The Review

6 luxury all butter mince pies. Mince pies made with all butter pastry, filled with mincemeat, apple, brandy, almonds and glacé cherries.

‘Not a bad mince pie if you don’t mind stodgy pastry. I’m not sure if we just got a bad pack, perhaps this batch were all slightly undercooked.’ – Paul

‘Ambitiously billed as ‘Truly irresistible, luxury, all butter mice pies’, this pie sets the bar high – and clears it: delicious pastry, nuts and a sweet, boozy taste. Coop proves they can do luxury as well as stamps. Brilliant.’ – Marco

‘I think the word ‘luxury’ on this box was a typo, it shouldn’t be there, the pastry was soft and soggy, and the mince full of hard bits. It’s a pity as the holly motif that adorns the richly coloured lid hinted at something better. After co-op’s delicious mini mince pies I was expecting a lot more from these bigger siblings. A let down.’ – Mince Pie Virgin

The Review

6 deep filled mince pies. Rich shortcrust pastry cases filled with mincemeat.

‘Good, robust pastry, although the lid came off in my hand. However, if, like my wife, you enjoy adding clotted cream inside your mince pie then that is a strong design feature. Taste was a little sugary, which did not match up to the pastry, but, all in all, not a bad entry-level pie.’ – Marco

‘These mince pies look better than they taste. There’s nothing wrong with them, but nothing really right with them either. They are average, average pastry, average filling. They do have one benefit (if you can call it that), the lids come off, so children or indeed childish people can remove all the filling and put the pie back together! Ah, that brings back memories.’ – Paul

‘This pie was okay, it is another one of those run of the mill standard pies. It looked average, tasted alright until I discovered some crunchy bits. Crunchy bits are the enemy of the mince pie tester, the undiscovered evil. If you want complacency try these, if you want a delicious pie try something else.’ – Adam

The Review

Th co-operative truly irresistible mini mince pies. A selection of 9 mini shortcrust pastry cases filled with brandy and almond mincemeat. 3 with port and topped with pecans, 3 topped with a star shaped pastry lid, 3 topped with almond slivers.

‘These mini mince pies are delightful to behold, each of the three flavours beautifully presented with their various toppings. The packaging has a large window revealing the pies’ beauty but I think they would look better on a coloured, not transparent plastic tray. The pastry is perhaps a little pale like most of the pies this year but it does not detract too much. The first pie I tried was the topped with slivers of almond which added a nice texture in the mouth. The mince was fruity, juicy and very good. It had a hint of brandy, not so much as to be over powering, but also not so little as to get lost; perfectly balanced. The after taste and sensation – yes this pie has an after sensation – are both very good. The pastry is not the nicest I’ve tried but due to the pies small size there is not much it and it offers a simple background for the mince to shine.

The pecan topped pie had port infused mince which was also very, very good. There was a subtle, earthy after taste at the back of the mouth and the over pie experience was one of the best this year. The star topped pie is not quite so tasty with the brandy more dominant. The nutty topping of the other pies is definitely nicer but I would still happily eat these. The only problem I can find with these pies are their small size, I wanted more, but being bite size it’s easy to pop another one, unnoticed by the fellow reviewers, into the mouth. Will the small size stop them getting the high mark I feel it deserves? I certainly hope not as like they say, good things come it small packages.’ – Mince Pie Virgin

‘Small, but perfectly formed, these are excellent mini mince pies that break the rules in a good way. With three delicious options to choose from in each pack these pies must appeal to a wide range of people. For me the port with pecans have the edge but all three are ‘truly irresistible’. I’m not sure if a mini mince pie can get any better and with this threesome how can you let Christmas pass without buying at least one pack?’ – Paul

‘Port & Pecan: Almost over before you begin. These pies are small. Taste of mince meat is excellent (the best yet), shame the pastry was a little soft. I’d like a bigger one please…

Star Pastry: Not a star I’m afraid. Again more of a nibble than a satisfying treat. Although, with the lack of nuts not as good as it’s sibling. Pastry still poor, obviously. Buy them and eat all the pecan ones…

Almond Slices: Not a big fan of Almonds, but here goes… Appearance a little weird. Overall taste is dry… needs a good glass of red to help wash down. Only average.’ – Piet

‘Pecan enters the ring. These three pies have really shaken up the testing, they were nicely rich, textured and beautifully crafted. The box provided pies of different flavours not once nor twice but thrice, however the collection wasn’t exactly the three kings. The Pecan was indeed a regal bas**rd but the others lacked that crowny influence. The pecan nuts provided a crunchy extra, unfortunately Mr Almond and Mr Star both shared a slightly soft pastry. However don’t let this fool you, they were all still joy filled pies. ‘ – Adam

‘Bit too perfumy, hmmm not sure, taste a little odd so glad they were mini!’ – Su