The best part of Christmas is without a doubt the food. And as the supermarkets are unveiling their festive menus for this year, we’re day dreaming of mince pies and pigs-in-blankets.
If you’re hosting the festivities this year, you may well be planning where to shop – and the results of Good Housekeeping’s annual blind taste test are a good place to start.
Tesco came out on top this year, winning four of the 20 categories, including meat stuffing, gluten-free mince pies, veggie mains and Christmas ham.
Of the 383 products tried, Lidl also fared well, winning three categories in total, while M&S won two. Fans of fizz will also be pleased to hear that a £10 bottle of Prosecco from Morrisons walked away with the number one prize.
Angela Trofymova, food testing manager, for Good Housekeeping said this year saw supermarkets step up their game in a bid to be the best. “We’ve tested and tasted great products from a wide range of retailers and brands from Aldi and Lidl to EAT, Ocado and M&S, proving that regardless of price, more and more thought is being given to the taste, dietary requirements and versatility of all products being sold this Christmas.”
Here is the full list of winners (and runners up) for you to salivate over.
Best Frozen Turkeys & Crowns
Winner:
M&S Turkey Breast Crown with Pork, Sage, and Onion Stuffing, £14.40 for 1.2kg
Joint Runners Up:
ASDA Stuffed Turkey Crown Roast in Bag, £13.00 for 1.75kg
Lidl Free Range Bronze Turkey Crown with Pork, Chestnut, Onion and Thyme Stuffing and Dry Cured Oak Smoked Bacon Lattice, £16.99 for 1.5 – 2.5kg
Best Christmas Hams
Joint Winners:
Tesco Crackling Gammon Joint with Maple and Bourbon Glaze, £16.00 for 2.8kg
Aldi British Smoked Strung Gammon Joint, £5.49 per kg
Joint Runners Up:
Ocado The Jolly Hog Treacle Cure Gammon Joint, £14.00 for 1.4kg
Waitrose & Partners Honey Cured Gammon with a Plum and Ginger Glaze, £11.99 per kg
Best Stuffing
Joint Winners:
Tesco Finest Stuffing Wreath with Pigs in Blankets and Cranberry Compote,’ £4 for 534g
Asda ‘Extra Special Pigs in Blankets on Festive Feast,’ £5 for 694g
Runner up:
Donald Russell Festive Fruity Stuffing, £14 for 450g
Best Pigs In Blankets
Winner:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference 6 British Outdoor Bred Pork Chipolatas wrapped in Bacon, £3 for 260g
Runner Up:
Jolly Hog Gluten-Free Pigs in Blankets, £4 for 240g
Best Smoked Salmon
Winner:
The Fish Society Fishrjumpin’ Smoked Salmon, £8.90 for 200g
Runner Up:
Co-op Irresistible Beech Oak Smoked Salmon £4 for 100g
Best Flavoured Smoked Salmon
Winner:
Lidl Scottish Gravadlax, £3.49 for 100g + 30g sauce
Runner Up:
Waitrose & Partners Citrus Cured Smoked Scottish Salmon, £6.99 for 100g
Vegetarian Mains
Joint Winners:
COOK Portobello Mushroom Wellington, £10 for 360g
Tesco Finest Butternut Squash, Mushroom & Chestnut Wreath, £2.50 for 260g
Vegan Winner:
Asda Vegan Festive Wellington £3 for 500g
Best Of The Rest:
Booths Pearl Barley & Vegetable Risotto, £6 for 400g
Aldi Spinach, Leek and Cheddar Lattices topped with Flax Seeds, £1.49 for 300g
Waitrose & Partners Vegetarian Mushroom, Cavolo Nero and Mascarpone Parcels, £6.99 for 300g
Best Roast Potatoes
Winner:
McCain Roasts, sold through Ocado, £3.10 for 1.4kg
Runner Up:
Asda Extra Special Wagyu Beef Dripping King Edward Roast Potatoes, £1.50 for 400g
Best Mince Pies
Winner:
Baking Agent Mini Bake at Home Mince Pies, £3.79 for 12 sold through Ocado
Runner Up:
Costa Coffee’s All Butter Mince Pies, £2.10 each
Gluten-Free Mince Pies
Joint Winners:
Costa Coffee’s Mincemeat Tart, £2.10 each
Tesco Free From Deep Filled Mince Pies, £1.50 for 4
Runner Up:
Aldi Gluten Free Mince Pies, £1.35 for 4
Best Mince Pies With A Twist
Winner:
EAT Mince Pies, £1.50 each
Runner Up:
Co-op Irresistible Winter Eve’s Pudding Tart, £2 for 4
Lidl 24 Month Matured Christmas Pudding,’ £11.99 for 907g
Best Christmas Pudding
Joint Winners:
Iceland Luxury 12 Month Matured Christmas Pudding,’ £4 for 400g
Joint Runners Up:
Harvey Nichols Classic Christmas Pudding, £6.50 for 454g
Booths 18 Month Matured Brandy, Port & Walnut Christmas Pudding, £11.95 for 908g
Best Christmas Puddings With A Twist
Winner:
Aldi Specially Selected Morello Cherry Christmas Pudding, £6.99 for 800g
Joint Runners Up:
Morrisons The Best Pannetone Crumb Pudding, £8 for 800g
Tesco Finest 9 Month Matured Hidden Clementine Christmas pudding with COURVOISIER® VS Cognac, £5.00 for 400g
Best Christmas Cake
Winner:
Waitrose 1 Richly Fruited Christmas Cake, £16 for 1.3kg
Runner Up:
Iceland Luxury Christmas Cake, £8 for 1kg
Best Yule Log
Winner:
PAUL Chocolate Praline Yule Log, £35.95, for 805g
Runner Up:
Lidl Deluxe Luxury Hand Finished Festive Yule Log, £2.99 for 463g
Best Dessert Centrepiece
Winner:
M&S Sticky Toffee Pudding Trifle, £12 for 1kg
Runner Up:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Triple Chocolate Puddings, £12 for 6 mini puddings
Best Stilton
Winner:
Lidl Deluxe Mature Blue Stilton, 2.99 for 220g
Runner Up:
M&S Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton, £8 for 500g
To Drink
Best Champagne (under £45)
Winner:
Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvee, £45.00 for 75cl sold through Waitrose and Berry Bros & Rudd
Joint Runners Up:
Herbert Beaufort Grand Cru Champagne, £35 for 75cl, M&S
Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur Non-Vintage, £32 for 75cl, Waitrose, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols
Best Prosecco (under £16)
Winner:
Morrisons The Best Prosecco DOCG Conegliano Valdobbladene Prosecco Superiore, £10 for 75cl
Runner Up:
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, £16 for 75cl, Harvey Nichols
Best Mulled Wine
Winner:
Morrisons Mulled Wine, £3.75 for 75cl
Runner Up:
Sainsburys Taste the Difference Mulled Wine, £6 for 75cl
Read the full Good Housekeeping Christmas Tried and Tested results in the December issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 30 October.
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