A Christmas favourite is the mince fruit pie, but which brand makes the best?
The team at Consumer NZ took it upon themselves to blind-taste test seven Christmas mince fruit pies to determine the finest Aotearoa has to offer.
Supermarket-owned brand Pams took out the top two spots.
Consumer NZ's head of content Caitlin Cherry declared "Pams Finest Butter Crust Traditional Christmas Tart was the team favourite".
"Not only did these tarts taste delicious but they looked great too, with a pastry star on top," Cherry added.
These Pam's pies cost 79 cents each, or $7.09 for a nine-pack, which is slightly more expensive than the pies that came in second place.
"Another Pam's product came second. Pams Fruit Mince Tarts were praised for having a good balance of sweet and spice," she 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."
While it's clear Pams can pull off a great mince fruit pie, they seem to have fumbled with their gluten-free option.
Pam's Gluten Free Traditional Fruit Mince Tarts were the taste testers' least favourite.
"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 price of these gluten-free pies will also leave a sour taste in the mouth, coming out at just under 90 cents a pie.
Another gluten-free pie, Jon-Jon's Christmas Fruit Mince Bites, drew mixed opinions. Most found the pie unpleasant, but one complemented 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."
