Morrisons’ £2 mince pies top BBC Good Food’s blind Christmas taste test for the second year in a row
MORRISONS has been named the best supermarket for mince pies this Christmas for the second year running, beating posh rivals including Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
The supermarket’s £2 All Butter Deep Filled mince pies held onto the top spot for that category in the BBC Good Food’s annual blind taste test.
Waitrose and M&S won the most categories, taking the crown for four out of the 24 tests each.
The Waitrose selection included its £16 No 1 richly fruited Christmas cake which costs £16, while M&S was praised for its £15 woodland yule log.
But budget supermarkets also picked up the top slots in several sections, including Aldi who won the best alternative meat centrepiece for its Specially Selected beef rib joint with salt and pepper seasoning, priced at £12.99.
While Lidl picked up two awards for its Deluxe gammon with a spiced rum glaze and a pineapple topping, costing £11.99, and its Deluxe 24-month matured Christmas pudding, priced at £11.99.
As well as topping the mince pie category, Morrisons also won vegetarian main for it’s The Best layered vegetable tart, retailing at £4, and The Best classic panettone, costing £8.
BBC Good Food judges blind-tasted more than 200 products across 24 different categories from 12 UK supermarkets.
The cheapest winner was Asda's £1.39 Extra Special cranberry sauce with port, while the most expensive was the £16 Waitrose No 1 richly fruited Christmas cake.
The BBC decided not to taste test turkeys for the first time this year because most stores only start selling the dinner main nearer to Christmas.
Therefore the judges will blind test turkey products in November so their results won’t include meat that's been frozen for too long.
BBC Good Food's blind Christmas taste test winners - the full line up
WE reveal the winners of BBC Good Food's blind Christmas taste test:
Best Christmas pudding
WINNER - Deluxe 24-month matured Christmas pudding (907g), £11.99, Lidl
Highly commended - Finest nine-month matured mulled wine Christmas pudding (400g), £5, Tesco
Best gluten-free Christmas pudding
WINNER - Free From Christmas pudding (454g), £3.75, Tesco
Best stollen
WINNER - Heston from Waitrose pistachio stollen loaf, £8, Waitrose & Partners
Highly commended - Chocolate and Amaretto Stollen Loaf, Asda
Best smoked salmon
WINNER - Co-op Irresistible beech & oak smoked salmon (100g), £4, Co-op
Highly commended - Deluxe beetroot and gold smoked salmon (100g), Lidl
Highly commended - Taste the Difference Hebridean smoked salmon (100g), £4.35, Sainsbury's
Best stuffing
WINNER - Extra Special pigs in blankets on a festive feast (694g), £5, Asda
Best vegan main
WINNER - Specially Selected Christmas wreath (550g), £3.99, Aldi
Highly commended - Plant Kitchen Christmas joint (serves four), £12, M&S
Highly commended - Finest butternut squash, mushroom & chestnut wreath (400g), £4.50, Tesco
Best vegetarian main
WINNER - The Best layered vegetable tart (500g), £4, Morrisons
Highly commended - Vegetarian mushroom, cavolo nero and mascarpone parcels (serves four), £16.99, Waitrose & Partners
Highly commended - Ricotta stacks (380g), £7, M&S
Best vegan dessert
WINNER - Vegan chocolate & cherry dessert (585g), £10, M&S
Best Christmas cake
WINNER - Waitrose & Partners No 1 richly fruited Christmas cake (1.3kg), £16, Waitrose & Partners
Best gammon
WINNER - Deluxe gammon with a spiced rum glaze and a pineapple topping (1.4kg), £11.99, Lidl
Highly commended - Specially Selected Wiltshire crackling bone-in gammon joint (2.25kg), £14.99, Aldi
Best mince pies
WINNER - The Best all-butter deep-filled mince pies (pack of six), £2, Morrisons
Highly commended - Taste the Difference all butter mince pies (325g), £2, Sainsbury's
Best gluten-free mince pies
WINNER - M&S made without gluten mince pies (pack of four), £2.50, M&S
Highly commended - Free from mince pies (pack of 4), £1.80, Morrisons
Best pigs in blankets
WINNER - Taste the Difference British pork chipolatas wrapped in bacon (pack of six, 260g), £3.50, Sainsbury’s
Highly commended - Deluxe yard-long pig in blanket (400g), £3.99, Lidl
Highly commended - Specially Selected three little pigs (288G), £2.99, Aldi
Best gravy
WINNER - Taste the Difference Christmas gravy for chicken & turkey (450g), £3.15, Sainsbury’s
Highly commended - Perfect turkey gravy (500g), £4, M&;S
Best cranberry sauce
WINNER - Extra Special cranberry sauce with port, £1.39, Asda
Highly commended - Specially Selected cranberry & orange sauce with ruby port (230g), 99p, Aldi
Best alternative meat centrepiece
WINNER - Specially Selected beef rib joint with salt & pepper seasoning (1.1-2.7kg), £12.99 per kg, Aldi
Highly commended - Finest Aberdeen angus dry-aged sirloin wing rib (1.5-2.5kg), £35, Tesco
Best traditional centrepiece dessert
WINNER - Heston from Waitrose ‘The Fig & Port Cheese Cake’ (675g), £12, Waitrose & Partners
Highly commended - Taste the Difference Sicilian lemon & passion fruit buche (672g), £10, Sainsbury's
Highly commended - Sticky toffee trifle (1kg), £12, M&S
Best chocolate centrepiece dessert
WINNER - Waitrose & Partners the giant Jaffa cake dessert (650g), £13, Waitrose & Partners
Highly commended - Taste the Difference white chocolate & raspberry snow dome (970g), £12, Sainsbury's
Best vegan canapés
WINNER - No bull burger sliders (275g), £4, Iceland
Best vegetarian canapés
WINNER - Vegetable gyoza with soy & chilli dip, £2, Asda
Highly commended - 10 porcini & truffle crumpets (195g), £7, M&S
Highly commended - Vegan mini beet wellingtons (pack of nine, 232g), £7, Waitrose & Partners
Best savoury canapés (meat or fish)
WINNER - Pulled ham & rarebit crumpets (pack of 10, 236g), £7, M&S
Best sweet canapés
WINNER - Co-op Irresistible Belgian chocolate cups (214g), £3.50, Co-op
Best yule log
WINNER - M&S woodland yule log (940g), £15, M&S
Highly commended - Taste the Difference clementine & chocolate yule log (700g), £8, Sainsbury's
Best panettone
WINNER - The Best classic panettone (750g), £8, Morrisons
Natalie Hardwick, BBC Good Food e-commerce & reviews editor, said: “We always look forward to judging our annual Christmas Taste Awards so we can see how supermarkets have flexed their creative muscles.
“After blind-tasting more than 200 supermarket buys, we found that many of our favourites were old classics, proving that taking festive food back to basics and doing it really well is a winning formula.”
If these taste test results have already got you in the mood for Christmas, then you'll want to know that Sainsbury’s festive range includes glittery sugar plum and chocolate orange gin.
While the Iceland Christmas range includes a pie filled with a turkey roast dinner.
We've also taken a look at the Tesco Christmas menu which features a pigs in blankets stuffing wreath.
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