2: McDonald’s to the rescue!

Well, as I noted earlier, yesterday I ran out of pies. Project “quixotically review mince pies daily for advent” was thus born in peril. A precarious start. Today, was crazy busy, and, although I did make it out of the house part way through the day, I neglected to pick up any provisions.

But then a serendipitous turn. Because it was Friday, and it was super busy, and nobody felt like cooking, it was elected we’d order in McDonald’s, as a lazy weekend junk food treat. And what is that, you may wonder, nestling down amidst their bleak midwinter seasonal menu. That’s right. The “Festive Pie: with custard and mincemeat”. A holiday remix of the McDonald’s hot fruit pie. Of course I ordered one, and Lo! Christmas is saved!

It’s not the best, I won’t lie. It’s hitting all the oily McDonalds pie notes, the too hot filling, the dangerous pancake shrapnel. The confusing card lozenge that houses it. The flavours are kind of there. To my mind, a bit heavy on the apple (although I can’t be sure that ingredient is exactly present, it could just be my mind projecting it into its rightful place). Spice-wise, extremely long on cinnamon. It wins big on novelty though, and also ingenuity, they’ve thoughtfully padded either end of the hot cocoon with a warm, custard-like substance. Ultimately, scoring for convenience, this one literally cannot be topped, which is really what you expect from the home of the Golden Arches.

In this instance, not just convenience food, but also conveniently saving my ridiculous Advent of Pies project, at the eleventh hour, just out of the gate. The jig is not yet up, readers!