Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies

Price: £2.75 for a box of 6 (07/10/2024)

Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies box

These are Asda’s top of the range mince pies. In fact, they are said to be ‘luxury’ mince pies and the packaging blurb describes them as “filled with a warmly spiced mincemeat, infused with sweet ruby port, valencian orange oil and cognac“. The ingredients list also includes brandy, so the melange of three spirits should lend a noticeable hint of alcohol to the filling. I had high expectations for them.

Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pie
Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pie

Do they live up to their own hype? Let’s find out. At first glance, they appear slightly small for a premium range mince pie. They have a star within a star pattern on the pastry lid and a very light dusting of sugar on top.

Cold Taste Test

The pastry is reassuringly thick and a pleasing texture. You can really taste the butter in it, so it scores well on that front. Volume wise, the mincemeat filling leaves a bit to be desired. There’s quite a gap between the filling surface and the lid, which I found disappointing in a premium pie. They could really be more generous with their helpings. Taste wise, it is a good mincemeat recipe. The alcohol wasn’t as prominent as I expected. I found the dominant flavour to be the orange, which left a nice aftertaste on the palate. It’s definitely an above average mincemeat.

Hot Taste Test

A short burst in the microwave didn’t do much for the consistency of the pastry, which became a bit stodgy. Of course, they don’t recommend microwave heating them, and I’m sure they would do a lot better in the oven, but in the interest of consistency, I’m comparing all mince pies when microwave heated. The mincemeat, on the other hand, was simply delicious once warmed up. Nice big chunks of fruit steeped in a wonderful blend of flavours from the spirits and spices. They are extremely moreish, despite the microwave unfriendly pastry.

Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pie
Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pie

Verdict

These are good solid mince pies and can be considered a worthy competitor to their Tesco Finest and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference equivalents. When oven heated, I think they would come into their own, with thick crispy pastry and a beautifully blended filling. They would be a welcome addition to anybody’s festive party. I would happily buy and eat these Asda Exceptional Luxury mince pies time and time again.

Nutrition

Typical values (per 100g):

  • Energy: 383 kcal
  • Fat: 15 g
  • Saturates: 7.9 g
  • Carbohydrate: 58 g
  • Of which sugars: 36 g
  • Fibre : 1.5 g
  • Protein: 4.2 g
  • Salt: 0.03 g