@thekelvingreen.bsky.social
Pictures and words from next to the sea.
Infinity Foods! A Brighton institution!
(Sorry if you're not near Brighton)
Excellent filling: rich, spicy, and tangy. Thick pastry, but a bit too crispy for me. Also £2.50 each, which is insane. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. I expect to be deported from Brighton upon the morn. #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
(Sorry if you're not near Brighton)
Excellent filling: rich, spicy, and tangy. Thick pastry, but a bit too crispy for me. Also £2.50 each, which is insane. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. I expect to be deported from Brighton upon the morn. #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Infinity Foods! A Brighton institution!
(Sorry if you're not near Brighton)
Excellent filling: rich, spicy, and tangy. Thick pastry, but a bit too crispy for me. Also £2.50 each, which is insane. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. I expect to be deported from Brighton upon the morn. #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
(Sorry if you're not near Brighton)
Excellent filling: rich, spicy, and tangy. Thick pastry, but a bit too crispy for me. Also £2.50 each, which is insane. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. I expect to be deported from Brighton upon the morn. #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
In truth, you can't go far wrong with any of these mince pies, but if I have to pick -- and this whole exercise rather suggests that I do -- I pick Asda as the winner.
(Cheers, applause, etc)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
(Cheers, applause, etc)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
In truth, you can't go far wrong with any of these mince pies, but if I have to pick -- and this whole exercise rather suggests that I do -- I pick Asda as the winner.
(Cheers, applause, etc)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
(Cheers, applause, etc)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Okay then, I'm ready to call it. I've tested almost every nationally-available mince pie -- not the Bastard Kipling; I will, but they are never much good -- and so I can say with confidence that the best mince pie is...
Oh crap, it's a three way tie.
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Oh crap, it's a three way tie.
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Okay then, I'm ready to call it. I've tested almost every nationally-available mince pie -- not the Bastard Kipling; I will, but they are never much good -- and so I can say with confidence that the best mince pie is...
Oh crap, it's a three way tie.
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Oh crap, it's a three way tie.
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Waitrose: These look impressively chunky!
Both pastry and filling are quite bland, even tasteless, were it not for a welcome (but far too late) aftertaste of festive spice. These aren't bad as such, but they have very little going for them. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Both pastry and filling are quite bland, even tasteless, were it not for a welcome (but far too late) aftertaste of festive spice. These aren't bad as such, but they have very little going for them. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 7, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Waitrose: These look impressively chunky!
Both pastry and filling are quite bland, even tasteless, were it not for a welcome (but far too late) aftertaste of festive spice. These aren't bad as such, but they have very little going for them. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Both pastry and filling are quite bland, even tasteless, were it not for a welcome (but far too late) aftertaste of festive spice. These aren't bad as such, but they have very little going for them. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry has a nice texture, almost biscuity, but a bit bland. The filling is very tasty; mostly booze with a bit of citrus.The amount is a bit miserly, especially for such costly pies. 🥧🥧 out of 5, 🥧🥧🥧 if you don't mind the price. ("Certified sustainable" palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 6, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The pastry has a nice texture, almost biscuity, but a bit bland. The filling is very tasty; mostly booze with a bit of citrus.The amount is a bit miserly, especially for such costly pies. 🥧🥧 out of 5, 🥧🥧🥧 if you don't mind the price. ("Certified sustainable" palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
I'm trying to work out under what circumstances you'd recycle a *coffin*. 🤔
December 5, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I'm trying to work out under what circumstances you'd recycle a *coffin*. 🤔
Tee. Ee. Ess. Cee. Oh. (Again!) The pastry has a nice bite, maybe a touch soft, but with a nice, not too sweet, taste. The chunky filling is a pleasant mix of fruit and spices and a hint of alcohol, but the overall flavour is a bit meek. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Tee. Ee. Ess. Cee. Oh. (Again!) The pastry has a nice bite, maybe a touch soft, but with a nice, not too sweet, taste. The chunky filling is a pleasant mix of fruit and spices and a hint of alcohol, but the overall flavour is a bit meek. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Tee. Ee. Ess. Cee. Oh.
The pastry has a pleasant firmness and, aside from the sugar on top, is not too sweet. It is a bit dry though, and the filling is bland, with some very hard fruit pieces. Watch your teeth! 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry has a pleasant firmness and, aside from the sugar on top, is not too sweet. It is a bit dry though, and the filling is bland, with some very hard fruit pieces. Watch your teeth! 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
December 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Tee. Ee. Ess. Cee. Oh.
The pastry has a pleasant firmness and, aside from the sugar on top, is not too sweet. It is a bit dry though, and the filling is bland, with some very hard fruit pieces. Watch your teeth! 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry has a pleasant firmness and, aside from the sugar on top, is not too sweet. It is a bit dry though, and the filling is bland, with some very hard fruit pieces. Watch your teeth! 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Greggs; not a supermarket, but a national chain, and I was in there anyway.
The pastry has a nice crumbly texture, a bit on the soft side, but is terribly bland. The filling is lovely and rich; alas, there's barely any of it. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil? 🤷)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry has a nice crumbly texture, a bit on the soft side, but is terribly bland. The filling is lovely and rich; alas, there's barely any of it. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil? 🤷)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 30, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Greggs; not a supermarket, but a national chain, and I was in there anyway.
The pastry has a nice crumbly texture, a bit on the soft side, but is terribly bland. The filling is lovely and rich; alas, there's barely any of it. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil? 🤷)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry has a nice crumbly texture, a bit on the soft side, but is terribly bland. The filling is lovely and rich; alas, there's barely any of it. 🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil? 🤷)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Morrisons the Best
These have a lovely filling, all booze and spices, and the pastry has a pleasant, biscuity, crumbly firmness to it. Alas the pastry is a bit too sweet and overwhelms the flavours in the filling. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
These have a lovely filling, all booze and spices, and the pastry has a pleasant, biscuity, crumbly firmness to it. Alas the pastry is a bit too sweet and overwhelms the flavours in the filling. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 23, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Morrisons the Best
These have a lovely filling, all booze and spices, and the pastry has a pleasant, biscuity, crumbly firmness to it. Alas the pastry is a bit too sweet and overwhelms the flavours in the filling. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
These have a lovely filling, all booze and spices, and the pastry has a pleasant, biscuity, crumbly firmness to it. Alas the pastry is a bit too sweet and overwhelms the flavours in the filling. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Morrisons. These have a lovely firm but crumbly pastry and a filling that tastes of... nothing. Not bad, not good, just literally tasteless. I'd give them 🥧 for the pastry but 🥧 would imply that they're bad. But they're not bad, they just are. 🤷 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 22, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Morrisons. These have a lovely firm but crumbly pastry and a filling that tastes of... nothing. Not bad, not good, just literally tasteless. I'd give them 🥧 for the pastry but 🥧 would imply that they're bad. But they're not bad, they just are. 🤷 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Hey #WhiteDwarf where's my cardboard dreadnought? I mean, I think I still have the 1993 one somewhere...
November 22, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Hey #WhiteDwarf where's my cardboard dreadnought? I mean, I think I still have the 1993 one somewhere...
Lidl Deluxe. Crikey, it looks like a footballer's coffee table! These have a nice firm pastry and I'm fairly sure there's a good, flavourful filling in there, but there is so much sugar that I can detect only hints of festive spices. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 21, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Lidl Deluxe. Crikey, it looks like a footballer's coffee table! These have a nice firm pastry and I'm fairly sure there's a good, flavourful filling in there, but there is so much sugar that I can detect only hints of festive spices. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Iceland! A firm pastry, just on the right side of the dreaded crispy. The filling lacks flavours you'd expect (no spice or alcohol) but there's a syrupy richness, almost umami, that reminds me of cola. It's weird, but I quite like it. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Iceland! A firm pastry, just on the right side of the dreaded crispy. The filling lacks flavours you'd expect (no spice or alcohol) but there's a syrupy richness, almost umami, that reminds me of cola. It's weird, but I quite like it. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Here's one. It's an 6mm epic scale beakie, but I've only ever seen them in plastic so no idea where this is from.
November 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Here's one. It's an 6mm epic scale beakie, but I've only ever seen them in plastic so no idea where this is from.
Favorina (Lidl). These have a soft pastry, a bit too soft, and a bit sweeter than I like too. The filling has a good initial hit of spicy flavour, but it's alas overwhelmed by that overly sweet pastry. 🥧🥧.5 out of 5. (Palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 19, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Favorina (Lidl). These have a soft pastry, a bit too soft, and a bit sweeter than I like too. The filling has a good initial hit of spicy flavour, but it's alas overwhelmed by that overly sweet pastry. 🥧🥧.5 out of 5. (Palm oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
You've seen the Japanese covers, yes?
November 18, 2025 at 9:17 PM
You've seen the Japanese covers, yes?
COOP Irresistible. A gorgeous texture, a firm bite and a pleasant chewiness. A warming filling of fruit, spice, and a hint of alcohol. Lots of lovely flavours. But! The pastry is far too sweet and overpowers the filling. Lovely, but wonky. 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 18, 2025 at 8:11 PM
COOP Irresistible. A gorgeous texture, a firm bite and a pleasant chewiness. A warming filling of fruit, spice, and a hint of alcohol. Lots of lovely flavours. But! The pastry is far too sweet and overpowers the filling. Lovely, but wonky. 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Iceland Luxury. Strong buttery scent but none of the bitterness you often get from buttery pastry. Full of fruity tastes (including unexpected yuzu!) and a hint of warming booze. I'd like more spice to give some depth but these are good! 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 17, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Iceland Luxury. Strong buttery scent but none of the bitterness you often get from buttery pastry. Full of fruity tastes (including unexpected yuzu!) and a hint of warming booze. I'd like more spice to give some depth but these are good! 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
COOP Merry. There's a dusting of sugar on the (very soft) pastry, which is itself sweet, and the filling is sweet too. There's a bit of spice in the filling but it doesn't counteract the overpowering sweetness. 🥧🥧 out of 5, but +1 if you have a sweet tooth. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 16, 2025 at 9:29 PM
COOP Merry. There's a dusting of sugar on the (very soft) pastry, which is itself sweet, and the filling is sweet too. There's a bit of spice in the filling but it doesn't counteract the overpowering sweetness. 🥧🥧 out of 5, but +1 if you have a sweet tooth. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Sainsbos Taste the Difference. These have a weird stale and yeasty smell. The pastry is too sweet and has a crispy, crunchy, feel that verges on nasty. The filling has strong flavours of fruits and spices, but it's not worth the dodgy pastry. 🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 15, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Sainsbos Taste the Difference. These have a weird stale and yeasty smell. The pastry is too sweet and has a crispy, crunchy, feel that verges on nasty. The filling has strong flavours of fruits and spices, but it's not worth the dodgy pastry. 🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Sainsbos. The pastry has a nice crumble and crunch but is a bit bland and dry. The filling is fruity and juicy, but there's nothing else going on, no hints of booze or spice. Decent pies, but there's nothing festive about them. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay #mincetagram
November 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Sainsbos. The pastry has a nice crumble and crunch but is a bit bland and dry. The filling is fruity and juicy, but there's nothing else going on, no hints of booze or spice. Decent pies, but there's nothing festive about them. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay #mincetagram
A lovely proper pie crust, thick and with a pleasant bite. The filling is spicy, has a HUGE glog of brandy and port, and a little citrus kick at the end. Very tasty indeed. These would probably get a top score, except they are half air. 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
A lovely proper pie crust, thick and with a pleasant bite. The filling is spicy, has a HUGE glog of brandy and port, and a little citrus kick at the end. Very tasty indeed. These would probably get a top score, except they are half air. 🥧🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (No Palm Oil) #MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
Firm pastry, just the right side of "crispy", with a pleasant bite. It looks a bit dry, but appearances are deceiving. The filling is fruity and tasty, but lacks any sort of kick. No spice, no citrusy zing, and no booze. Decent but generic. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 12, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Firm pastry, just the right side of "crispy", with a pleasant bite. It looks a bit dry, but appearances are deceiving. The filling is fruity and tasty, but lacks any sort of kick. No spice, no citrusy zing, and no booze. Decent but generic. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
OMV! Merrily Vegan (Asda)
The pastry is so soft as to be almost non-existent, like biting into a sugary cloud. The filling is tasty, although it's all fruit and no interesting booze or spices, and it's a bit stingy. Vegans deserve better. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry is so soft as to be almost non-existent, like biting into a sugary cloud. The filling is tasty, although it's all fruit and no interesting booze or spices, and it's a bit stingy. Vegans deserve better. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
November 11, 2025 at 10:33 PM
OMV! Merrily Vegan (Asda)
The pastry is so soft as to be almost non-existent, like biting into a sugary cloud. The filling is tasty, although it's all fruit and no interesting booze or spices, and it's a bit stingy. Vegans deserve better. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay
The pastry is so soft as to be almost non-existent, like biting into a sugary cloud. The filling is tasty, although it's all fruit and no interesting booze or spices, and it's a bit stingy. Vegans deserve better. 🥧🥧🥧 out of 5. (Palm Oil)
#MincePieFest2025 #MincePieADay