Taste test: the best sausages
It’s National Sausage Week, and we’ve pitted the supermarkets against the discounters in a battle of the bangers.
Sausages are one of the nation’s favourite foods. We use them in everything from pot roasts to toad-in-the-hole, with mash and peas, or as part of a tried and tested fried breakfast line-up.
For this blind taste test, we were interested in whether sausages from the discounters can measure up to premium supermarket ranges – could we save a bit of money and still enjoy a decent banger? If you’re hosting a late celebration of Bonfire Night over the weekend, this may help you out.
8th place – Aldi Specially Selected
Looked very pallid in the pack, didn’t hold its shape raw and shrank a lot when cooked. Comments ranged from “truly awful” to “is this pork?” Abysmal.
£1.99 for a pack of 6 – 3.6/10
7th place – Lidl Butcher’s Choice
The other discounter is also down the bottom of the pile with its “very bready”, “cheap-tasting” sausages. “Needs ketchup” to hide the flavour, one tester remarked. Nasty.
99p for a pack of 8 – 3.7/10
6th place – Heck 97% Pork
We put these in as a bit of a wildcard although they're available in many supermarkets. There’s nothing wrong at all with Heck’s sausages but they failed to stand out in terms of flavour. “Average,” said our testers, although the score was a big step up from the discounters. Decent.
£2.99 for a pack of 6 – 6.0/10
Joint 4th – Co-op Truly Irresistible
The Co-operative sausages were “juicy” and had a good texture, but weren't particularly spectacular. An alright choice but not the best.
£2.99 for a pack of 6 – 6.3/10
Joint 4th – Tesco finest*
Tesco’s sausages crumble as you cut into them, but they’ve got a nice flavour even if they’re a bit “chewy.” Again, nothing special but perfectly acceptable.
£3.29 for a pack of 6 – 6.3/10
3rd place – Morrisons M Signature
These sausages won Which?’s sausage test in the summer but they didn’t top our charts. Still, they didn’t do badly, and a couple of people rated this one very highly indeed. Good value too on the 10-packs.
£4 for a pack of 10 or 3 for £10 – 6.5/10
2nd place – Asda Extra Special
“Very porky” said one comment. You won’t go far wrong with these, although one tester commented that it was a bit of an unexciting sausage and they also weren’t sure about the texture. Overall though it did well.
£3.70 for a pack of 10 or £2.98 for 6 – 6.6/10
1st place – Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference
“Classic sausage flavour” said our testers, with a “robust meaty taste”. A big bite of pork with a satisfying texture, sensible seasoning and a good bite. We liked this one the most, but the score shows the limits of quality to be found in supermarket sausages. Nice all the same.
£3.30 for a pack of 6 – 7.0/10
Got a brand or butcher’s shop you’d recommend over the ones we’ve tried? Share it in the Comments below.
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