It’s time for the mince pie taste test

THEY were a particularly handsome lot this year, but would the eight Christmas mince pies assembled for sampling live up to their good looks?

As regular South Coast readers know, the big annual Christmas mince pie taste test is one of the festive season highlights for the editorial team. As usual, all packages had been removed and the pies were plated and numbered, ready for blind tasting, before the testers were allowed to sample the seasonal fare.

First the selected samples were judged on appearances then, having scored them on their looks, the taste test team began munching away and carefully recording their comments.

And, yes, appearances generally did not deceive. All eight were voted perfectly acceptable, with the top scorers being judged as really yummy.

This year’s choice was, in no particular order, Woolworths traditional pies, Woolworths mini-pies, Woolworths chocolate pies, Food Lover’s Market pies, pies from Pick n Pay, Oribi Plaza, Port Shepstone, pies from Ramsgate Spar, pies from Checkers, Hibiscus Mall, Margate and Spar Freshline pies from Harbour View in Port Shepstone.

Scoring high in both looks and taste, it was the Woolworth’s mini pies that stole the show this year. Tasters loved their petite appearance, many of them describing them as ‘cute’. As for their taste appeal, a tester summed up the general opinion by describing these pies as “nice and spicy with a great pastry case”.

Woolworths traditional pies (placed second) were generally liked, with one taste tester going as far as describing them as “heavenly”.

Some testers thought the Food Lover’s Market pies (third) needed a bit of spicing up but they were generally liked and earned applause for their starry appearance.

The most expensive pies were the Woolworths mini pies (R39.99 for nine, not six, but they are quite small) and the chocolate ones, (R39.99 for six).

Interestingly the taste test team was split down the middle regarding the chocolate pies.

“The chocolate does it for me,” said one tester. The traditionalists, however, felt the chocolate variety was not a real mince pie.

The Spar Freshline pies were R32.99 for six and the Woolworths traditional and Food Lover’s Market pies were both R29.99 for six. Pick n Pay pies represented good value at R26.95 for eight. Cheapest were the Ramsgate Spar and Checkers pies. Both would set you back R24.99 for six but the Spar pies scored quite a bit higher than the Checkers and were voted the the best value pies of the 2016 selection.

The taste testers tried but didn’t manage to coax the owner of a special gift to include it in the taste test. The gift was a box of ultra-luxurious, gold glitter covered dark chocolate and orange mince pies from Woolworths, pricey for sure, but beautifully packaged and almost too pretty to eat. These pies really would make a lovely gift.

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