It is possible to make a delicious mince pie. Evelyn Toner from foodship.co.uk is a dietitian and shares her thoughts on health-conscious choices. Then we tasted them and gave our ratings.
Oggs Vegan Luxury Handmade
184 g, four mince pies, £2.50, loveoggs.com
For 46g of pie, calories: 178, saturated fat, 2 g sugar, 13g salt, 0.10g
Apples are the main ingredient in these vegan mince pies, which is good, for while these have the same amount of sugar as regular versions, fructose — or fruit sugar — from the apples provides other benefits, such as polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties, plus fibre, vitamins and minerals.
This mince pie is also smaller than the regular one, which could be helpful in portion control.
However, they contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, including palm oil, which are processed ingredients that aren’t good for heart health.
Vegans can be just as healthy, despite many believing otherwise. It all comes down to the remaining ingredients.
Score for health: 7/10
Taste test: Although these are unusual in taste, they have a deliciously crumbly pastry. 4/10
Evelyn Toner from foodship.co.uk is a dietitian and gives her verdict about some healthy choices
Keto is deliciously guilt-free
315 g, six pies, £17.99, deliciouslyguiltfree.com
48 g = calories; saturated fat: 8.8 g, sugar; 1.9 g, salt; 0.3 g
The keto diet, which is low in carbohydrate and high in fat and high protein, has gained popularity for its weight loss benefits.
The plus side is that the keto pastry’s almond and coconut flours are rich in protein. These pies can be much fuller than the traditional mince pie, with almost 8g per 100g (compared to about 4g).
As with most manufactured keto foods they contain sugar substitutes, which may cause some people to experience bowel issues. They also contain far more calories than a standard mince pie — almost 100 calories higher per 100 g — and have three times the saturated fat, 18 g (from the coconut flour and butter) per 100g compared with 6 g.
Rating: Health: 5/10
Taste test: A delicious, almost savoury mince pie. 9/10
Lovemore Gluten Free
270 g, four mince pies, £3.99, mclarenfinefoods.com
Calories per 67.5g pie: 257 calories; saturated fat; 4.7g; sugar; 20.9g; salt; 0.07g
They are safe for coeliac disease and people who have gluten intolerance.
The pastry is made with rice flour, maize and potato starch — but I wouldn’t recommend them if you don’t need to avoid wheat or gluten, as they’re no healthier than a normal mince pie.
The main ingredient is actually added sugar, which amounts to about 5 teaspoons per pie. They’re also higher in saturated fat and sugar than a normal mince pie, with less protein because they don’t use any nuts (and gluten-free flour has about half the protein found in a standard flour). However, they have less salt.
Score for health: 4.
Taste Test: The mincemeat is tender, with a thick and claggy pastry. 5/10
Roots & Wings Organic Mini
300 g, 12 pies, £6, ocado.com
Mini pie 25g: Calories, 112; saturated Fat, 3.1 G; Sugar, 7.6 G; Salt, 0.01 G
You will find more pastry here than there are fillings, which is why you’ll need more white flour or sugar.
These are smaller than a standard mince pie, so lower in calories, but they’re higher in fat and have almost the same sugar content per 100 g.
The organic ingredients make these more expensive, but I’d argue that the added preservatives outweigh any health benefits from being organic.
Pick your favorite mince pie and enjoy in moderation.
Score for health: 6/10
Taste Test: Both the filling and pastry are overpoweringly sweet. 2/10