Sandisiwe Mbhele

By Sandisiwe Mbhele

UX Content Writer


Hate mince pies? Try these alternatives instead

Christmas mince pies aren't everyone's cup of tea when it comes to the dessert table, but these alternatives are great crowd-pleasers.


I won’t lie, it breaks my heart when I hear how hated Christmas mince pies are during this time of year. 

Personally, I am a fan.

Maybe the problem is the, which name confuses many people, as they think it is a savoury pie because of the mince part, however, there is no meat in a Christmas mince pie. However, the sheer thought of mashed up dried fruit is a food apocalypse for some. 

Be that as it may, the Christmas mince pie seems to have originated in Britain in the 17th Century, and it seems like these pastries had a colourful history at the time.

Mince pies are a blend of currants, raisins, apples, sugar, and suet, which should be layered in pastry crust with lemon, orange peel and baked. 

ALSO READ: 31 days of Christmas: Vegan malva pudding

If you and your guests are not fans of the Christmas mince pies, you can opt to dig into one of these desserts that promise to be equally scrumptious.

Christmas mince pie alternatives

Forage And Feast Hertzoggie Fruit Mince Pie, Checkers

Hear us out. There is still an attempt by mass retailers to “reinvent” the Christmas mince pie with different flavours such as chocolate brownie, nuts, gluten-free, and even no raisin fruit puddings to get people buying. 

Checkers Forage and Feast mince pies are doing just that. They are a buttery pastry loaded with Turkish apricot fruit mince with a buttery coconut shortcrust topping. 

Checkers coconut mince pie and macarons. Picture: Instagram @Checkers_SA

The Forage and Feast range is in partnership with Michelin star chef Jan Hendrik. There other delectable options are sticky toffee steamed pudding, chocolate and caramel trifle and milk tart macarons.   

Price: R79.99

Christmas Chocolate Enrobed Tiramisu Sponge Cake, Woolworths

Woolworths Christmas tiramisu is a vanilla and chocolate sponge made with coffee liqueur and enrobed in milk chocolate. It is decorated with gold-dusted salted caramel truffle, panned hazelnuts, gold dipped chocolate shards, and cocoa nibs which will impress your friends and family. 

This handcrafted Italian dessert is a showstopper. 

Woolworth tiramisu. Picture: Woolworths

Price: R175.99

Chuckling Christmas Trifle, Woolworths 

Woolworths is doing the most when it comes to their festive dessert options and the Chuckling Christmas trifle had to be mentioned because of the reaction on social media. 

Chuckles are malted honeycomb spheres covered in a layer of creamy milk chocolate. The Woolworths’s Chuckles range include Chuckles ice cream, Chuckle balls and a Chuckles cake.

The Chuckles trifle is layered with a malt sponge, chocolate and malt mousse, topped with a chocolate tile.

Price: R229.99

Kaylee’s vegan Christmas treats, Bedfordview

We haven’t forgotten about the vegans and those who have gluten intolerances. There is a delicious variety on offer by Kaylee’s Eatery in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, giving Christmas cheer to plant-based eaters.

The dessert options include gingerbread cookies, Christmas cakes (alcohol-free), cookies, mince pies, and peppermint crisp tart. 

Their bakes are available in-store and on order. 

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