Every time Christmas rolls around, you’ll usually find me stood cutting a lonely figure in Marks and Spencer’s staring longingly at the various festive baked goods that I can no longer eat. One thing I really find myself missing is traditional mince pies; the spices and aroma scream Christmas, and the beautifully buttery pastry casing is a comforting indulgence as you snuggle down in front of dubious television repeats.
The last few Christmas periods have been spent trying to find some gluten-free mince pies that still encapsulate all that wonderful holiday goodness without the making-me-ill side effects. You’d think that it would be far from a chore chowing down on numerous sweet treats to find a winner, but believe me, when you disappointingly discover that the pastry is drier than 80-year-old plaster board, no amount of flavoursome filling can compensate.
So imagine my overwhelming joy when this year I stumbled across Lovemore’s gluten, wheat and milk-free mince pies. The box alone filled me with anticipation; the images of golden, deep-filled packages of goodness had my stomach rumbling before I’d even picked them up off the shelf. But as they say, it’s what’s inside that counts, and the all-important taste test awaited. I wasn’t disappointed. The pastry shell is far from being dry; instead it crumbles perfectly to reveal a delicious mincemeat centre that’s bursting with taste. Farewell, Marks and Spencer! I’m hot-footing it to stock up on as many boxes of these as I can – I know that my tastebuds will still be yearning for them long after Christmas is over.
Tried Lovemore’s mince pies or found some others you can’t get enough of? Let me know your thoughts by emailing me; healthy@therivergroup.co.uk.