through seasonal treats and shoppers are already trying to get their hands on a turkey for Christmas. The Yuletide is well and truly upon us, and with the big day only days away, many will be sampling the best mince pies to stock up on.
![[Elmira says that these are always a crowd-pleaser and for a good reason. The soft creamy topping perfectly accentuates the mincemeat filling]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/09/19/92971163-14173859-image-m-6_1733773703885.jpg)
With classic selections on offer as well as quirky alternatives - topped with icing or Ballycastle (a cream liqueur) - it can be tough to wade through the options. Earlier this month, consumer group Which? tasked an expert panel to give their verdicts on which ones you should be popping into your shopping basket, and which ones are best left on the shelf.
![[The puff pastry in this was delightfully soft and airy, and teamed with the crunchy sugar on top, made for the perfect complement to the mincemeat, Elmira said]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/22/93100243-14173859-The_puff_pastry_in_this_was_delightfully_soft_and_airy_and_teame-m-92_1734041206978.jpg)
Their winner, which got the Best Buy recommendation, was Waitrose's No.1 Brown Butter Mince Pies with Cognac. Elsewhere, Aldi's Specially Selected Mince Pies got a Great Value endorsement from the group. The judge line-up was made up of four baking experts: Bake Off: The Professionals 2022 winner Nathan Rave, Great British Bake Off 2010 winner Edd Kimber, award winning baker and food writer Dan Lepard and pastry chef and author Shaheen Peerbhai.
![[They were nicely filled and the mincemeat was really tasty with a good amount of fruit, says Eleanor]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/09/19/92971159-14173859-They_were_nicely_filled_and_the_mincemeat_was_really_tasty_with_-m-8_1733773747983.jpg)
Here, Femail tastes 29 mince pies to reveal which are worth a spot of the Christmas table, and which are best left on the shelf... . Lidl Deluxe Six All Butter Mince Pies. £1.99 for six. Rating:. The beauty of this pie lies in its wonderful shortcrust pastry, which is perfectly smooth and buttery. The quality of it feels premium, both stable and silky. It is the perfect vessel for the nicely flavoured mincemeat filling, which is not too sweet and packs a nice punch.
![[The mince pies look lovely and the pastry is soft without breaking apart when you hold it, Elmira says]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/21/93098383-14173859-image-m-79_1734038475349.jpg)
