Lidl beats M&S and Waitrose to win best Christmas mince pie 2015

Take a look at the winners and losers of the annual loveMONEY mince pie taste test.

Lidl has won this year’s loveMONEY Christmas supermarket mince pie taste test.

It beat off stiff competition from upmarket rivals Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, as well as typical household favourite Mr Kipling to claim the top spot.

The test

This year our eager tasters got through 11 different mince pies and rated each out of 10 for appearance and taste.

As always the test was conducted blind and the pies were only referred to with a number.

In a change to previous years, we only included the normal everyday ranges from all the major supermarkets plus Mr Kipling for a more even comparison.

The results

Here is how the pies stacked up.

Rank by score	Mince pie	Number in pack	Price per pack	Price per pie	Average score
1	Lidl Snowy Lodge Mince Pies	6	79p	13p	7.00
2	Mr Kipling Mince Pies	6	£1.50	25p	6.66
3	Waitrose Shortcrust Mince Pies	6	£1.70	28p	6.58
4	Iceland Christmas Mince Pies	12	£1.50	13p	6.40
=5	Aldi Specially Selected Mince Pies	6	£1.15	19p	6.25
=5	Tesco Traditional Mince Pies	6	89p	15p	6.25
7	Morrisons Mince Pies	6	£1	17p	6.16
=8	Co-op Loved by Us Deep Filled Mince Pies	6	£1.45	24p	6.00
=8	M&S Christmas Star Mince Pies	6	£2.50	42p	6.00
10	Sainsbury’s Deep Filled Mince Pies	6	£1.30	22p	5.90
11	Asda 6 Mince Pies	6	89p	15p	5.40

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Winners and losers

Lidl was the clear winner of best Christmas mince pie 2015 with its Snowy Lodge range which attracted an average score of 7. Simply put our tasters thought the pies from the supermarket were "yummy".

Tasters liked the pastry and flavour of Lidl’s pies, with one saying: "It has a lovely thick pastry that doesn’t fall apart and the filling really packs a punch".

Our testers were also impressed with the general appearance of Lidl’s pies too, with many fond of the simple holly decorations.

Household favourite Mr Kipling was runner up in our test with an average score of 6.66. Tasters were impressed overall with the filling and pastry.

Waitrose came in third place with an average score of 6.58. Its Shortcrust Mince Pies were praised for their "nice fruit" and "saucy" filling. But its plain appearance appears to have let it down with the panel.

Our tasters weren’t impressed with what Asda had to offer, with the supermarket’s pies coming in last place with a disappointing average score of 5.4.

Many commented that the filling flavour was "too sharp", while others said the pie had an unpleasant "sandy" texture. One tester found the pie was "quite dry" and the filling had "too many large chunks".

Value for money

While the taste test is all about which pies taste best, regardless of brand, it’s also wise to look at value for money as well.

And Lidl again comes out on top, costing an average of just 13p per pie.

On the other end of the spectrum, the M&S Christmas Star Mince Pies cost the most at 42p each or £2.50 for a pack of six. In joint eighth position they’re not worth the extra money at all when there are plenty of cheaper tastier options to go for!

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Where to get Christmas dinner cheapest: Aldi and Lidl take on Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose