Mince pies are a perennial festive favourite, leading Consumer NZ to blind-sample seven Christmas mince tarts in a quest to find New Zealand’s finest.

Supermarket own brand, Pams, took out the two top spots.

“Pams Finest Butter Crust Traditional Christmas Tarts was our team favourite,” Consumer NZ head of content Caitlin Cherry said.

“Not only did these tarts taste delicious but they looked great too, with a pastry star on top.”

The winning Christmas mince pie, from a supermarket own brand

Coming in at just under 79 cents per pie, these treats were slightly more expensive than the second-placed product Pams Fruit Mince Tarts.

“Another Pams product came second. [They] were praised for having a good balance of sweet and spice,” Caitlin said.

“At just over 70 cents a pie, these are a great option for people looking for a satisfying festive bite without the hefty price tag.”

The taste testers’ least favourite, also from Pams, was the Gluten Free Traditional Fruit Mince Tarts.

“One of the tasting team referred to this as the Toyota Corolla of mince tarts – pretty boring.

“Another taster said she would only eat this pie again if she was ravenous or appeasing a grumpy old aunt.”

The gluten-free pick was pricier, working out at just under 90 cents per pie.

A mince pie craftily disguised as a shortbread biscuit came second from bottom.

Jon-Jon’s Christmas Fruit Mince Bites (gluten-free) divided the testers. While most of the panel found this pie unpleasant, one taster complimented the taste and texture of the pastry.

“At over a dollar a pie, this was the priciest one we tried. The overall taste and texture, though, were overwhelmingly disappointing.

“What our test has shown, yet again, is spending big bucks doesn’t necessarily mean you get top quality. The budget brands we tasted would be a welcome addition to Consumer’s Christmas table.”

For readers with a baker’s touch see a classic recipe here to make your own this festive season.