The Christmas Pudding taste test
It's the battle of the Christmas puds. Will Aldi beat Harrods again, like they did in our mince pie taste test? And how well will my homemade offering do?
Christmas pudding – the most important dessert of the year. So much so that we wrote a whole feature on its intriguing history, and made our very own figgy pud in the lovefood studio kitchen. But if you haven’t the time to steam one from scratch (it takes six hours of love and attention), which supermarket pud should you plump for?
The contenders
We tested Christmas puddings from Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Budgens, Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Harrods, M&S, Fifteen Cornwall, and the lovefood kitchen. Each sample was tasted blind by a group of 12 volunteers (including one American gent and a French lady, both of whom had never had Christmas pudding before!), and the puddings were all served warm. Our most expensive was the Rose Price Christmas pudding created for Harrods, complete with crystallised rose petals (£24.95), and our cheapest was Tesco's at £4.95.
So without further ado, and starting from the lowest performer working upwards, here are our results…
11th – Tesco Finest, 18 month matured
Tesco did not perform this time, despite the lashings of port, English cider, sherry and French brandy it crams into its pudding. It scored a sorry 54% and was criticised for being “far too alcoholic” and “too smooth in texture”. One taster described it as “peaty and moist” and another simply wrote, “yuck!” Mind you, it is under a fiver.
Price: £4.95 (serves 8)
10th – Aldi, Specially Selected 12 month matured
Surprising, considering how well Aldi did in our mince pie taste test. New for 2012, their Specially Selected pud scored 57% and, although one person got a “lovely and rich” experience, the majority claimed that it was “bland”, “boring”, and even “pretty horrible”.
Price: £6.99 (serves 8)
9th – Morrisons, Luxury Pudding
Also unexpected – Morrisons got the bronze in our mince pie taste test. This pudding scored 58% (it was a close call between almost every placing) and fell down because “there was nothing going on”, it was “too citrusy”, “it looked almost burnt” and there was “far too much booze” in it. However, one taster did like how “tangy and light” it was.
Price: £5 (serves 8)
8th – Asda, 6 month matured
There were mixed reviews for this one. Some complimented the “very soft and boozy” finish, whilst others said it didn’t “pack much punch in terms of flavour” and at least four people found it far too alcoholic. Plus it was criticised for its “dull” appearance. Asda scored 59% in total.
Price: £5 (serves 8)
7th – M&S, The Collection
It’s double the price (£10) for just one more point. M&S scored 60%, gaining marks for its “nutty flavour” and “an undertone of booze that nicely complimented it”. But, once again, our tasters decided that it was far too boozy, and quite a few people said that there were too many raisins in it.
Price: £10 (serves 8)
6th – Budgens, Matthew Walker pudding
There were a fair few compliments for this entry, which the Matthew Walker team have been making since 1899 in Derbyshire. “Good structure”, “nice and fruity”, “tastes like a really good cake” and “good kick of ginger” were just a few, and people seemed to like its appearance, too. But one taster seemed to think it had a “jelly-like texture”, and another moaned about a “peculiar aftertaste”. It scored 61%.
Price: £6.95 (serves 12)
5th – Sainsbury’s, Taste the Difference cognac laced
Sainsbury’s scored 62% and was celebrated for its “nice texture”, “attractive appearance”, “posh taste” and “generosity of nuts”. It’s still not perfect though – some found it “too mushy in texture”, others didn’t like how zesty it was, and one person said that “it wasn’t as sweet as the other puddings”.
Price: £12 (serves 12)
4th – Rose Price, for Harrods
Price: £24.95 (serves 8)
Bronze – Fifteen Cornwall
Another pricey pud, coming in at £15 and serving only six or so people. This one comes straight from Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall, and is soaked in Cornish rattler. “Very fruity”, “nice and tasty”, “I really liked the ginger”, “tastes like a mince pie” and “attractive cinnamon taste” were among the compliments. It fell down on its appearance though, and some found the texture too cloggy. It got 67%.
Price: £15 (serves 6)
Silver – the lovefood Christmas pudding
Hurrah! 68% isn’t bad, especially considering the fact that our pudding had less than two weeks to mature, whereas most of the others had at least six months. The Mary Berry recipe worked well, giving a light, more cake-like finish than the supermarket options. We were flattered by comments such as “soft and fruity”, “is there a secret ingredient?”, “the lightest of the lot” and “loving the whole almonds”. Although one unhappy taster said that it was “stodgy” and “not interesting enough”… I know who you are, and I’m coming for you.
Price: £8 for all the ingredients, which made two puddings (each pud serves 8)
Gold – Heston Blumenthal’s Hidden Orange pudding
By gum, he’s done it again! Can the Waitrose man not be beaten? He also won our mince pie taste test both this year and last. He scored 71% in total, and comments included “the orange adds a zesty kick”, “good balance of fruits and nuts”, “super tasty” and “nutty and spicy”. But not everyone can be happy – some found it too sweet, one person said it was “far too heavy” and another couldn’t even taste the orange. Well done Heston (and Waitrose), all the same.
Price: £13.99 (serves 12)
Do you buy your Christmas pudding or make your own? Are you a fan of Heston’s range at Waitrose? Talk to us in the comments box below.
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