Today's contender for the 2018 Best Christmas Mince Pie is... 

🎉  🎊  Blackbird Bakery   🎊  🎉   (  £1.20 each ) 

Take note people...this is a really nice pie!

Pastry: Thin, buttery and flavourful, delicate, very nice colour too. Excellent crumble top (not like Heston's abomination) and dusted beautifully with sugar. With submissions it's normal to forgive a little damage though there was a full on crumble avalanche...I should have been known better though. No foil case - straight to business.

Filling: Very sweet, nicely spiced and a great bite. Not hugely boozy and MAYBE a little bitty as the pastry melts away. I feel like there could have been a bit more there to balance it out but I'm getting picky. - it's really REALLY good.

Presentation: Powder sugar top! Yes! Crumble top is great! It's a little rough and ready looking. Intense case of sticky fingers, even some messy trousers BUT all criticism is null and void once you get it in your face. 

Summary: New 1st place for the Independents!!!

***Thanks to Thea for this wonderful submission!***

Current Leaders

1st: M&S - Collection 

2nd: Pret A Manger

3rd: ASDA - Extra Special

Independants

1st: Blackbird Bakery 

2nd: The Nightingale Patisserie
3rd: Konditor & Cook

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday!

THIS WEEK I'M RAMPING IT UP - Not much time left!

Adam Cooke

Photographer / Pie Tester