We’ve been stuffing ourselves silly – er, engaging in highly scientific research – to find out. And the winner is …

You’ll find the best mince pies this year in Selfridges. In their Nut Topped Selection box to be precise (pack of 6, £6.99 - 3 walnut, 3 almond). Easily our pick of the bunch, the almond-dusted topping oozed nutty loveliness, the walnuts provided a satisfying bite. Pastry was melt-in-the-mouth, the filling rich and perfectly flavoured with just the right amount of spice. Kind of like a gorgeous almond croissant crossed with a mince pie, traditionalists may scorn but we loved these.

Also high on the popular list were M&S Ultimate Mince Pies (£2.99 for 4). ‘Crisp and crumbly handcrafted mince pies filled with deliciously rich mincemeat packed with vine fruits, Kirsch soaked Morello cherries, roasted almonds and Armagnac’, say M&S. We say pass them off as your own! Probably the best-tasting pastry of the lot, and with a slightly uneven texture, hand-dusted sugar effect and no give-away pie cases,nobody will suspect a thing.

We also liked the Fortnum & Mason mini mince pie selection (£9.95 for 12). Perfect for posh parties, these bite-sized mini pies looked like they’d been handcrafted in a very glamorous kitchen. Mostly pastry – luckily it was light and moist – there was only a sliver of filling inside, but with good quality ingredients it all worked. These even converted the non-mince-pie-fans in the office. Yes. That good.

The Tesco Finest deep filled mince pies with Courvoisier VS Cognac (£2 for 6) were tasty with a good ratio of filling to pastry, though not as good as their packaging promised. Still, a cut up from your common or garden mince pie, and a good luxury option at a bargain price.

Mr Kipling Mince Pies with Brandy Flavor Sauce (£1.80 for 6) were, quite frankly, a bit odd. Impressive presentation with lovely lattice-style tops and a nice quality pastry, but the brandy sauce heaped on top of the filling rendered the whole thing a bit too sludgy.

And finally, Aldi Luxury Mince Pies from the Passionate About Food range (£1.69 for 6) were beautifully presented, with a snowflake motif and sugar-coated sparkle. They packed a good initial bite with a nice ratio of filling to pastry, but it ended in tears with a soggy bottom and slightly bitter spicy tang. Nice try. But no cigar.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

... so you'll be wanting to celebrate, buy stuff, eat, drink and be merry. We've put together the ultimate Christmas guide to help you. Merry Christmas!