Best supermarket for every part of your Christmas dinner revealed as one chain wins six out of 17 awards

FAMILIES hoping to impress guests this Christmas with the tastiest festive essentials should be heading to one big supermarket.

Marks and Spencer was the standout winner in the annual BBC Good Food Christmas Supermarket Taste Awards.

From mince pies to pigs-in-blankets, more than 185 products from 13 supermarkets were put to the test across 17 categories and judged anonymously.

M&S won six of those 17 tests, including joint best turkey crown, gammon and vegetarian main.

Morrisons was in second place scooping five wins including the coveted best mince pie gong.

And Tesco was rated best for pigs-in-blankets.

Lulu Grimes, managing editor of Good Food, says: “This year’s Christmas Supermarket Taste Test shows you can have a brilliant festive spread without breaking the bank. 

“The supermarkets offer showstopping mains and nostalgic puddings saving time in the kitchen so you can focus on adding flair to your family favourite Christmas recipes and creating your own precious food memories.”

Here are the winners in each category….

Best smoked salmon

• Joint winner: Aldi Specially Selected the ultimate salt-aged Himalayan smoked salmon, in-store (£3.99)
  Judges’ comments: “Buttery and smooth, this is a great example of a classic smoked salmon.”
• Joint winner: M&S Collection cherry & chestnut wood smoked salmon, M&S in-store (£6)
  Judges’ comments: “This has a creamy, soft and smooth texture, rich flavour and attractive darker colour from the cherry and chestnut wood smoke”.

Best hot canapé

• Joint winner: Aldi Specially Selected mini Barber’s cheese & ham scones, launching soon (£4.99)
  Judges’ comments: “We haven’t seen mini scones as a canapé before, and these impressed us with good buttery flavour, a salty tang from the ham and a melty cheese filling.”

• Joint winner: Tesco Finest scallop & prawn toast, launching soon (£5.50)
  Judges’ comments: “Deeply golden and crisp, with black and white sesame seeds, these toasts are also well-filled and spiced with spring onions, garlic and ginger for subtle heat.”

Best turkey crown

• Joint winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference British free-range bronze turkey crown with pork, apricot, pear, cranberry & candied ginger stuffing, Sainsbury’s (£22.75 per kg)
  Judges’ comments: “For a showstopper, this does the job with its golden, glossy glaze and crispy bacon that has good smoky flavour. The meat is juicy and complemented by a fruity apricot and cranberry stuffing.”
• Joint winner: M&S Oakham hot maple-glazed turkey crown, M&S (£50)
  Judges’ comments: “This will add some extra flavour to your Christmas table – judges loved the sticky, peppery hot maple glaze and stuffing packed with fruit.”

Best alternative Christmas main

• Booths British porchetta, Booths (£21, 1.55kg)
  Judges’ comments: “An eye-catching centrepiece with moreish, salty, crunchy crackling. The pork is tender, with a herby filling rolled inside.”
• Runner-up: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Discovery 35-day dry-aged Aberdeen Angus rump joint with a velvety tarragon & pepper cream sauce, launching soon (£25)
  Judges’ comments: “A joint that’s easy to cook and carve, and comes with a sharp mushroom sauce. The meat stayed tender and juicy in the centre once cooked.”

Best vegetarian main

• M&S Collection mushroom, Barber’s cheddar & leek en croute, M&S in-store (£12.50)
  Judges’ comments: “A good choice for a veggie centrepiece with beautifully burnished, crisp pastry. The filling has big chunks of mushroom, a creamy sauce and good seasoning.”

Best Christmas cake

• M&S perfectly matured iced fruit cake, M&S in-store (£24)
  Judges’ comments: “We love this pretty cake; the layered floral design on the icing makes it feel special and luxurious. The cake is also a generous size, with lots of sultanas and nicely balanced spice, plus good almond flavour in the layer of marzipan.”

Best alternative Christmas cake

• Booths enchanted forest cake, launching soon (£28)
  Judges’ comments: “This has a very cute festive design with a pretty snowy scene. The icing is light and sweet, and the cake is fudgy and chocolatey.”

Best Christmas pudding

• M&S Collection 12-month matured Christmas pudding with pecans & panettone, in-store (£16)
  Judges’ comments: “Matured for a year, this is a delicious pudding with a tall, rounded shape, glossy appearance and firm texture. There’s plenty of fruit and large chunks of nuts within, so it really delivers the flavour, including citrus and a hint of alcohol.”

Best pigs in blankets

• Tesco Finest 10 pork & caramelised onion pigs in blankets, launching soon (£3.25)
  Judges’ comments: “Crispy bacon, flavourful sausage with visible herbs, plus a glaze for extra sweetness – this has everything we’re looking for when it comes to this classic side.”

Best gammon

• M&S slow-cooked bone-in Heritage Gold pork gammon, launching soon (£36)
  Judges’ comments: “This bone-in joint is deeply golden brown, with juicy meat that pulls apart easily and well-balanced levels of sweetness and smokiness, without being overpowering.”

Best showstopper dessert

• Morrisons Signature Collection Belgian chocolate & praline star, (£15)
  Judges’ comments: “This has a striking modern design, and is filled with a rich chocolate ganache. The praline adds crunch and a pronounced hazelnut flavour.”

Best trifle

• Lidl Deluxe Amontillado sherry trifle, launching soon (£4.99)
  Judges’ comments: “Made with premium sherry, this is a traditional trifle with a generous layer of jellied fruit, a hit of booze and thick custard to balance out the neatly piped cream on top.”

Best classic mince pies

• Morrisons The Best Signature Collection mince pies (£2)
  Judges’ comments: “Deep-filled mince pies with soft, buttery pastry and a pretty festive star design. The mincemeat filling is juicy and citrussy, with strong orange flavour.”
• Runner-up: Booths six all butter mince pies, launching soon (£4.50)
  Judges’ comments: “The pastry is pleasingly crumbly and the pies are neatly filled with sweet, jammy mincemeat.”

Best flavoured mince pies

• Morrisons The Best cherry bakewell mince pies (£3.50)
  Judges’ comments: “As well as the mincemeat, these have a frangipane topping that is soft with good almond flavour that’s not too sweet. Flaked almonds add a bit of crunch on top.”

Best gluten-free mince pies

• Waitrose freefrom mince pies, (£3)
  Judges’ comments: “The pastry has a great texture, biscuity and crunchy, and it crumbles well. The mincemeat has plump fruit and a good level of citrus to balance the sweetness.”

Best vegan mince pie

• Waitrose six mince pies (£2.25)
  Judges’ comments: “A thin, crisp layer of pastry with deep golden edges and a generous level of mincemeat that contains plenty of juicy sultanas.”

Best biscuit tin

• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference chocolate chip shortbread present tin, launching soon (£8)
  Judges’ comments: “The judges enjoyed these sweet, crumbly, buttery biscuits. They have satisfying crunch and are studded with creamy chocolate chips.”