Dad's Pies - Mince and Cheese product reviews

Over the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to eat a large selection of Dad's Pies. I had saved the Mince and Cheese pie until last. It was not because it didn't appeal but rather all the other flavours were so intriguing. A simple mince and cheese was quite boring by comparison.

I heated the pie in the microwave for my lunch. As is my habit I peeled the lid off and ate that before the rest of the pie. The lid had some cheese stuck to it which was a nice addition to the pastry. The whole filling of the pie was covered in cheese. This allowed me to have cheese in every mouthful. The meat was very tender and was obviously a quality mince. The gravy was minimal, unlike cheap pies that have gooey gravy and very little meat.

As I thought, I was a slightly disappointed with this pie. Although I can honestly say it was the best mince and cheese pie I had ever tasted I couldn't help but feel it was a bit bland. I know this is what some people want for lining their stomachs after a night out so their are plenty that will love this. Since I had been spoilt with all the other varieties of Dad's Pies this just was lacking the wow factor the others had.

If you are a mince and cheese pie fan than I'm sure you will enjoy this one. If you want to something more there are so many other Dad's Pies that I would recommend you try.

I have been spoiled over the last weeks thanks to being able to sample a range of Dad's Pies. The quality has been consistently outstanding and several varieties are bound to become firm favourites. The latest flavour I tried, however, was nowhere near as special as those I have previously sampled. While it was tasty enough and certainly adequate as far as pies go, it was not in the same super league as the rest of the range

The flavour was a little too bland for my taste; with a stronger cheese and the addition of some extra herbs and spices, it might have held more appeal. Certainly there was plenty of filling, and I was not left feeling hungry after finishing it, but it seemed that this was a very basic pie designed for younger consumers. There again, I can imagine them reaching for the tomato sauce bottle as seems to be obligatory for many children to do!

What did redeem this pie for me was the crust, which was of the same superb flavour and texture as all the other Dad's Pies range. It kept its shape and was crisp even after being microwaved. This is only the third pie in this range that I have microwaved rather than oven baked, and certainly it does not seem to matter which method is used - the pastry stays crisp either way.

I certainly did enjoy this pie; however I would not consciously buy this variety for myself if there happened to be a more exciting flavour available. For me it did not have anything in particular (apart from the crust) to distinguish it from other brands on the market. All the same, if I were buying several pies for a range of ages, I would probably include one or two of these pies as it would ensure there was something for the youngest diners.

I really like a mince and cheese pie so was keen to give this one a try. I first defrosted this pie and then cooked for the stated 20mins in the open (still in bag as stated). This was an appealing looking pie with a golden pastry sprinkled with what looked like cheese sprinkle.

Because I was reviewing this pie I decided to cut it into pieces to see the coverage of the cheese. One thing that really annoys me when eating a mince and cheese pie is that the cheese is all on one side. This seemed to be the case with this pie with all the cheese being on one half of the pie. I don't know if this is normal as only had the one pie to compare it with. The good thing was that the cheese creamy and tasty.

The mince filling was very rich in colour and the texture was that of what you would expect from mince. I felt that the real taste of the meat was lost and tasted to me as though too much flavouring had been added. I enjoy mince where you get the real meat flavour rather than the extras.

Overall I was rather disappointed with this pie. Although fill of filling did taste to me like more of the budget range of pies you get from some bakeries, it was edible, just not my choice in pie.

Whenever my family and I go out and we get a pie to eat, Mince and Cheese is always my go to pie as I find all the other variations to be rather, well, gross... So I was rather keen to try out this version of my favorite pie. As with all the other pies this looks really nice when you pull it out of the packet and holds up well and once again I cooked this in the oven for thirty minutes at 180 degrees. Cutting into this I could see a nice chunk of cheese and the crust is nice and crispy.

The taste, however, wasn't any better in my opinion than any other mince and cheese pie that I've had in the past. One key problem always seems to be an even distribution of the cheese and this pie was no different, one big glob and none mixed throughout which means you get one nice big chunk and then just mince for the rest. I could have done with more of the gravy for the pie, it was nice in regards to how much meat was in it, it just wasn't saucy enough for me.

Of all the 'Dad's Pies' that I've tried so far, this ranks lower than the steak and cheese, so not a pie that I would buy in the future.

Mince and Cheese pies were a staple of my childhood at school. It was the one item always on the lunch order menu or in the tuck shop or local dairy pie warmer, and it is the food item that most inspired me to learn to cook... because they always tasted so bland, and the 'meat' - if that's what it was - consisted to an amorphous gloop that tasted more of oxo cubes and salt than actual meat. This was the one pie of them all I was dreading to review. I almost didn't select it... which is why it is the last of the ten this round.

I wanted to give this pie the very best chance to over-ride the childhood memories of 'cat food in pie case', so I took extra care to ensure it was cooked the best it could be, so, into the benchtop oven. Following the directions on the packet exactly, what came out of the oven was pretty good, at least according to my eyes and my nose. The pastry was wonderfully crisp and flakey on top, cooked all the way through around the base, and the rim was crisp but not brittle or hard. Can not fault the pasty at all.

The filling, when I finally took the plunge and cut it open, was... not what I expected. There was no spill of gelatinous gloop, no barely-recognisable tiny nuggets of something pretending to be meat, and no blob of liquid yellow magma pretending to be processed cheese, ready to adhere to the roof of my mouth and try to burn it's way into my sinuses. What I found was something that looked a lot more like savoury mince made with a thick, rich gravy.

Unfortunately, what I also didn't find was a lot of flavour. While certainly one of the best mince and cheese pies I have ever eaten, it still failed to really impress me. Nothing wrong with it at all, just nothing that made it stand out for me. That could be because I have become spoiled, and expect a high level and depth of flavour from my food though - the fault could lie with me, not the pie.

Overall, I am not really the target market for this flavour, and admit I have 'issues' with Mince and Cheese pies in general... that said, this pie has come the closest to 'curing me' of the aversion... so that is saying something, and why I have scored it as high as I did. It's not for me, but it's a quality pie none the less.

I never eat Mince in my pies but my kids love Mince pies so I thought I would divide the pie into quarters so I could see how the pie went down. I was greeted with 3 very unhappy kids, they took a bite each and loudly went YUCK and told me that I was welcome to eat their portions of the pie. I wasn't sure what to expect but I knew I would have to try this pie or I would have a really short review.

Now keeping in mind I avoid Mince pies like the plague (if the kids liked it I would have been buying the pie for them) I was going to be brave and take a bite. I took one bite followed by another and just to be sure, one more bite. I had noticed that the cheese was very unevenly distributed in the pie but the gravy was really nice. If I didn't know that it was Mince instead of steak I probably would have been happy to eat yhis pie but I do prefer larger chunks of meat in my pies.

The bag had great instructions on heating. I forgot to defrost the pie first but put in the microwave with the bag open on one side and that didn't seem to make a huge difference in the taste. Unfortunately I will not be buying this pie but that is due to personal taste.

Mince and Cheese has always been a staple of the pie flavours. I don't know if a brand of pies has ever existed that didn't have a mince and cheese. So this means there is a lot of competition, and a lot higher standards to meet to be a successful pie, in my opinion.

I baked the pie in the oven for 10 minutes without the bag, and it came out crispy on the outside but still soft in the middle, which is ideal. As you can see in the photo, the mince is quite thick, and holds its shape, so eating this with a knife and fork, I ended up pushing the mince out of the pie and having to restack it all again to consume it. Neither a good or bad thing really, but just something I noted (I suspect the thickness would be helpful if eating "on the go").

The cheese was one of the big things for me. I'm lactose intolerant, so I am quite sensitive to the cheese flavour (but I also love cheese, so I eat it all the time anyway). But what I did notice, was that the cheese is not evenly spread. It's globbed in reasonably large quantities at certain points in the pie. So some bites had a nice mix, some had nothing but mince, and others were nothing but cheese. The mince itself is quite meaty and has earthy tones to it. A rich, thickness, that is why tomato sauce is such a popular accompaniment to the mince and cheese.

Beyond the cheese not being evenly spread about the pie, I enjoyed the flavour, and consumed the meal in record time. Apart from the pastry, there is nothing flavour-wise that really sets it apart from other brands. It is still a great pie. Just not unique.

Didn't impress me too much actually, this one. The pie was alright but I didn't find a lot of cheese inside, and I thought the pie cavity was a bit smaller than ideal for this price tag. The mince had a really nice, rich brown colour that made me think of the savoury mince my gran used to make when I would visit her and she would put oxo cubes and some marmite in the mix to add colour and heaps of flavour. This one looked the same, but I couldn't really taste much at all.

The flavour seemed to be tucked up in little pockets of the mince, because every 5 or 6 bites I would get a really nice mouth full of flavour burst but then the next bite was back to really weak mince flavour. I see they used worcestershire sauce for a flavour booster but I don't think they added enough, and then didn't mix this batch very well.

The pastry was alright, especially for a microwaved pie I suppose. The bag helped to steam it cooked which stopped the edge of the crust from turning into rock so I have to give it a bit of saving grace for that at least. I don't think I would buy this particular pie again, but if the other reviews I have read so far are anything to go by, I think I'll be looking for some of the fancier flavours in the supermarket or next time I am passing by a BP with a cafe in it.

So my biggest regret of today was letting Miss 2 choose herself a pie for lunch today, she knew that I had received a bag full of pies to review and she was adamant that this was what was on the lunch menu, after reading her out all of the flavours that she could choose from (the ones I knew she would more likely eat that is) she selected Mince and Cheese. We heated the pie in its bag in the microwave for 2 minutes and she sat down waiting eagerly for her pie to cool down enough for her to safely eat.

In true toddler eating fashion she peeled back the lid from the pie, and I took this as my opportunity to see just how much cheesy goodness was hidden underneath the crispy pastry lid, I have to say there was practically none which I was super disappointed in as I had eaten a Steak and Cheese pie from Dad's Pie's a few days ago and was more than happy with the generous amount of cheese that flowed down the sides of the pie as I cut into it, unfortunately that was not the case with the mince and cheese pie today which consisted of nothing but a small smudge of cheese.

Other than the lack of cheese this pie cooked up really well when heated up in the microwave, I left it in the sealed bag and it came out crisp and golden, no sogginess or crumbly pastry which you often get from microwave pies. The pie was meaty and seemed to contain a really good quality mince, with a rich, dark gravy that was really tasty and perfectly seasoned with garlic, herbs and spices.

I really enjoyed the small amount of pie I got to sample off Miss 2, and Miss 2 loved the pie herself saying "mmmmm Mummy, my favourite" she was struggling to finish her pie near the end after scooping out spoonfuls of the yummy mince mixture and after crunching away on pieces of the pastry so I volunteered to finish it off for her , however her reply to this was "No way I'm saving it for later" so in the fridge it had to go.

Certainly one of the tastiest Mince and Cheese pies I have had for a very long time, even without much cheese! I will certainly be buying this pie again and it's great to know that these are what are served at Wild Bean cafe as I go to BP for petrol! While at Pak N' Save yesterday I noticed these pies were only $2.69 each I will certainly be stocking up on them next time I see them as it is such a great price for the quality of pie you get!

Mince and cheese pies are my go to for a pie! Up to now I haven't been tempted away from them! I have got to say that with Dad's Pies there are some interesting competition for the best pie within the range! I was still very excited to see what Dad's Pies had to offer when it came to their mince and cheese pie.

After thawing the pie and heating it in the oven, I opens up the bag it came in (and was heated in). The pie inside was nice and stable and there were no signs of mince coming out the sides etc. I have got to say that Dad's Pies are the most successful pies I have heated at home. They are as good as they would be if they were heated in a commercial environment.

The pastry was nice and firm but not dried out. I think that cooking it in the bag probably helped with that. There are also lots of tiny holes in the bag to help the pie breath too. The mince was nice and dark and the consistency of the filling was great. There were no signs of big lumps of mince. I liked the cheese as it was nice and silky smooth. My husband wasn't keen on it and thought it tasted like 'plastic cheese'.

This would be one of the best mince and cheese pies I have tasted and I am seriously considering having some of them in the freezer (we don't usually have pies at home and we reserve pie eating for when we are out and really need something to eat). I also now know that some BP stations stock them and I will keep this in mind for when we are out and about.

Out of the four pies our family have tried in the Dad's Pies range so far, this is a family favourite.

I was given a few of these pies to taste test, and decided to heat three of them up for our family for dinner tonight and this was an obvious choice as I already know Miss 7 likes mince and cheese pies, not to mention hubby and I too!

I heated this in the oven and the packet instructions seemed spot on. It said you could heat them in the bag, but I decided to take it out and was pleased to see that each pie has a different topping so they are easy to tell apart. When I cut open the pie to share it about, I noticed the cheese on top of the mince and oozing down the side - yum, no shortage of cheese in this mince and cheese pie! The mince was a nice dark colour and seemed good quality and the flavour pleasant but not overpowering as a good mince and cheese pie should be.

Miss 7 declared it "goody goody great" and both hubby and I enjoyed it too. I found the pastry heated up nicely and was crispy and pleasant, but maybe ever so slightly on the dry side. The filling was plentiful though and the price worth paying for the quality. I'd definitely buy this again.

When I saw that the label read "Mince and Cheese", I expected something along the lines of the kind of pies you can pick up as 6-packs in supermarkets, but I was surprised by the flavour on many levels! The mince itself was the most surprising part, as it was not the typical gluggy, starch-infused stuff you normally find, this is like the kind of mince that you can buy from the Deli section at Pak'n'Save, and then fry up at home with some veges and garlic.

It is an interesting coincidence, but just last week I actually used Worcestershire sauce for my first time, in a mince dish too! This gave me an idea as to what the flavour would be like, and that was definitely present in this pie, and it was a nice flavour, it was a bit like soy sauce, but not quite as salty. The cheese was good, I'm not sure what kind it was, but it was certainly better than the usual stuff. It was gooey, creamy, and it didn't just separate and turn into a mildly flavoured dairy substance drenched in now burning-hot oil.

The pastry used in this pie was awesome, it was made from quite a good-quality dough, as it held together nicely and was neither excessively floury nor was it flakey, which is always the most annoying kind of pastry to have in a pie, as I'm sure you will agree. It also added a nice, mild sweetness to the mix, which helped to even out the strong savoury flavours.

The pie was easy to cook, it didn't last long enough for me to try cooking from frozen, but then again, I should do that anyway. I hadn't noticed, but on the back of the wrapper, along with the instructions for oven cooking as well as the cooking times for in the microwave depending on wattage, there was a note saying not to cook from frozen, but instead it needs t be thawed out first, which makes sense as there are some things which, when heated from that temperature, can damage the fillings and ruin the texture.

Overall, I would say that this pie has passed with flying colours as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't "amazing", but it was definitely a nice spin on the normal mince and cheese pie you find most often, so I do recommend you try it for yourself.