I finally, finally went to Pret a Manger. After walking by a zillion times, on nearly every street in London.
Why? Because I attended an evening reception for a conference I was at, and they had the nerve to not serve dessert (!). My sweet tooth needed something. And Pret was on the way back to the hotel.
Likely ... there is a Pret on the way back to anywhere in London, as they seemed to be on every corner. If you are unfamiliar, Pret is a chain of cafes in the UK, serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and more. Sandwiches are pre-made and packaged, but they say are made on site each day (unlike Starbucks sandwiches that are boxed up and mass produced ... somewhere). Yes, it is in the
Anyway. They have locations in other places now, including in the US (Boston, New York, Chicago, DC), and a few other countries, but the majority of the stores are still in the UK.
"Handmade in Yorkshire, Pret’s Mince Pies are made in small batches to a traditional recipe. The mincemeat was made in July and has been gathering flavour ever since. Topped with a Pret star and a dusting of icing sugar, these pies are a classic festive treat."
Mince pie. Uh-huh, I know.
Why would I get mince pie of all things? I think it was marketing, after days of setting mince pies on colorful signs out front of nearly every shop. Nero. Pret. M&S. Everywhere was advertising the mince pies, along with gingerbread this and that. 'Twas the season.
I can't say that I have much of a history with mince pies. I think the only ones I really ever had were in Sydney, at the Sheraton on the Park, where they were the best of the mediocre desserts. And they were made better by whipped cream.
But I also don't really have many chances to get mince pie. Our Starbucks, Peets, etc are certainly not advertising them in the way the British do!
I got the last one. Oooh, they are popular! The cashier even said, "You get the last one! Your lucky day!"
The pie was ... well, ok. Not great.
The crust was shortcrust, better than a tart shell, softer, buttery-er, sweeter, but still not as good as real pie crust. More like a soft shortbread cookie. It was ok.
The star on top was made of the same crust I believe, and was my favorite part. Sorta sweet, buttery, and crumbly, and it would have been nice to dunk it in some whipped cream.
The thing I didn't care for was the filling. Oops. Yeah, why did I think I wanted mincemeat? The assorted colored raisins were fine I guess, but, raisins. But the whole thing was heavily orange spiced. Way too much orange for me. But again, um, what was I thinking?
Why? Because I attended an evening reception for a conference I was at, and they had the nerve to not serve dessert (!). My sweet tooth needed something. And Pret was on the way back to the hotel.
Likely ... there is a Pret on the way back to anywhere in London, as they seemed to be on every corner. If you are unfamiliar, Pret is a chain of cafes in the UK, serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and more. Sandwiches are pre-made and packaged, but they say are made on site each day (unlike Starbucks sandwiches that are boxed up and mass produced ... somewhere). Yes, it is in the
Anyway. They have locations in other places now, including in the US (Boston, New York, Chicago, DC), and a few other countries, but the majority of the stores are still in the UK.
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| Pret's Mince Pie: Mature Mincemeat / Shortcrust Pastry / Icing Sugar . |
Mince pie. Uh-huh, I know.
Why would I get mince pie of all things? I think it was marketing, after days of setting mince pies on colorful signs out front of nearly every shop. Nero. Pret. M&S. Everywhere was advertising the mince pies, along with gingerbread this and that. 'Twas the season.
I can't say that I have much of a history with mince pies. I think the only ones I really ever had were in Sydney, at the Sheraton on the Park, where they were the best of the mediocre desserts. And they were made better by whipped cream.
But I also don't really have many chances to get mince pie. Our Starbucks, Peets, etc are certainly not advertising them in the way the British do!
I got the last one. Oooh, they are popular! The cashier even said, "You get the last one! Your lucky day!"
The pie was ... well, ok. Not great.
The crust was shortcrust, better than a tart shell, softer, buttery-er, sweeter, but still not as good as real pie crust. More like a soft shortbread cookie. It was ok.
The star on top was made of the same crust I believe, and was my favorite part. Sorta sweet, buttery, and crumbly, and it would have been nice to dunk it in some whipped cream.
The thing I didn't care for was the filling. Oops. Yeah, why did I think I wanted mincemeat? The assorted colored raisins were fine I guess, but, raisins. But the whole thing was heavily orange spiced. Way too much orange for me. But again, um, what was I thinking?
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