It might be only September, but the countdown to Christmas will be on before you know it. And while the festive season is perfect for resting and spending quality time with loved ones, there’s one other very obvious benefit – the amazing food.
Christmas dinner, as great as it is, is only a small part of it. The festive-flavoured crisps, novelty chocolates and Christmas drinks added to coffee shop menus all add to the enjoyment, but in my opinion, you really can’t beat the classics. So you can imagine my excitement when I was strolling the aisles of Tesco the other day, only to find they’re starting to sell Christmas stock already – including their indulgent mince pies.
Do not listen to anyone who tells you it’s too early to eat mince pies in September – there’s no need for that kind of negativity in your life. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when they’re good, they’re amazing, and Tesco’s Finest are among my favourites.
The rich and crumbly butter pastry is packed with port and brandy-infused mincemeat that’s perfectly sweet and juicy, and they just scream Christmas. They’re massively popular with fans too, with people hailing them as ‘the best mince pies ever’ on the Tesco website.
This made me think – would they sell out when it actually got closer to Christmas and more people were buying them? I had to pick up a packet, just in case. Traditional ingredients like mincemeat tend to have a pretty long shelf life – or so I thought.
A word of warning to anyone planning on stockpiling mince pies for the months ahead – put them in the freezer as soon as you get home. The use-by date actually falls way before Christmas, with mine displaying a date of October 6 – even before Halloween.
I thought this to be a bit strange, because surely the vast majority of people aren’t buying and eating Christmas food already? I understand wanting to be prepared and buying things in advance, but you don’t expect them to go off way before the holiday season begins.
To be honest, it’s probably the butter-packed pastry that gives the mince pies their short shelf life. So if you’re planning on buying any and intend to keep them for the festivities, you should freeze them instead, making sure they have defrosted for at least three hours before eating them.
This was my plan, but unfortunately, my freezer was full to the brim. So I had no other choice but to make myself a cup of tea, pop one of the mince pies in the oven, and indulge.
These really are the best supermarket mince pies you can get, in my opinion. They’re incredibly moreish, very fruity without being too heavy, and the pastry is the perfect crumbly, buttery consistency.
It was just enough to give me the Christmas fix I needed, but rest assured, I will be going back to buy more if those festive cravings hit me again.