Host Your Own Family Mince Pie Taste Trial: A Fun and Festive Christmas Tradition

As the festive season approaches, it’s that time of year when mince pies start filling supermarket shelves and cafés, tempting us with their buttery pastry, spiced fillings, and sugar-dusted tops. 

But with so many options to choose from, how do you know which mince pies are truly worth the calories? 

Instead of relying on reviews or online rankings, why not turn it into a fun family event and organise your own mince pie taste trial? 

It’s the perfect way to embrace the Christmas spirit, have some laughs, and crown your family's favourite mince pie of the season!

Here’s a guide to organising your very own taste trial to determine which supermarket or café chain truly reigns supreme in the world of mince pies.

Step 1: Plan Ahead and Gather Your Pies

To make your mince pie taste trial a success, you’ll need a good selection of pies from various supermarkets and cafés. In the UK, many well-known names offer their take on the festive treat, so consider including options from:

Supermarkets: Marks & Spencer, Asda, Morrisons, Booths, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi, and Lidl.

Café chains: Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Pret A Manger, and Greggs.

Aim to include a mix of both budget-friendly and premium mince pies to see if price truly reflects quality. Depending on the size of your gathering, plan to get at least one pie per person from each brand so everyone can have a decent taste.

Tip: To ensure you’re tasting the latest batches, purchase the pies as close to the trial date as possible.

Step 2: Set Up the Taste Test

To keep things fair and unbiased, turn your taste trial into a blind taste test. Here’s how:

Remove all packaging: Take the mince pies out of their boxes and place them on plates, assigning each brand a number instead. Make a note of which brand corresponds to each number and keep this list hidden.

Keep it simple: Label each plate with a numbered card, so no one knows which brand they’re sampling.

Cut the pies into quarters: If you have a larger group, this ensures everyone gets to try a bit without getting too full. Plus, it allows you to stretch your budget further.

Step 3: Prepare Tasting Scorecards

Create scorecards for your guests to rate the mince pies on different criteria. You can either design your own cards or use a simple format like the one below:

Criteria Score (1-10)

Appearance

Pastry texture

Filling flavour

Balance of spices

Overall impression

Ask each family member to rate the pies from 1 to 10 for each category. Encourage everyone to make notes on what they liked or disliked about each pie. To make things even more fun, you can add extra categories like "Most Christmassy Aroma" or "Best for a Cup of Tea".

Step 4: Conduct the Tasting

Once everyone is seated and ready, hand out the scorecards and let the tasting begin! To cleanse the palate between samples, provide water, plain crackers, or apple slices. This helps prevent flavours from blending and ensures each mince pie gets a fair assessment.

Encourage your family to take their time savouring each pie, discussing their thoughts as they go along. This is where the festive fun really begins as opinions are shared, debated, and defended!

Step 5: Tally Up the Results and Announce the Winner

After the tasting is complete, collect everyone’s scorecards and add up the results. Reveal which mince pies correspond to each number and announce your family's top mince pie of the season!

For added excitement, you could even create fun awards such as:

Best Value for Money: The pie that offered the best taste for its price.

Most Traditional Flavour: For the mince pie that stayed true to classic tastes.

Best Pastry: Celebrating the crispiest, flakiest, and most buttery crust.

Family Favourite: The pie that received the highest overall score.

Step 6: Celebrate with a Hot Drink and Leftover Pies

Once the results are in, it’s time to relax and celebrate with a festive drink. Pair the remaining mince pies with a pot of spiced tea, mulled wine, or hot chocolate, and toast to a successful taste trial. It's a wonderful way to wrap up the evening and get into the Christmas spirit.

Bonus Tips for a Successful Taste Trial

Decorate your space: Add some festive decorations, play Christmas music, and light a few candles to create a cosy, celebratory atmosphere.

Get the kids involved: Children will love helping with the set-up and scorecards. You can also create a kid-friendly category, where they rate based on sweetness or the amount of fruit filling.

Document the fun: Capture photos of the tasting event, especially those funny moments when someone tries a particularly divisive pie! These memories will be lovely to look back on year after year.

Why This Tradition is Worth Starting

Organising a mince pie taste trial is a fantastic way to bring family together during the festive season. Not only does it add a bit of fun and excitement to your Christmas preparations, but it also gives everyone the chance to bond over a shared love of delicious festive treats.

And who knows? You might just discover a hidden gem that becomes your new go-to mince pie each year. So gather your loved ones, sharpen your taste buds, and let the mince pie judging begin!

Happy Tasting and Merry Christmas!

Incidentally the genesis of this blogpost came when I bought two different types of mince pie and I thought: "Hang on! This needs to be on That's Christmas!"¬

Asda customers can snap up Christmas veg for the lowest ever price of 15p!

Good news for Christmas dinner veg lovers and bargain spotters! 

Asda has announced customers can bag last minute Christmas veg for the lowest ever price of 15p, as the supermarket reduces the price of key Christmas dinner staples just in time for the big day.

Customers heading to Asda or shopping online to get their last bits for their Christmas dinner, can bag 1kg carrots (usually 60p), 500g sprouts (usually £1), 360g broccoli (usually 75p) and 500g parsnips (usually 65p) for the lowest ever price of 15p each until Tuesday 26th December.

The move, which sees Asda match Aldi and Lidl prices on the shelf, comes after Asda was crowned the lowest-priced major supermarket for premium Christmas food and drink products by trade magazine The Grocer.

The supermarket topped the Grocer’s prestigious festive price comparison survey which tracked the cost of 33 premium Christmas products including turkey and all the trimmings, pigs in blankets and mince pies at Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose.

Asda’s festive basket totalled £154.41 and was £19.48 cheaper than the average basket price across the other supermarkets featured and offered the lowest price on 19 of the 33 festive products featured, including smoked salmon slices, mince pies and pigs in blankets.

Kris Comerford, Asda’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Throughout the year we've focussed on improving the quality of our products while continuing to keep prices in check for our customers. This is especially vital at Christmas when family budgets are under extreme pressure. We're confident our customers can treat themselves and family members to the best quality festive food and drink without having to break the bank when they shop with us at Asda.”

Asda's also urging customers who haven’t already done so, to join the 1.2 million savvy fellow shoppers who've already created vouchers from their Christmas Saver Cashpot on Asda Rewards, before it expires on Sunday 31st December.

Any new customer who signs up for an Asda Rewards account before Monday 25th December will receive a £5 off coupon for their first shop. They then have until Sunday 31st December to complete their second shop to receive an additional £5 in their Cashpot.

www.asda.com

Charcuterie trees to baked Cambozola how to throw the perfect Christmas party with Asda

It's officially Christmas party season! Asda shoppers can enjoy the full festive season with unmissable offers on a delicious selection of grazing and party food - tis' the time to be merry after all.

Grazing dishes are perfect for those who want to curate a plate and get creative with their presentation. This year, influencers are crafting charcuterie trees, chalets and wreaths from a selection of snacks, with the hashtag #charcuterietree gaining 27million views on TikTok.

Asda is encouraging their shoppers to get creative this year, with the Build Your Own Festive Antipasti Board. For just £5, shoppers can enjoy a selection of cheeses and salamis, sweet cranberries, apricots and semi-dried tomatoes. The board comes with instructions on how to build your Christmas tree, so shoppers can impress as the host with the most.

Asda’s Build Your Own Festive Grazing Cones (£6) pack includes a selection of pitted green olives and pepper drops, Iberico cheese, semi-dried tomatoes, air-dried meats and baked breadsticks – plus shoppers can turn the box into a cone stand to create a display centrepiece!

The Mezze Grazing Selection (£4) features a Provolone Piccante cheese, amongst a mouth-watering selection of meats. Racking up five-star reviews on Asda.com, the Party Snack Platter (£5) brings the heat with a selection of spicy cheddar cheeses and is a “great snack to have at a party” according to one delighted customer.

With a sweet and delicate prosciutto, rich and garlicky salami and smoky chorizo, the Continental Sharing Selection (£2.95) is perfect for the meat-lovers, whilst the German Style Salami & Cheese Selection (£2.95) features a Beechwood smoked cheese - for a continental taste of Christmas (think Christmas markets!).

Get this party started! The buffet is open...

Mini foods have been trending in recent years, and the novelty hasn't worn off when it comes to miniaturising party favourites.

Asda’s Mini ‘Mac’ Burgers (£5) with cheddar cheese and diced gherkins are served in mini brioche buns and finished with their own take on the famous burger sauce. Serve alongside Mini Hot Dogs (£5), for the ultimate selection of finger food. Sure to make any party less messy, the Mini Cheese & Pepperoni Parcels (£3.50) are packed with delicious mozzarella cheese, diced pepperoni and tomatoes. Rounding up the selection of minis, the vibrant Oriental Money Bags (£2) are filled with 3 different flavours - tangy hoisin mushroom, sweet and sour shredded vegetables and soy and chilli jackfruit.

Add a touch of nostalgia with the Extra Special Lobster and King Prawn Vol Au Vent Selection. Partygoers can choose from Canadian lobster in a rich thermidor sauce, or king prawns in a creamy beurre blanc sauce - both of which are encased in crisp puff pastry.

Guaranteed to be a talking point at any buffet, the Extra Special Brown Butter & Spiced Dark Rum Stuffing Wreath with Brûléed Pigs in Blankets is an eye-catching pork stuffing wreath, made using only British prime pork cuts. Infused with this year’s signature flavour, this stuffing wreath contains notes of rich brown butter and spiced dark rum and has been hand-decorated with their Extra Special Pigs in Blankets.

Make your party extra special with Asda’s specialty cheeses. It is Christmas after all!

A classic cheeseboard is a must-have at any festive gathering. The Extra Special Cheeseboard (£12) is served on a proper slate board with a tasting card and a wine pairing suggestion from Asda’s wine expert for each of the cheeses. Four new cheeses; Vintage Cheddar, Leicester Gold, 16-month Iberico Reserva and a French Mon P’tit Creamy Brie, join last year's favourite; the Vintage Red Fox.

Bring some festive theatre with the Baking Cambozola with Cranberry Glaze. A first-to-market product, it combines a mild creamy blue cheese with a sweet cranberry glaze, made by a top award-winning glaze maker.

Recent stats have revealed cheddar is the UK’s favourite cheese, so customers are set to love the Extra Special Wyke Farms Vintage Cheddar Bake with Caramelised Onion Chutney (£12). Rich and indulgent and topped with a caramelised onion chutney, party hosts can keep this cheese hot and oozing at the table, as it comes with a stand and candle.

Adding a touch of sweet, the Extra Special Camembert & Cranberry Savoury Profiteroles (£5.50) are indulgently filled with a creamy camembert sauce, and topped with a cranberry, cheddar and parsely crumb for a sweet and crunchy finish.

Fill the freezer now!

Pick and mix all your favourites with Asda’s much-loved multibuy offer on frozen products. Fill the freezer, then the table, and let the party begin! Ending on 2 January 2024, shoppers can shop four products and get the cheapest item free of charge.. The offer includes seasonal favourites like Party Cheesy Stars (£2.50), Party Salt and Pepper Prawns (£2.50) and Party Sticky Chicken Skewers (£2.50).

As always – customers are advised to save some room for dessert. A crowd pleaser is the Tempting Trifle Gateau Bar (£3.50), with fluffy layers of sponge, a smooth cream mousse, strawberry sauce and a shower of coloured confetti sprinkles. Kids are set to love the Jingle the Reindeer Ice Cream (£2) – a chocolate and marshmallow ice cream, rippled with a chocolate sauce and topped with red sugar pearls.

www.asda.com

Asda urges customers not to miss out on their Christmas Cashpot

Asda is reminding customers they need to convert their Asda Rewards Christmas Saver Cashpot into vouchers before this expires on 31st December.

The Christmas Saver Cashpot feature launched in August and rewarded customers with a bonus for saving their Asda Rewards pounds to spend during the festive period.

Rewards users can convert this Cashpot into vouchers to spend either in an Asda store or online until Sunday 31st December 2023.

Asda is urging any customer who hasn’t already done so, to join the 1.2 million savvy shoppers who have already created vouchers before their Cashpots expire.

So far, the average voucher created is £20 which customers have been redeeming to reduce their grocery bill and help them to prepare for the big day.

To create a voucher, customers must go to the wallet section of the Asda Rewards app and select "Create Voucher” and then confirm the amount they’d like to spend from their Christmas Saver Cashpot.

Any new customer who signs up for an Asda Rewards account before Monday 25th December will receive a £5 off coupon for their first shop. They then have until Sunday 31st December to complete their second shop to receive an additional £5 in their Cashpot.

Throughout the year, customers have been completing Missions and buying Star Products to help grow their Cashpot. Asda has also launched a number of seasonal giveaways and coupons to enable customers to make big savings. Highlights for this year include:

More than seven million customers have used the Asda Rewards app since launch and have earned over £300m in their Cashpots.

Asda customers have earned 12m entries into a Christmas instant win prize draw through the latest ‘Scan to Win’ and have won over £6m in their Cashpot.

More than 4m money off coupons across a wide range of products have been given away to customers.

15 lucky Asda customers have won £5000 in their Cashpot with over 100,000 customers winning a value above £10.

1.7m have earned over £4m in bonus payments for saving Asda Rewards pounds in their Christmas Saver Cashpot.

To get started on Rewards, customers need to download the Asda Rewards app and log in with - or create - an Asda Groceries account.   

Terms and conditions for ‘Scan to Win’ and a full list of products excluded from Asda Rewards can be found on Asda's website - Asda.com.

Pop the Bublé, it's official: Michael Bublé to star in Asda's Christmas AD

Seasonal speculation has been rife, but Asda has confirmed popular singer Michael Bublé as the star of its Christmas show in a new 60-second teaser.

The rumours are true! Multi-platinum-selling global superstar Michael Bublé has been confirmed as the star of Asda’s 2023 Christmas campaign – well and truly kicking off the countdown to the festive season.

Giving fans a sneak peek of its much-anticipated Christmas advert, and a taste of what’s to come, Asda has released a 60-second teaser, created by Havas London, that finally puts seasonal speculation to rest as Michael makes his merry debut as the retailer's latest seasonal recruit.

The teaser, which premieres this morning, 1 November, during ITV’s Good Morning Britain sees Asda colleagues relaxing in a break room mid-shift until they’re disturbed by an unusual ‘gurgling’ sound as the clock ticks to midnight. Journeying through a fantastical festive warehouse to find its source, they eventually reach a door marked ‘MB inside. Do not open ‘til 1.11.23’. As the door swings open, a lone figure is revealed, silhouetted in the spotlight: it’s Bublé, who turns to the camera and breaks into the classic ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’. “Shall we?”, he implores with a smile.

But what festive fun does Asda have in store for the charming Canadian this Christmas?

Fans won’t be left wondering for long, as the best is yet to come. Stay tuned for Asda’s 90-second show-stopping Christmas ad due to air on 4 November.

David Hills, Asda’s Chief Customer Officer says: “At Asda, we absolutely love Christmas and this year we’re once again on a mission to bring that warm, festive feeling to households across the UK. Today, we’re putting the speculation to rest and confirming that the legend that is Michael Bublé is partnering with us this Christmas to put on a showstopping performance. With Bublé’s undeniable ability to spread seasonal smiles and our commitment to quality, at great value, we’re a match made in heaven, proving Asda is a one-stop-shop for families seeking magic this Christmas.”

To watch the first instalment, visit: https://youtu.be/uaQ3GxLpLZI Or check out the above video.

Asda customers can pick up Christmas dinner for a family of six, for just £4.17 per head

This year, Asda customers can purchase a frozen Christmas dinner for six for just £25, working out at only £4.17 per head.

Including a turkey crown and seven sides, the same products are cheaper this year, than they were in 2022.

This offering will support families looking to cut the cost of Christmas this year, after Asda’s Income Tracker reveals disposable income continues to fall for 60% of UK households.

As Christmas gets ever nearer and households look for ways to start spreading the cost, Asda customers can stock up on frozen Christmas dinner essentials in advance, packing the freezer to feed a family of six for a mere £4.17 per head.

Now available to purchase in-store and online, the same products would have cost a total of £27.29 last Christmas in 2022, meaning this year, Asda customers can pick up a Christmas dinner for even cheaper, saving £2.29.

Plus, customers don’t have to buy all of the products to get the best value, as every product has reduced in price since Christmas 2022.

The list of frozen Christmas dinner products, that will feed a family of six for just £25 are:

Asda Frozen Medium British Turkey Crown (2.2kg) – now £16, was £16.50 in 2022  

Asda Frozen Maple Pigs in Blankets (232g) – now £2.25, was £2.50 in 2022 

Asda Frozen Yorkshire Puddings (220g) – now 98p, was 99p in 2022 

Asda Frozen Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing Balls (400g) – now £1.80, was £2.25 in 2022 

Asda Frozen Parsnips (680g) – now £1.25, was £1.80 in 2022 

Asda Frozen Brussels Sprouts (1kg) – now £1, was £1.25 in 2022 

Asda Frozen Crispy Roast Potatoes (800g) – now 75p, was 80p in 2022 

Asda Frozen Sliced Carrots (1kg) – now 97p, was £1.09 in 2022 

This announcement follows Asda’s latest round of price cuts on 232 branded and own-label products, as part of its continued support for families impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Insight from Asda’s latest income tracker also reveals that despite improvements in inflation figures, disposable income continues to fall for 60% of UK households, compared to the same time last year, with the lowest earning households having a deficit of £72 in disposable income per week.

According to research commissioned by the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), 38% of people are buying more frozen food than last year, further showing the impact inflation is having on consumer spending.

Smart Asda customers are already saving up for Christmas using the Christmas Saver Cashpot in the Asda Rewards app, after its launch in August. The feature enables customers to transfer savings from their Cashpot into their Christmas Saver Cashpot as many times as they’d like, up to a maximum amount of £300 in total.

For customers planning ahead, Christmas grocery delivery and click and collect slots are already available to book online at Asda.com or via the Asda app. With over one million slots available in Christmas week, shoppers can get ahead of the festive season by adding their frozen dinner to their baskets early.

Get into the spirit! Asda’s range of award-winning spirits and liqueurs are perfect for Christmas

Get into the spirit! Asda’s range of award-winning spirits and liqueurs are perfect for your Christmas partying

Asda has announced seven new drink lines, including Extra Special Chocolate Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur and Extra Special Cask Finished Blended Malt Whisky.  

With prices starting at £8, the beautiful bottles are perfect for Christmas gifting.

The range includes award-winning lines, such as IWSC 2023 Gold medal winner Extra Special Blonde Chocolate Liqueur 

Whether stocking up your home bar pre-Christmas or looking for what to gift friends and family members, Asda’s range of own-brand, award-winning spirits and liqueurs cater to everyone from Espresso Martini fans to Whisky connoisseurs. With prices starting at £8 for IWSC Gold medal winners, customers can find fantastic quality bottles for a bargain price tag.

New for this year, is the Extra Special Chocolate Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur (£8) which combines South American Arabica coffee with triple distilled vodka, indulgent cream, cocoa bean extract and sugar syrup. The drink is endorsed by the Good Housekeeping Institute 2023 and joins the already popular, Extra Special Blonde Chocolate Liqueur (£8) in the range, which customers love for its delicate caramel flavour with Madagascan vanilla. Its high quality was recognised by a Gold medal win in the IWSC Wine and Spirits competition 2023.

Expected to be popular for this year, are ready-to-drink cocktails, which deliver the wow-factor for minimal effort. The Extra Special Salted Caramel Espresso Martini Cocktail (£8) contains pronounced notes of 100% Arabica Latin American blend coffee, triple distilled vodka, coffee liqueur and light notes of Madagascan vanilla extract, sea salt and caramel syrup. Simply shake for 30 seconds and serve over ice for a classic frothy crema top. Complete the trio with Extra Special Passion Fruit Pina Colada (£8) a creamy blend of Caribbean white rum, coconut liqueur and tangy passion fruit and pineapple juice. Alongside the Extra Special Strawberry Daiquiri (£8), a refreshing mix of Caribbean rum, strawberry liqueur, a squeeze of lime and sweet strawberry purée.

For the gin fans amongst us, there is the Extra Special Botanical Gin (£16) is made in Yorkshire with hand foraged botanicals from the surrounding countryside. Containing nine botanicals, which is actually more than most premium gins on the market, the combination of gorse and crab apple is a unique offering and exclusive recipe for Asda. 

It’s also endorsed by the Good Housekeeping Institute 2023 and achieved a Bronze medal win in the IWSC Wine and Spirits competition 2023. With sustainability at the heart of how this gin is made, Asda's supplier Sloemotion, use an energy efficient still for creating the gin, which uses a fifth of the energy of a traditional copper still. The botanicals, once used in the distillation process, are also composted and used as fertiliser.

For customers looking for no/low alcohol options, our improved Extra Special Non Alcoholic Botanical Gin (£10) certainly doesn’t compromise on flavour and quality. Refreshing and vibrant, the botanical drink is based on traditional alpine juniper, Indian coriander seed and Sicilian lemon; the blend is then enhanced by Tahitian lime. Based on unique water from the Cairngorm mountains in the Scottish Highlands, filtered through granite rock for up to fifty years, results in a special, low mineral content.

Finally, for the whisky connoisseurs, Asda provides a truly unique addition to its premium range this year. Two Extra Special Blended Malt Scotch Whisky bottles, one matured in a Caribbean Rum Cask (£22) and one in an American Bourbon Cask (£22). Traditionally distilled using water and air-dried malted barley before being matured in traditional oak barrels for a minimum of three years, one is then finished in a rum cask for a further two years and the other in an American bourbon cask for 2 years, to impart even more flavour.

The Rum Cask Whisky is soft and delicately balanced, with a full-bodied spiced complexity and notes of honey and vanilla. Baked orchard fruits, sticky glazed pineapple and a gently warming finish, this smooth drink ends with soft wood spice, creamy vanilla and a hint of sweet cinnamon. Whilst the American Bourbon Cask Whisky has a rich flavour of warm summer fruits, complex caramel and a refined floral finish, it’s smooth with pure malty flavours, white chocolate and a drizzle of honey. Both bottles are Silver medal winners at the IWSC Wine and Spirits Competition 2023.

Shop in store and online at asda.com now, ready for the festive season. For customers planning ahead, Christmas grocery delivery and click and collect slots are already available to book online at Asda.com or via the Asda app, with over one million slots available in Christmas week.

www.asda.com

Asda has a nice, crisp plan for your Christmas season eating!

Elevating an affordable night in with a luxury offering and taking snacking to a new level, Asda has put together the ultimate crisp and wine pairing guide - from Pigs in Blankets and Pinot to Salt & Vinegar Sticks and Vouvray Chenin Blanc.

Hand cooked for the perfect crunch; the Extra Special Sea Salt & Black Pepper Hand Cooked Crisps (£1.35) should be paired with Asda’s Extra Special Dao (£7.50). The earthy, pepper flavours in the crisps match well with the herbal and black fruit notes of the wine.

Onion Rings (£1) but not as you may know them, these crisps are best paired with Asda’s Extra Special Malbec (£7.75); its strawberry and black cherry flavours are elevated by the pickled tang of the crisps.

Salt & Vinegar Sticks (£1) are a classic, and the slight sweetness Extra Special Vouvray Chenin Blanc (£8.00) balances the salty and tangy flavours.

Like a bit of spice? The fizz and freshness of the Extra Special Prosecco Brut (£8.00) cuts through the sweet, spicy and salty flavours of the Extra Special Korean Gochujang Hand Cooked Crisps (£1.35), creating a taste sensation.

As it gets closer to Christmas, Asda’s limited edition seasonal crisps are the perfect snack to enjoy alongside a winter tipple.

Hand cooked and seasoned with a rich and smoky flavour, the Extra Special Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps (£1.35) should be paired with Asda’s Extra Special Pinot Noir (£8.00), as the delicate plum notes of the wine balance out the pork flavour.

The zesty acidity and minerality of the Extra Special Rueda (£6.00) compliments beautifully the stuffing flavour in the Extra Special Turkey & Stuffing Hand Cooked Crisps (£1.35), which are seasoned to give a hearty and herby flavour.

With smoky cherry fruits and a hint of cedar, Asda’s Extra Special Plan De Dieu Côtes Du Rhône Villages (£.8.75) is perfect with meatiness of the Extra Special Beef in Red Wine Gravy Hand Cooked Crisps (£1.35).

Ideal for the Christmas party table, the Asda Turkey Curry Crisps (£1.10) are a mix of snack shapes and seasoned with a mild turkey curry flavour. The Extra Special South African Chardonnay (£7.25) is the one to enjoy these with, with the creamy mild spices of the curry flavours balancing out the pairing.

www.asda.com

Let the "feastivites" begin; six new flavour mince pies land at Asda for Christmas 2023

Christmas and mince pie fanatics (which includes us at That's Christmas!) have something to look forward to, as Asda is launching a 17-strong mince pie range, with 6 new flavours, for Christmas 2023.

Flavours will include Brown Butter and Spiced Rum, Frangipane and Amaretto, Chocolate and Cherry Crumble and a vegan OMV! Crumble Topped Mince Pie.

It's Asda's prediction that it will sell 26 million mince pies this year, after selling 24 million last year.

Hero products in the range, including the Extra Special Brown Butter & Rum Mince Pies, are produced by a specialist family owned and operated bakery based in Lazonby, Cumbria which has been producing high quality, delicious baked goods since 1946.

Available as part of Asda’s 2023 Christmas range, mince pies land this week instore and online.

With under 100 days to go before Christmas Day itself, it’s never too early to start stocking up on the nation’s favourite Christmas treat. (And, at least here at That's Christmas to sample them before Christmas Day itself!) 

As a nation, we love mince pies, and this year Asda has gone really big. Throughout the season Asda predicts to sell 4.4 million packs of mince pies, that's actually over 26 million individual mince pies.

From this week, Asda's offering a truly stunning 17-strong mince pie offering for the festive season, with six new flavours, catering to all mince pie lovers out there, whatever your preferences might be.

This summer Asda announced its first ever Christmas signature flavour, Brown Butter and Spiced Dark Rum, created by the Asda Innovation Team. The flavour will be across hero products throughout the festive range, from mince pies to pigs in blankets. 

Jonathan Moore, Senior Director of Food Innovation and Trends, says: “We noticed an abundance of brown butter used globally by top pastry chefs, accompanied by the growth in the use of dark rum by mixologists across the globe, and this instantly recognisable flavour of warming spices was the perfect pairing for the brown butter. 

He went on to say: "By combining these two key flavours, this year’s Christmas signature flavour was born!” 

Taking the reins of the range are the Extra Special Brown Butter & Rum Mince Pies (6PK, £2.35). The all-butter short crust pastry is enriched with brown butter for a unique and tasty nutty flavour and filled with a spiced vine fruit and citrus peel mincemeat, topped with a Jamaican rum and sweet dusting for a real festive treat.

For those who dare to be different at Christmas, the Extra Special Chocolate & Cherry Crumble Mince Pies (6PK, £2.75) made with rich chocolate flavour, all-butter short crust pastry, filled with sweet cherry jam and mincemeat, and topped with chocolate crumble will be a favourite. 

Customers can also enjoy the Extra Special Frangipane & Amaretto Mince Pies (6PK, £2.75) made with all-butter pastry and filled with Amaretto-infused vine fruit and citrus peel mincemeat, topped with a delicious all-butter frangipane, finished with flaked almonds and a sweet dusting.

The Asda Extra Special Mini Mince Pies (9PK, £2.75) with vine fruits, Valencian orange oil, spices, rich ruby port and cognac, are perfect for a light dessert or Christmas party.

For those who like to stick to the classics, the Extra Special Deep Fill Mince Pies (6PK, £2.75) are impressively filled to the very brim with mincemeat in an all-butter short crust pastry, along with the Asda Mince Pies (6PK, £1.45).

Asda’s own-brand vegan range, OMV!, will be launching its first ever festive offering this Christmas. Available from tomorrow, Monday 2nd October, the OMV! Crumble Topped Mince Pies (4PK, £2) have a fruit-packed vegan mincemeat filling and are topped with cinnamon and ginger spiced crumble for a modern twist on a festive classic. (I'm not a vegan, but with the cinnamon and ginger spiced crumble, I think I'll be popping over to our nearest Asda branch to buy some of those.)

Asda customers can also shop the Free From Frangipane Mince Pies (4PK, £2.25), and enjoy sweet pastry filled with rich brandy mincemeat, topped with frangipane and delicate flaked almonds. As we have pointed out, Asda worked closely with a family-run bakery based in Cumbria to produce some of the hero products in the range, including the standout Brown Butter & Rum Mince Pies. The business, established in 1946, has been producing high quality, delicious baked goods for the past 75 years. The pies are made from scratch in small batches and finished by hand.

John Hines, supplier spokesman, says: “Each year it's a joy to work with Asda on creating our mince pies and to feed the nation with their favourite festive bakes. “We are always looking to see how we can incorporate new, exciting flavours to give our mince pies the wow-factor and experiment with different tastes and popular products.”

He finished by saying: “We’re wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!”

It'll be a very Merry Christmas as Asda to reward customers saving for the Christmas Season

There's good news for Asda shoppers, because Asda has announced it's introduced a new feature to its popular Asda Rewards loyalty app which will reward customers who are saving up for Christmas.

The Christmas Saver Cashpot is a new feature within the Asda Rewards app which will allow customers to save their Cashpot for spending over the Christmas period, where budgets may be tight this year.

Customers will also be able to transfer savings from their Cashpot into their Christmas Saver Cashpot as many times as they’d like, up to a maximum amount of £300 in total.

Asda customers that transfer money into their Christmas Saver Cashpot will also receive a one-off cash bonus dependant on the amount they transfer.

Cash bonuses will be added to customers Christmas Saver Cashpot between 20th November and 24th November 2023.

Customers can choose to convert their Christmas Saver Cashpot into vouchers to spend either in an Asda store or online between 24th November 2023 and 31st December 2023.

Vouchers can be created out of their Cashpot with as little as £1. With the maximum voucher amount at £100, there are plenty of ways Asda customers can utilise their Cashpots.

The move comes as Asda’s latest Income Tracker reveals families in some UK regions are left with little to spend on themselves after paying taxes and essential bills.

Asda Rewards now has over five million active users in the UK and has given customers over £198m million back on their shopping since last August. 

Every time they shop, customers complete Missions and buy Star Products to help grow their Cashpot. There are new missions and events each week, so there are plenty of ways for customers to maximise the Rewards they earn. 

For customers who are looking to further boost their savings for the festive season, Asda also offers a Christmas Savings Gift Card. The savings card can be topped up at any time with the benefit of receiving a bonus from Asda in November. All shoppers need dop is just load money onto the card before 12th November and they can receive a bonus of up to £15.

In 2022, Asda gave £1.3million in bonuses to over 170,000 customers. For more details visit asdagiftcards.com/christmas-savings

Terms and conditions apply, and customers can view a list of the products excluded from Asda Rewards on Asda’s website - Asda.com.