Mince pies and Christmas cakes

The arrival of mince pies and Christmas cakes in five of the country's biggest retailers — Checkers, Food Lover's Market, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths — means the Christian celebration of Christmas is almost upon us.

To offer our readers an idea of what they can expect from these traditional foods we gathered a panel of tasters — the Lifestyle team and colleagues from the Sunday Times newsroom — who undertook the challenge of a blind tasting of traditional mince pies and festive cakes from the different stores and shared the result of their findings.

The mince pies were judged on appearance, aroma, the quality of the pastry and the filling. A good Christmas cake must look the part and rank on fruitiness and the inclusion of nuts, cherries and brandy.

MINCE PIES

First

Checkers Festive Fruit Mince Pies

R44.99 for six

Says

The panel enjoyed the cut-out, a little star on the top of the pastry, providing a cute traditional feel. One taster remarked that the cut-out meant means less pastry and more filling — they way she likes a mince pie. The pastry got the thumbs up and was described as  “not too thick and filling". It was considered nice and juicy, with lots of fruit and flavour — not too sweet and well balanced.

Second

Pick n Pay 6 Deep Filled Mince Pies

R49.99 for six

Say

Described as a delicious filling but pastry was said to be crumbly by some of the panel. In rating the mince pies on looks, the panel noted the appealing golden appearance — just the right amount of time in the oven, said one panellist. The filling was considered generous — lovely and juicy, for some too sweet, while others felt it left an aftertaste on the palate.

Third

Woolworths 6 Fruit Mince Pies with SA Vine Fruits

R59.99

Says

Appearance considered a little dull: could have been a more appealing darker colour. The filling was described as tasty and more spicy than the other mince pies, which some tasters really enjoyed. “The favour profile of the filling is amazing but the pastry let this mince pie down as it is too pale, on the thick side and a little overwhelming."

Fourth

Spar Bakery 6 Festive Fruit Mince Pies

R49.99

Says

The pastry was described as slightly firm, fairly pleasant and didn't leave any bad aftertaste. The mince pie was let down by the fruit filling which was on the stingy side, not as juicy as the filling in the other pies and generally disappointing. 

Fifth

Food Lover's Market 6 Mince Pies 

R56

The appearance of this mince pie was “fair" though the pastry was said to have an unusual aroma of something oily, which left an unpleasant aftertaste on the palate. The pastry was found to be too thick, though the filling was said to be fairly juicy and tasty and the overall appearance of the pie “wasn't too bad”. 

CHRISTMAS CAKES

The scores between the cakes were very close, with a couple of points between each of the contenders. At the time of the tasting festive cakes were not available at Food Lover's Market.

First

Spar Festive Genoa Cake 850g

R179.99

The panel enjoyed the festive appearance of the top of the cake which was beautifully  decorated with a generous amount of  nuts and cherries and scored it high marks. One panellist described it as pretty and delicious but a little on the dry side. “Lovely flavour, said another, light, not heavy and perfect for a summer Christmas.”

Second

Checkers Iced Festive Cake 800g

R189.99

“This looks like a Christmas cake,” said one taster, “I like it.” Another, “I do enjoy icing on a Christmas cake, but where's the marzipan? The panel found the cake soft, juicy and fruity yet one found it way too sweet and the almond flavouring in the icing tasted fake. “This is not the real thing," she said.

Third

Woolworths Brandy Fruit Cake 700g

R229.99

“It looks and tastes like a homemade cake and reminds me of one my mother makes,” said one taster. Another said it smelt sweet and was quite a moist cake, yet on the crumbly side.  Many enjoyed the taste of butter and brandy the cake offered. “It needs some pimping as the cake is bland in appearance with a good amount of fruit, but missing the nuts of a fruit cake."

Fourth

Pick n Pay Christmas Brandy Fruit Cake 800g

R144.99

“A solid piece of fruit cake, though it leaves an unpleasant taste on the palate,” said one taster. Another described it an average — not bad, just OK. “I smell the brandy and spices, and there's lots of fruit but little cake.” Another taster described the unpleasant aftertaste as tainting the nice dark colour of the cake that had all the fruit and cherries but lacked  any nuts usually found in a festive cake.