I tested supermarket sausages against budget brands in Lidl, Aldi & Asda to see if cheap ones better than pricey ones
BBQ weather is here, so it’s time to stock up on charcoal or order the gas and sizzle up some favourites for friends and family.
And a barbecue wouldn’t be complete without sausages, with us Brits eating around 170,000 tons of bangers a year.
It’s the cheapest meat-treats available in supermarkets.
But which one will get you the most bang(er) for your buck when it comes to flavour?
Meat-lover Julia Etherington grabbed some of the cheapest and higher end “snags” on shop aisles and grilled them, rating them out of five for taste and value.
Tesco
Pork Sausages, £2.40 (8)
★★☆☆☆
THERE is nothing wrong with this sausage, but it’s pretty average.
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Tesco’s offering is meaty, lightly seasoned and perfectly edible, but nothing to write home about.
Unfortunately, this one just doesn’t scream “best banger” out of all of them.
Finest Pork Sausages, £3.50 (6)
★★★☆☆
THESE are an all-round favourite, especially for kids who prefer plain, bangers.
Although the skin shrivelled a little, it’s really nice and not overly-seasoned.
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While it is an acceptable sausage, I don’t think the price reflects the product.
Asda
Herby Lincolnshire Pork Sausages, £2.30 (8)
★★★★☆
THIS is the cheaper version of the Extra Special, and in a blind taste test you wouldn’t know the difference.
They are equally as delicious as each other so it isn’t worth parting with more than your hard-earned cash.
Plus, you get two extra sausages.
Extra Special Lincolnshire Pork Sausages, £3.25 (6)
★★★☆☆
IF you’re looking for that little extra when it comes to flavour these are a great option.
They cook well with a nice crispy skin, which, when bitten into bursts with herby flavour with the added sage and parsley.
The taste is quite salty, but still good.
Sainsbury’s
Pork Sausages, £2.25 (8)
★★★★☆
WHEN cooked, these wrinkled around the skin which sticks to my teeth a little.
Fortunately it has a subtle sweet flavour which gives way to a gentle peppery flavour that I liked.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and cheaper buy.
Taste the Difference ‘The Meaty One’ , £2.50 (6)
★★★★☆
THIS is a good thick sausage with a lovely crispy skin.
It has a delicately seasoned undertone, complimenting the flavour of pork.
Really enjoyable and uncomplicated, a great barbecue sausage that is sure to please the crowd.
Morrisons
Cumberland Sausage, £2.25 (8)
★☆☆☆☆
THE makers describe these as “rich and peppery”, and they’re certainly one of the two but I think this level of spice should be confined to a curry, not a barbecued sausage.
I can’t tell detect any meaty flavour because the pepper overpowers anything else.
The Best Thick Cumberland Sausages, £3.25 (6)
★★★☆☆
INSTANTLY this is noticeably less juicy and much dryer than the others I’m tasting.
It has been more heavy-handed than Jamie Oliver with the seasoning.
They’re described as “thick”, but once cooked they look regular sausage-sized to me.
Lidl
Cumberland Sausages, £1.49 (8)
★★☆☆☆
AS with the “deluxe” banger from Lidl, I have a problem with the texture of this one.
It’s just not very meaty.
If I didn’t know better, I would have it down as a veggie alternative.
There isn’t a lot to chew on and it doesn’t bring much to the table.
Deluxe Pork Sausages, £2.49 (6)
★★☆☆☆
WHILE this is a nice thick sausage, it doesn’t particularly stand out from the crowd on the flavour front.
I think it would be better suited as a breakfast component, it doesn’t hold its own as the main BBQ attraction and isn’t worth the price tag.
Aldi
Butcher’s Select Pork Sausages, £1.79 (8)
★☆☆☆☆
IT looks like a sausage, cooks like a sausage but it tastes of . . . nothing, really.
This is the leader of the bland bangers brigade, and it may be the second cheapest, but there are others for just a few more pence which are simply way tastier.
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Specially Selected Pork Sausage, £2.49 (6)
★★★★★
ALDI may have fallen down on its basic sausages, but it saved its skin with these posher ones.
It’s succulent and smashes the flavour out of the park with only a light spattering of herbs, and an addition of ginger, which makes it stand out from the rest.
