I tested supermarket cottage pies – budget buy for just £3.80 cooks perfectly in the microwave and tastes homemade

FEWER Brits are cooking from scratch and using the oven in a bid to save money, research has found.

The recent poll by Kantar found more people are using the microwave - and one of our most popular choices is cottage pie.

It also happens to be Prince William's favourite dish.

If you don't have the time or energy to make your own, supermarkets all offer their own versions that can be cooked in the microwave or the oven.

Here Lynsey Hope tries out the offerings and shares her favourites...

Asda Meal for two Cottage Pie (800g)

• £3.80
• 47.5p per 100g

An attractive-looking pie with mash piped prettily on top.

It was very rich and more-ish, with plenty of meat, which made up 24 per cent of the ingredients, and the potato was creamy and not watery, unlike some brands.

You can cook this in the microwave or oven, and it tastes like it's homemade.

It came out well, with a nice crust on the potato. A great, good-value option and a winner for me.

• Rating: 10/10

Sainsbury’s Cottage Pie (1.5kg)

• £6.75
• 45p per 100g

Lovely flavoured mince and gravy, but quite heavy on the carrots.

The mash was creamy and smooth and there was just the right amount of it.

It's a little bit salty - but it can be cooked in either the oven or microwave.

Amazing value from Sainsbury's, beating even Aldi and Lidl if you buy this large portion.

• Rating: 8/10

Waitrose Cottage Pie (700g)

• £5.85
• 83p per 100g

The mashed potato topping on this was tasteless and a bit watery.

It needed more mash to mix up with the generous helping of meat.

But the gravy was tasty and not too salty.

As a frozen meal option, it is quite handy to have on standby if you need a quick and easy meal.

• Rating: 7/10

M&S Cottage Pie (800g)

• £6.75
• 84p per 100g

Lovely meat with no gristle and a delicious gravy.

The potato was plentiful, soft and creamy as you'd expect, but perhaps there was too much of it.

The meat content is only 17 per cent compared to 52 per cent potatoes, and I would have liked more.

It is a bit pricey too, at 84p per 100g - 29p more than you'd pay at Aldi - and I'm not sure it was tasty enough.

However, M&S tell me it's about to go through a recipe upgrade, so watch this space.

• Rating: 6/10

Lidl Deluxe Cottage Pie (800g)

• £3.99
• 49 per 100g

This took 10 minutes in the oven but it was worth the wait. The mashed potato was piped beautifully and tasted buttery and delicious.

There was a bit of a crust, which others lacked, and it was topped with cheddar cheese.

There was plenty of meat and it was in a rich red wine sauce, which I loved.

If I was being fussy, I'd say it needed a little more seasoning, but otherwise, top marks.

• Rating: 10/10

Tesco Cottage Pie (750g)

• £4.25
• 56p per 100g

This was let down by thick, gloopy mashed potato.

It slid off the pie once cooked and didn't look appetising at all.

Tesco's offering had a reasonable amount of beef, which was tender and flavoursome, and price-wise it's middle of the road.

• Rating: 5/10

Aldi Crestwood Cottage Pie (400g)

• £2.49
• 55p per 100g

The highest concentration of beef, at 25 per cent, but it was a bit overwhelmed by the mash, which was thick and a bit dry rather than buttery and soft as you'd expect.

It had a bit of a Worcester sauce kick too, and quite a lot of onion. It can be cooked in the oven or microwave.

For the price it was ok, but this Aldi meal didn't blow me away.

• Rating: 6/10

Morrisons Cottage Pie (400g)

• £3.75
• 93p per 100g

This Morrisons pie has a generous amount of beef at 24 per cent, but I didn't like the flavour.

It reminded me of 1980s school dinners and had a funny after-taste.

It's not great value either - in fact this was more costly than the pie from M&S or Waitrose. I wouldn't buy it again.

• Rating: 3/10