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"I assume the best before, at least on the mince pies, is well before Xmas [...]"

I made the mistake last year of buying mince pies from Aldi in early December - getting ready for the local food bank's Xmas special appeal. Not only were they very close to expiry - some packs were two weeks past their "best" date. They didn't refresh their stock until it was almost too late for the food bank's last Xmas collection.