Hipster Mince Pies this Christmas

The festive season brings with it a series of Christmas-related taste tests, and this is one I thought up after spotting some chocolate orange mince pies online. I did some research and found some whacky flavours - and the best achievement yet, tasted all of them in ONE sitting. Plus it featured the biggest byline snap of the year.

Christmas consumer tests always go down a treat

MINCE pies, you either love 'em or hate 'em. But this year supermarkets are trying to get the haters on side with wacky added flavours from chocolate and cherry to sloe gin. JESS LESTER, right, tries a selection and rates them out of five.

Sweet Morello Cherry Sharing Mince Pie, Aldi Specially Selected, £3.99: For a sweet tooth. This huge pie has a real punch of succulent cherries before even taking a bite. It's crumbly and well-balanced.

Cottage Delight Tipsy Gin Mince Pies, John Lewis, £4.75: Inside a beautiful, glittery pastry case, the pie definitely has a hint of a classic botanical gin cocktail, well hidden among traditional spiced flavours and tangy currants and berries.

Assorted Miniatures Mince Pies, Selfridges, £7.99: So small you could gobble up the whole box, especially with two tantalising alternative flavours to pick from. The almond overpowers the mincemeat, and the orange is almost a little too subtle.

Frangipane Mince Pies, M&S, £2.70: Are these Bakewell tarts or mince pies? They taste the same to me - which is not necessarily a bad thing if you like almond and jam, but if you're a Christmas traditionalist, it doesn't quite meet the mark.

Salted Caramel Mince Pies, Aldi Specially Selected, £1.99: It smells like a shortbread biscuit. The pastry is a little thick but once you finally get into the centre, it has a sweet and simultaneously salted caramel taste. It's definitely there, but it's subtle.

Chocolate Orange Mince Pies, Lidl Deluxe, £2.49: Chocolate orange is a classic flavour, what could go wrong? There's lots of chocolate orange there but the mincemeat is a little redundant. For those who aren't the biggest fans of currants, it's probably a winner.

All Butter Frangipane Mince Pies, Lidl Deluxe, £2.49: More of a cake, as when you bite into it you get frangipane and no mincemeat. Something to buy if you wanted to pretend you liked mince pies. Tasty, but I'm surprised it can be called a mince pie.

Almond Topped Mince Pies, Fortnum & Mason, £12.95: Packed with novelty and clearly based on the traditional recipe, well-blended currants fill the majority and the rest is topped with an almond paste and pastry. It's soft, delicate and,without a doubt, classy.

Heston's Chocolate & Sour Cherry Crumble Mince Pies, Waitrose, £3.00: Looks very appealing. The packet gives off a cherry booze and chocolate aroma instantly. But it will blow your socks off. If you don't like tangy flavours or strong alcohol in food, this pie is best avoided.

Salted Caramel Mince Pies, Harrods Foodhall, £8.50: For the price of these you'd want them to be plated in gold. The currants are thick and full, but as for salted caramel, there isn't a huge amount. It's definitely not the dominant factor in this pie which disappointingly does not live up to its name.