Sainsbury's is launching a new advent calendar, but it will not contain any chocolate. Instead, it will feature a selection of mince pies, a move that has excited many shoppers.
What's inside the calendar?
UK's Newest Foods shared on Instagram that Sainsbury's had a "mince pie advent calendar," and people couldn't contain their excitement. The calendar will include "Viennese Whirl Mince Pies, All Butter Mince Pies and Brandy, Port & Brown Butter Mince Pies," according to the caption.
The history of mince pies
A mince pie is a small, sweet British pastry traditionally eaten during the festive season. Despite the name, modern mince pies contain no actual meat. Instead, shortcrust or puff pastry is filled with 'mincemeat,' a rich mixture of dried fruits (such as raisins, sultanas, and currants), warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove), distilled spirits (usually brandy or rum), sugar, and suet (vegetable or animal fat).
The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. Returning European Crusaders brought home Middle Eastern cooking techniques that paired meat with dried fruits and exotic spices. Originally, the filling consisted of real minced meat (typically mutton, beef, or pork) mixed with dried fruit, spices, and spirits. The sugar, alcohol, and spices acted as natural preservatives to keep the meat fresh over winter.
In Tudor times, the pies were often oblong, shaped like a manger, and baked with 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and His 12 Apostles. Eating one on each of the 12 Days of Christmas (December 25 to January 6) was said to bring good luck for the year ahead. By the Victorian era, refined sugar had become cheap and widely available, and meat was gradually phased out of the recipe, leaving only shredded suet to preserve the rich, dense texture of the spiced fruit.
Shoppers react
In the comments, someone said that this advent calendar was their "dream," and they "had to get one" because they were so "excited" to try the different flavours. "It's about time," another gushed, as they'd wanted something like this for quite a while. A third sneaky shopper penned: "I would love this as no one else likes mince pies in my house, so it would be all mine." A fourth was gobsmacked that you could have "a mince pie a day" rather than just a small chocolate treat.
