THE humble pork pie has been steadily falling out of fashion in favour in the UK as more of us prefer sausage rolls for a snack.
But could you be missing out on the delicious and satisfying taste of an old favourite?
Lynsey Hope taste tested supermarket pork pies
There are some really tasty varieties now on offer on supermarket shelves.
The Melton Mowbray pork pie is named after a town in Leicestershire and is distinctive because of its hand-formed crust.
The town even has a famous ‘Pork Pie Roundabout’ though activists have recently called for it to be renamed with one suggestion from animal welfare charity PETA ‘The Vegan Roundabout’.
We asked mum-of-three Lynsey Hope to try a selection of supermarket offerings to see which came top.
Here’s what happened:
Winner: Aldi Specially Selected Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (295g)
Aldi’s pork pie is our winner.
Lynsey says: “First impressions of this are what a whopper! It’s huge but only costs about 50p more than some half its size.
“I wasn’t let down on taste. The pastry had a nice crunch without being dry. The meat was succulent and flavoursome and budget wise, it’s the one of the best per 100g. A top product from Aldi.”
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
- Total score: 30/30
Morrisons Medium Pork Pie (320g)
Morrisons came a close second.
Lynsey says: “Another whopper. I thought it was a great pork pie.
“The pastry was crunchy instead of soggy, as some can be. There was not too much jelly but I don’t mind that.
“A little on the dry side but for the price this represents great value from Morrisons. It’s only 10p more than M&S but you get double the amount.”
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 9/10
- Total score: 27/30
Lidl Deluxe Hand Crimped Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (290g)
Lidl’s jelly wasn’t over powering.
Lynsey says: “The meat had a lovely seasoning and the jelly wasn’t too overpowering.
“The pastry was crumbly and the hand crimping made it look very appealing to eat. If I was being picky I’d say it was a little on the dry side but it’s great value from Lidl.”
- Taste: 7/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 9/10
- Total score: 26/30
M&S Food British Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (145g)
£1.75
£1.21 per 100g
Not just any pork pie, it’s an M&S pork pie.
Lynsey says: “Not just any pork pie, this is an M&S pork pie – but is it any good?
“I found the pastry to be crisp and firm and the meat was delicious with no gristle and a good amount of jelly. Quite a strong taste of black pepper.
“It’s a little pricier than most other supermarkets as you’d expect and it looked smaller. But it was good quality and made a lovely, filling meal with a salad.
“Even though it costs a little more, the taste was impressive and I still thought it was quite good value.”
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 8/10
- Total score: 25/30
Waitrose Summer Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (145g)
£1.45
£1.01 per 100g
Waitrose features a colourful package design.
Lynsey says: “Not too much jelly and a lovely taste of black pepper. A lovely firm, crisp pastry. A reasonable price from Waitrose too. I liked it.”
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 7/10
- Total score: 22/30
Sainsbury’s Ready To Eat Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (140g)
Sainsbury’s pork pie has a crisp pastry
Lynsey says: “A lovely crisp pastry and the meat had a nice flavour and wasn’t too fatty. Nothing much to complain about with this one and it’s a fair price.”
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 7/10
- Total score: 14/30
Asda Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (140g)
Asda’s pork pie has a lovely golden colour.
Lynsey says: “A great price from Asda. The pastry had a lovely golden colour but I found it a little soft and soggy.
“The meat was quite fatty and an rather off-putting grey colour. Not the snack I was hoping for.”
- Taste: 4/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 4/10
- Total score: 14/30
Tesco Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (145g)
Unfortunately Tesco’s pork pie came last
Lynsey says: “I found the pork in this pie quite bland and the pastry was softer than you’d expect. I found the meat a bit fatty and couldn’t finish the whole thing.
“It is a good price compared to other own brand but it wasn’t my favourite.”
- Taste: 3/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall score: 3/10
- Total score: 10/30
SE has also taste tested supermarket own brand instant coffee. One beat Nescafe and Kenco.
Supermarket own brand are half the price of Colmans but do they cut the mustard?
And we tested supermarket own brand kitchen roll and a budget one was miles better than an expensive brand.