Bakery Marzipan Mince Pie (Waitrose)

You'd have thought by now that I would have had my fill of mince pies thanks to the 25 I've already bought this season. There was one beauty however that I knew I'd just have to try before the big day itself.

Yesterday morning I was meeting a friend in town for coffee and detoured via Waitrose to treat myself when I was met with an unexpected dilemma: should I buy the marzipan mega mince pie that had been the object of my affections, or choose the equally appetising frangipane mince pie of equal size that hadn't been in store the last time I visited? The M&S frangipane pies were delicious, and I thought about comparing the two brands offerings, before remembering that I still had 2 M&S pies left at home and opted for Waitrose's star topped marzipan version. 

Then I met said friend, who had coincidentally bought me a double pack of Mr Kipling's iced mince pies. I'm sure I'll turn into a pie at this rate. 

Waitrose Frangipane Bakery Mince Pies

When I say mega, I'm referring to their giant nature. At 100g they're double the weight of most mince pies, which I could only see as a bonus -especially as they work out a great deal more expensive than the others I've reviewed at £1.25 each.

The pastry was incredibly crumbly and I was extremely careful when transporting it home to ensure that it stayed intact. Some could argue the point that it doesn't really fit the bill as a pie due to its lack of pastry lid, but the partially bare top allowed for the heavenly festive scent to escape enticingly.

In this case the appearances were a true indication of the deliciousness of the pastry, which was very short and sweet whilst being perfectly crispy. If you're a huge pastry fan you might not been keen on the thinness of it, but I was happy for it allowed the mincemeat to shine through. 

Talking of which, this was the first mince pie this season to incorporate cranberries into the mincemeat mix. It's a wonder why more companies don't include the festive fruit as its tart zing is a genius inclusion and complements the spices and citrus peel wonderfully. The size of the pie/tart allowed for maximum mincemeat enjoyment, and it was sheer joy to eat -especially once warmed up.

My only complaint regards the marzipan which -like the pastry- lacked girth. The almond flavour was lost against the wonderful mincemeat beneath -but to be honest I didn't mind in the slightest because the filling and pastry was so delicious. 

9.5/10