The daddy of festive foods, only the best will do when it comes to Christmas puddings.
Our panel of taste testers put the supermarkets’ offerings to the sword to find out which supermarket is selling the best pud this year.
- Marks and Spencer Intensely Fruity Cranberry and Clementine Christmas Pudding, £7.50 (907g)
What they say:
A rich, fruity pudding with clementine liqueur soaked cranberries and a hidden centre of cranberry and Clementine sauce. Hand decorated with gold lustred glace orange slices.
News Shopper’s verdict
There is no denying that M&S’ pudding was a real looker. The golden sheen and orange on the outside were nothing short of gorgeous, while the sticky glaze which oozed out was decadent. This extravagant approach won as many detractors as it did fans. It was too sweet and like the lovechild of a Christmas pudding and a jam roly poly for some. For others, it smelt like mulled wine and was rich, fruity and citrusy.
One tester said: “I like my Christmas puddings like my women – plump, fruity and rich.
“I’m pleased to say that pudding A ticked all the boxes.
“A little of this goes a long way. I particularly enjoyed the slices of orange and in terms of appearance it was exquisite. It had a Christmas tinsel glow which brought a smile to my face.”
8/10
- Tesco Finest 9 Month Matured Cherry Topped Christmas Pudding with Couvoisier vs Cognac, £5 (454g)
What they say:
This wonderfully rich, moist pudding comes from specialist who’ve been making Christmas puddings for more than 100 years. Packed with plump vine fruits, it’s made with Courvoisier VS Cognac, English cider, Amontillado sherry and ruby port for a deeper flavour. It’s hand decorated with French glace cherries steeped in oak aged French brandy, then matured for nine months to allow the flavours to develop beautifully.
News Shopper’s verdict
There’s certainly plenty of Christmas spirit in this bad boy. With all those varieties of booze there is no surprise that it leaves a burning in your throat that you’d normally need a triple whisky to achieve. It’s also traditional, dark and rich. “There will be kids opening presents that are smaller than the lumps of fruit and nut inside,” said one tester.
7/10
- Waitrose richly fruited Remy Martin Christmas pudding, £7.50 (454g)
What they say:
12 month matured, made with cream, pecans and a festive soaking of Remy Martin fine Champagne Cognac.
News Shopper’s verdict
So, so dry. Custard definitely needed. But, it did have an impressively high fruit and nut ratio. Some harsh criticisms from our testers included: “One of the most vile things I have ever put in my mouth – and I have put a lot of things in my mouth. Dry, flavourless and slightly bitter in places, I felt like I was chewing on fingernails and sawdust.”
One slightly more charitable taster said: “Not bad enough that you’d throw it against the wall in disgust but not good enough to be memorable.”
3/10
- Aldi Specially Selected 12 month matured luxury Christmas Pudding, £2.99 (454g)
What they say:
A specially selected blend of plump, juicy vine fruits, crunchy nuts and glace cherries, enriched with brandy and Cognac matured for 12 months.
News Shopper’s verdict
he flavour’s balanced, the texture’s pleasing and there’s a generous helping of nuts. Nothing grand, just well done. It’s the James Milner of Christmas puddings according to one taste tester: “Solid, inoffensive, and good enough to warrant selection time-and-time again due to its value for money. But I won’t be talking about it tomorrow.”
Elsewhere there was praise for it’s contents. “If there are any hungry squirrels this winter it’s because all their nuts have been stolen to make this pudding,” said one tester. “There’s enough nuts in here to keep an army of squirrels fed for months.”
6/10
- Morrisons Signature Jewelled Fruit Christmas Pudding, £3.99 (454g)
What they say:
Festive-spiced juicy fruit, fragrant citrus peel and crunchy nuts soaked in cider, brandy and sherry and topped with sticky glazed cherries, orange and almonds.
News Shopper’s verdict
In several categories, this was the best: best smell, most attractive, best texture (chew, squidge and crunch). It’s just a great pudding, loaded with juicy fruit and the right balance of booze.
One tester wrote: “I feel satisfied without being bloated. Simply the best.”
Another said: “Some Christmas puds can be like sitting next to a drunk on a bus with their overbearing pungent booziness but the alcohol was nicely muted in this one, allowing the rich fruity nutty flavour to come through.”
9/10
- Lidl Snowy Lodge Cherry and Pecan Topped Christmas Pudding, £9.99 (907g)
What they say:
Our luxury cherry and pecan topped Christmas pudding is the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas feast. A delectable rich and moist filled pudding filled with plump and juicy vine fruits, almonds and walnuts, laced with sherry and brandy then topped with glace orange slices, smooth cherry sauce and finished with brandy soaked glace cherries and sweet and crunchy pecans.
News Shopper’s verdict
From its looks, this pudding promised a lot. It was sticky, sweet and glossy. A bit of a pain to get off your spoon but syrupy with lots of cherries.
Not everyone was impressed and felt let down after the big build up. “Rather like TV presenter Tess Daly,” wrote one particularly bitter tester. “This Christmas pudding has a beautiful, glossy exterior but there is not a lot going on inside.
“It lacked any character while its bitter aftertaste left me wincing.” We imagine he wasn’t still talking about Tess at the end...
7/10
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