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Wednesday 5th December, 2007
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES ? BRISTOL DID

ASDA REVEALS THE MINCE PIE CHART

With Christmas Day fast approaching, mince pie madness has  hit  ASDA stores across the country.  

Available for just over a month, early sales figures show that a record number of ASDA’s mince pies have flown off the shelves across the country.

Keeping up the West Country tradition for hearty, traditional food, Bristolians have munched their way to the top of the mince pie chart by eating  94,770 pies over the last month.  

CityNo. of Mince Pies
1.    Bristol94,770
2.    Eastbourne92,008
3.    Hampshire 91,355
4.    Sheffield85,733
5.    Derby 82,927

 

People in Eastbourne, Hampshire and Sheffield are also getting into the festive spirit, coming in just behind Bristol in the mince pie charts with Derby following closely behind.

 Luckily for these mince pie chart toppers, tradition has it that eating one mince pie a day on each of the twelve days of Christmas will bring good luck for the following year.

Not that it is just the English that are going mince pie mad, north of the boarder the town of Milton of Craigie near Dundee is the mince pie capital of Scotland with residents biting their way through over 30,000 pies. 

Graham Speak, ASDA’s Mince Pie Expert, says “The cold weather has really increased customers’ cravings for comfort foods, boosting sales of festive treats. 

I couldn’t believe my mince pies when I saw that year–on– year sales to date were up 300%!”   

If you are one of the few that have yet to  tuck in remember that traditionally a wish should be made as you eat your first mince pie of the season.  

Boasting a delicious all–butter pastry and packed full with brandy soaked vine fruits and glace cherries, ASDA’s Extra Special Mince Pies provide an early indication of customer demand for the ultimate luxury this Christmas.

Fit for a king ASDA’s Extra Special Mince Pies would have proved popular with King Henry V, who was such a fan he even had a mince pie baked for his coronation in 1413. 

Sales across all mince pies are up with ASDA’s Organic Mince Pies having also seen a substantial sales increase of more than 100% compared to last year. 

 

Notes for Editors

Festive Mince Pie Facts:

·         Traditionally, mince pies should always be eaten in silence

·         To add a taste of the Southern Hemisphere to your mince pies this Christmas why not add a slice of cheese before you warm them- a New Zealand favourite

·         Mince pies became a regular part of Christmas celebrations as early as the 16th century and were originally oblong shaped, said to represent Jesus’ cradle

·         During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, mince pies were banned along with other Christian traditions and acts. That law has never been rescinded so mince pies are in theory still illegal

·         If you refuse the first mince pie someone offers you over Christmas, tradition has it that you will then suffer bad luck

·         ASDA’s mince pie range is available now in ASDA  stores nationwide

·         ASDA was named ‘Turkey Retailer of the Year’ at the 2007 British Turkey Awards

·         ASDA prides itself on trying to source as much of its produce as possible from the UK.  90% of ASDA’s produce that can be sourced in the UK is sourced in the UK and we are trying to improve on this all of the time

·         As of 31st December 2007, no ASDA brand products will be manufactured with artificial colourings, flavourings or aspartame

·         ASDA supplies a large proportion of its local products from a network of 8 regional hubs across the UK to offer consumers a greater choice of local products whilst also actively reducing food miles



 

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