Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl have outperformed premium brands in the Good Housekeeping Institute's (GHI) annual Christmas taste test, demonstrating that festive feasting can be achieved without significant expense. The study, which blind taste-tested 664 products across various categories, found that value-for-money options can deliver exceptional flavour and quality.
Aldi emerged as the highest-scoring supermarket overall, securing 13 first and second-place accolades. Its winning products included best pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, mince pies, stollen, and whole turkey. Lidl also performed strongly, claiming 11 'Best Value' awards, with notable successes in prosecco, flavoured salmon, roast potatoes, meat-free mains, and yule logs.
Edenmoor's Festive Sausage Roll Wreath achieved the highest score of the entire taste test with an exceptional 94/100. Waitrose also received high praise, with its Homemade Polar Bear Bao Buns scoring 92/100, making them the highest-scoring supermarket product in the 'Picky Bits' category.
Christmas Dinner and Savoury Favorites
In the main course and side dish categories, Aldi's Specially Selected Double Wrapped Pigs in Blankets retained its title for a second year, scoring 88/100. Tesco's Finest Roast Potatoes with Confit Garlic were also recognized for their quality, earning 84/100.
For turkey, Aldi's Specially Selected Roly Poly Whole Turkey was awarded best 'Whole Turkey' with 82/100, while Tesco's Finest Bronze Turkey Crown with Pork, Cranberry & Chestnut Stuffing topped the crown category with 84/100. For alternative centrepieces, Waitrose's Slow Cooked Free-Range Clementine & Maple Gammon scored 85/100. The meat-free main category was won by COOK's Brie, Portobello Mushroom & Caramelised Onion Wreath, which received 79/100.
Puddings and Festive Bakes
Dessert categories saw Aldi's Specially Selected 24-Month Matured Christmas Pudding excel in the Classic Pudding category with 85/100. Morrisons secured the flavoured pudding title with The Best Limoncello & Clementine Christmas Pudding (78/100).
Aldi's Specially Selected All Butter Mince Pies (86/100) and Specially Selected Luxury Topped Stollen (82/100) were named winners in their respective baking categories. Bettys' Soft Iced Christmas Cake achieved the highest score for a Christmas cake at 85/100, while Tesco's Finest Toffee Apple Panettone and Morrisons' The Best Classic Panettone both scored 88/100 to win their respective panettone categories. Co-op and Waitrose shared the top spot for trifles.
Drinks
In the drinks section, Asda's Exceptional by Asda Prosecco Brut led the sparkling wine category with 87/100, while Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Champagne Brut NV was named best champagne at 83/100. Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Discovery XO Cognac was awarded best brandy with 84/100.
Both Asda and Aldi received 89/100 for their Christmas Red Wine, while Sainsbury's and Waitrose tied with 89/100 for their Christmas White Wine.
Party Food and Starters
The Festive Sausage Roll Wreath from Edenmoor, with its score of 94/100, was the top-rated product overall in the taste test. Waitrose's Homemade Polar Bear Bao Buns impressed judges, scoring 92/100. For seafood options, Sainsbury's Ultimate Luxury Seafood Platter earned the highest score with 84/100.
The GHI testing process involved hundreds of products evaluated by experts and VIP members over five months, with testers consuming over 500 mince pies, 261 pigs in blankets, and more than 70kg of turkey. Stacey Smith, Senior Food & Drink Editor at the GHI, stated that the winning products demonstrate exceptional quality and variety, enabling shoppers to make confident choices for their festive celebrations.