Mince Pies - MUACOL

We’ve been busily tasting and reviewing mince pies ahead of the 2024 festive season. Our aim is to test as many as possible of the different mince pies that are available in the UK in the run up to Christmas. As we do so, links to the reviews will appear on this page and we’ll rank them in order of preference – our favourites at the top and the worst ones at the bottom.

We will also reveal which mince pies score highest and lowest on different nutritional values so you know which ones to choose or avoid for your particular dietary requirements. If, like me, you treat mince pies as an energy food to fuel your sports training during the winter months, you’ll surely be interested to see which ones make for the best pre- and post-workout snacks.

Ranking

Highs and Lows

Energy

If it’s calories you’re after, then Asda’s OMV! Merrily Vegan Mince Pies might have something going for them after all, despite our unflattering review. They pack in an incredible 400 kcal for every 100g of pie. However, they are just pipped to the ‘most calorific’ crown by the Iceland Mince Pies, which provide you with 403 kcal per 100g, so they should be able to fuel your longest and toughest workouts. For the calorie watchers, the regular Asda Mince Pies would be the best bet as they only contain 371 kcal per 100g, putting them at the bottom of the table on that criterion.

Fat

If you’re looking to expand your waistline then the OMV! Merrily Vegan Mince Pies might actually have their uses as they contain a table topping 16g of fat per 100g. However, they only contain a relatively modest 5.1g of saturates per 100g, so the M&S Classic Mince Pies could be a better bet with their hefty 9.8g of saturates per 100g. All that saturated fat is probably one of the main reasons why they taste so good, but watch out – too many could raise your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke. The Iceland Mince Pies also score highly for their fat content, which is on a par with the OMV brand.

At the other end of the scale, it’s a tie between the Lidl Deluxe All Butter Mince Pies and the Mr Kipling Signature Collection Mince Pies which share the lowest fat rating at 12.9g per 100g. The TESCO Plant Chef Mince Pies have the lowest saturates (4.8g per 100g) so any of them would be a prudent choice for people looking to scoff mince pies without gaining too much weight..

Carbohydrates

If you’re carbo-loading a couple of nights before that big marathon or bike ride then Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference should be your go-to mince pies. At 64.2g of carbohydrates per 100g, they dwarf the carb levels found in most pasta and rice dishes. A packet or two of them in the lead up to the big event should help set you on the way to your next PB.

Anyone who is pursuing a low-carb diet should probably plump for the standard Asda Mince Pies, or the Lidl Favorina Mince Pies, both of which report a score of 58g of carbs per 100g of pie. That said, anyone who is pursuing a low-carb diet should probably avoid mince pies altogether as they are all ruinously high on that front.

Sugar

People who are seeking a quick sugar hit for a short-term energy boost would be well advised to turn to the Iceland Luxury All Butter Mince Pies and their whopping 41g of sugar per 100g. They’re not that far off being half sugar! No wonder they taste sweet. With numbers like that, they should probably be eaten in moderation.

If it’s a low-sugar option that you seek then the Aldi Holly Lane Mince Pies are the ones for you. At only 24g of sugar per 100g, they contain 17g less of the sweet stuff than the aforementioned Iceland variety. That could help to keep your dentist happy.

Fibre

Foods that are high in fibre can help you feel fuller, which can aid weight loss. A high fibre diet will also help to prevent constipation and keep your bowel movements regular. There’s a clear leader amongst the mince pies when it comes to fibre levels, and that is the TESCO freefrom Mince Pies with their 4.1g of fibre per 100g. That’s a fairly decent score, but it pales into insignificance when compared to some cereals. The TESCO Finest All Butter Mince Pies are the ones with the least to offer in this category. They only provide you with 1.4g of fibre per 100g, so you’ll need to make sure there are plenty of other sources of roughage in your diet if you’re subsisting mainly on them.

Protein

Protein supports muscle growth and is good for recovery if taken within thirty minutes of finishing your exercise. None of the mince pie brands have particularly high levels of it, so I wouldn’t advise anyone to rely on them as their main source of protein. That said, if you do fancy one immediately after your workout then the Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies top the chart with their 4.2g of protein per 100g. TESCO freefrom Mince Pies come in bottom with just 2.9g of protein per 100g. For comparison, a typical sports nutrition protein bar will usually have upwards of 30g of protein per 100g, so they would probably be preferable for most athletes in this scenario. We just need somebody to invent a mince pie flavoured protein bar.

Salt

Salt isn’t a primary ingredient of mince pies, so none of them have a particularly high salt content. If you’re looking to replenish body salts after a particularly sweaty workout then I can recommend the Mr Kipling Deep Filled Mince Pies. They weigh in at 0.3g of salt per 100g. At the other end of the scale, the Asda Exceptional Luxury Mince Pies have only one tenth of that amount (0.03g per 100g), so they would be ideal if the doctor has told you to watch your salt intake.

Check back regularly as we’ll be updating this page each time we review a new brand of mince pie.