A Scots hotel has 'banned' mince pies this Christmas

As one Scots hotel is ‘banning’ mince pies this festive season, Rosalind Erskine asks if the traditional treat is on its way out.

Mince pies should be on the menu this Christmas says Rosalind.

It has finally happened. A hospitality business is saying no to the mince pie. The Glynhill Hotel & Spa in Renfrew, near Glasgow, has effectively banned the Christmas treat, and the team think they’re the first venue to do so. The hotel will not serve mince pies at all this festive season after what it says has been years of low demand and high wastage. Residents and visitors at the hotel this Christmas will instead be offered a host of other dessert options to savour, with no mince pie orders placed for the first time in the hotel’s 53-year history. Glynhill Hotel & Spa chef Willie Millar said: “Every year, we buy them, we serve them, then with a very few exceptions we bin them – which feels like an awful waste. Not very many people at all seem to like them, even less want them at the end of their meal, so it feels like a bit of a no-brainer to simply ban them this Christmas and focus on offering desserts and sweet treats which our customers do want. We think we might be the first venue in Scotland to remove mince pies from their Christmas menus but it’s in line with customer feedback – and will also mean a reduction in wastage which can only be a good thing. Bye bye mince pies. Gone … and forgotten!”

Although guests to the Glynhill Hotel & Spa may not be up for a mince pie, not everyone agrees. Tesco’s Christmas report for 2023 shows that much of the nation is looking forward to a traditional Christmas with lots of nostalgic influences. Dishes such as prawn cocktail, smoked salmon and trifle are due to be on many tables, alongside the usual classics of turkey, mince pies and pigs in blankets. Mince pies are the choice for post Christmas dinner for 18 percent of people polled by Tesco (with Christmas pudding at 32 percent). There are also some more nostalgic influences coming through, with trifle (15 percent) and profiteroles (9 percent) featuring in the top 10 desserts, closely followed by tiramisu at number 11. The taste of mince pies is also proving to be an inspiration for some, including ManiLife who, earlier this month, launched a Mince Pienut Butter - a mash-up of mince pies and peanut butter. This, on toast, may be a more acceptable way to eat a mince pie for breakfast (in 2020 we were, apparently, a ‘nation divided’ on whether this sweet treat was a suitable breakfast item, with half of Brits saying of course it is). This study found that 43 percent like a mince pie as it reminds them that Christmas is on its way

Mince pies aren’t for everyone, but for some it’s not the start of the festive season until you’ve had one of these crumbly sweet, scented beauties. Some will associate them with family, and will have memories making them with grandparents or parents, or many will just have their favourite from the supermarket (Lidl’s or my local bakery, Cottonrake, are the ones for me). So as Christmas gets into full swing, I say do the nostalgic thing and say aye to the mince pie.