Overview
- The Times’ Dec. 5 panel awarded Waitrose Brown Butter Mince Pies With Cognac five stars for well-cooked pastry, balanced spice and a boozy lift.
- The review reported no obvious shrinkflation across this year’s supermarket pies, despite recent concerns in other food categories.
- Multiple entries drew criticism for common faults including pale or collapsing pastry and fillings that were overly sweet or gritty.
- Morrisons’ large pies received the lowest score for weak structure and an overly sweet, apple-forward filling.
- Alongside ratings for major retailers, the piece listed premium bakery options such as Daylesford, Gail’s and Pophams, while North Wales Live’s Dec. 6 snapshot found M&S best among basics with Lidl a strong value and Aldi, Asda, Tesco and Co-op in the middle.