IN the South Coast Herald newsroom, we know it is nearly Christmas when we are summoned into our so-called ‘Bored Room’ and presented with an array of little platters bearing Yuletide treats.
Well, they are treats to some of us. There is a newsroom faction that has a strong aversion to traditional Christmas mince pies. The summons usually heralds (excuse the pun) a stampede of notebook-clutching reporters who have suddenly remembered urgent appointments that will take them out of the office for at least an hour or two.
Then there is even a reporter who claims she is allergic to mince pies. Just looking at the innocuous little pastries actually brings her out in a rash. It’s quite amazing!
For the rest of us, though, the annual Christmas mince pie pig out – sorry taste test – is a festive season highlight. The samples are stripped of any identifying packaging and we are not allowed to confer with each other or to compare scores, so it is all very fair and above-board.
After all these years, though, we are extremely critical about our pies and are extremely hard to please. We look at the appearance, the colour, the general presentation. A little dusting of castor or icing sugar usually earns some applause but we don’t like our pies too sugar coated. The pastry is critical. It shouldn’t be too crumbly, too hard or too thick.
Then there is the filling – and believe me, in all the years of tasting we have come across some very strange fillings. If it’s not too mushy; nice and fruity; not too sweet; generously but not too well spiced; and if it is not at all bland it will certainly meet with our approval.
So, when a mince pie earns a high score – like this year’s winner, which clocked up an astounding 55 points out of a possible 70 – you have to know that it satisfies all the good pie criteria. The winner this year is a newcomer to the taste test table, an attractive little pie with a home-made look, a pretty star-shaped cap and a delicious filling. Priced at R24 for six, it is made by a catering company from Sunwich Port, called Spice Dreams.
This pie was 8,5 points ahead of the first runner-up, one of the smaller Woolworths pies, which earned a score of 46,5 and costs R24.95 for six. Taste testers liked its moist, fruity, tasty filling and there was plenty of praise for the dainty, not too thick, pastry case.
The second runner-up, with a score of 44, was Royal Bakery’s sugar-dusted confection, described by one judge as a ‘snowy delight’. It costs R24.90 for six.
Strangely, the larger, more expensive Woolworths pies (R29,95 for four), were relegated to the bottom four, along with the Freshline pies from Ramsgate Spar (R25.99 for six), the pies from Pick n Pay, Port Shepstone (a very reasonable R17 for six) and the ones from Checkers, Hibiscus Mall (the cheapest at R16.99 for six).
The original pies were more meaty treats, the fruit and spice flavouring reflecting a Middle East culinary influence and this is not surprising. They were first brought to Britain, now considered the home of the Christmas mince pie, by crusaders returning from the Holy Land.
Traditionally, cooks flavoured their mince pies with a trio of spices – cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon – representing the magi, the three kings or wise men from the east who followed the star to Bethlehem. While many recipes have since evolved, these spices are still popular additions.
Many of the older recipes made use of 13 ingredients, the number symbolising Christ and his 12 apostles. And the original British pies were often rectangular, representing the shape of a manger.
The modern home cook probably hasn’t a clue how many ingredients are in her fruit mix as it usually comes off a supermarket shelf. The bought variety can, however, be considerably enlivened by the addition of grated apple and a dash of brandy. Served warm, with a dollop of cream, ice-cream or brandy butter, these home-made pies will certainly win approval.
While the pies we tested generally also met with approval, there were a few isolated, scathing comments about some of the pies from our judges:
“A touch lumpy on the periphery.”
“A star-shaped hub cap!”
“Horrible! Floury pastry and not enough filling.”
“Looks a bit stodgy. Oh, it is a bit stodgy.”
“Ugly!”
“Boring”
“Looks rather burnt.”
As these opinions were not necessarily shared by the rest of the panel and in the interests of tact and diplomacy, the pies thus described will remain nameless.
