FROM pigs in blankets to mince pies and Christmas cake, here at The Sun we’ve been busy testing everything you need for the big day.
We’ve tried all sorts of festive treats on supermarket shelves, from festive flavoured crisps to cheese and panettone.
And you will want to know our favourite cream liqueur, Prosecco and mulled wine choices.
LYNSEY HOPE and ROSIE TAYLOR (pictured) reveal the winning and runner-up treats for a tasty and budget-friendly Christmas Day . . .
WINNER: Sainsbury’s 6 mince pies £1..70
THE Sainsbury’s pies had a great-tasting filling, packed with lots of fruity flavours — plus a hint of booze.
At 28p per pie, these were the priciest of the supermarket brands but we thought they were worth the extra pennies — and they were still more than a third cheaper than Mr Kipling’s offering.
RUNNER-UP: Tesco Mince Pies, £1.50 for 6
These pies had plenty of filling with a good dose of Christmas spice — although the taste was a bit synthetic and the pastry a little stodgy.
At 25p a pie, these were middle-of-the-range for supermarket prices.
WINNER: Aldi’s Ballycastle Chocolate Clementine Cream Liqueur, 70cl (12% ABV), £7.49
THIS lovely liqueur from Aldi really hit the sweet spot. It was like drinking a boozy milkshake version of a Terry’s chocolate orange.
It was sweet, creamy and deliciously festive — a perfect grown-up dessert drink for Christmas.
RUNNER-UP: Aldi’s Specially Selected Billionaire’s Flavour Irish Cream Liqueur, 50cl, £8.99, (17% ABV)
This was a rich and creamy treat, which was a bit like drinking a luxuriously boozy iced mocha.
It had strong flavours of chocolate, coffee and dark caramel.
A delicious Christmas drink which would work well as a dessert alternative or with ice cream.
WINNER: Aldi Specially Selected Classic Panettone (750g), £4.99
JUST 67p per 100g, Aldi’s pannetone tasted more expensive.
It had light, fluffy bread with a vanilla flavour and smell, and contained 22 per cent fruit — higher than that of the Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s versions.
A Christmas treat for a bargain price.
RUNNER UP: Morrisons Classic Panettone (500g), £5
The Morrisons panettone was full of fruit and fluffy bread.
It was very similar to the Waitrose version, but a third of the price at just £1 per 100g.
It also had the lowest sugar content of all the panettone we tried, making it healthier.
WINNER: Tesco Pigs in Blankets (222g), £2.50 for 12
WE were pleased to see Tesco has brought back its standard fresh pigs in blankets this year, which come it at £1.13 per 100g.
Decent cocktail sausages, they come wrapped in a smoky, crispy bacon.
For half the price of the Waitrose version, these would be perfect for a festive feast.
RUNNER UP: Sainsbury’s Pigs in Blankets (260g), £3.25 for 12
These tasted great. The sausage had a herby, sage flavour, just like traditional sausage.
And the bacon was very thin so really crisped up nicely. At £1.25 per 100g, these were also cheaper than fancier brands.
WINNER: Lidl Prosecco Spumante Conegliano Valdobbiadene, 75cl (11% ABV), £7.49
THIS was thrilling from Lidl — fruity and light just like Freixenet.
It wasn’t quite as smooth as the big-name brand but it was a very close copy.
So, for just £1 per 100ml, you can get a very similar standard of drink to the premium one, but for around just two thirds of the price.
This will definitely be going on our Christmas list this year.
RUNNER-UP: Aldi Costellore Organic Prosecco, 75cl, £6.49 (11.5% ABV)
This tipple was the joint cheapest that we tried but it compared well with pricier versions.
It had a grassy taste with lots of fizz — which some of our testers loved but was not to the liking of others on the team.
It might not be an all-round pleaser but at just 93p per 100ml, it was easy on the pocket — and it contained the highest alcohol percentage.
WINNER: Tesco Vineyards Mulled Wine £3 for 75cl (5% ABV)
TESCO’S festive drink was more like cinnamon-flavoured blackcurrant squash than wine.
It tasted thin and synthetic, but it was easy to drink and would be good for a festive party.
It had an alcohol content of just 5% ABV, the same as most other supermarkets, and was one of the cheaper wines we tested, at 40p per 100ml.
Due to it being best value it scored the highest of the taste test.
RUNNER-UP: Waitrose Mulled Wine, £5.49 for 75cl (10% ABV)
Waitrose’s mulled wine was twice as strong as most of the other brands and was made from a base of Spanish wine.
It had a smooth, earthy red wine taste but was disappointingly lacking in Christmas spices.
The only strong flavour was artificial cinnamon.
With double the alcohol percentage, at 10% ABV, it is not surprising this was nearly double the price of the cheapest version we tested, made by Aldi.
If you choose to splash out on this, be aware it’s twice as strong as most mulled wines!
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Wensleydale and Cranberry (200g), £2.65
THE perfect Christmas cheese, this Wensleydale at Sainsbury’s was authentically crumbly and had the classic taste combination of creamy and sour.
It contained 13 per cent cranberries. At £1.33 per 100g, this was cheaper than several other supermarkets but much better.
RUNNER-UP: Asda Wensleydale with cranberry (200g), £1.99
This had a creamy texture and a slightly sour, tangy aftertaste, like traditional Wensleydale.
It also had a higher cranberry content than the other cheeses we tested, at 14 per cent.
WINNER: Aldi Specially Selected Pigs in Blankets Crisps
ALDI’S crisps were the cheapest we tried, at just £1.15 for 150g — 77p per 100g — but some of the tastiest.
The pigs in blankets crisps were thick and crunchy with a delicious smoky bacon flavour.
RUNNER UP: Morrisons The Best Turkey & Stuffing Flavour Crisps (125g), £1.35
The pigs in blankets crisps from Morrisons were thick and crunchy, but tasted oily and had very little other flavour.
But the turkey ones had a lovely roast-dinner taste, making them a perfect Christmas snack.
Both cost £1.08 per 100g, meaning they were the most expensive of all the supermarket crisps.
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Top Iced Cake (900g), £7
LIGHTER in texture than most others, this offering from Sainsbury’s had a good mix of fruits, including sultanas, raisins and cherries.
The balance of crisp icing and soft marzipan was just right and complemented the fruit.
At 78p per 100g, good value for money.
RUNNER UP: Aldi Holly Lane Top Iced Christmas Cake (907g), £5.99
This was the cheapest cake we tried, at just 66p per 100g.
It was full of sultanas and had some Christmas spice taste but left an unpleasant aftertaste of burnt raisins.
WINNER: Lidl Irish Cream Liqueur, £7.99 for 700ml (17% ABV)
THE Lidl version was a very close copy for Baileys.
It tasted rich, smooth and creamy — and had the same alcohol content, at 17% ABV.
At just £1.14 per 100ml, this was as close as you can get to the real thing, for less than half the price.
RUNNER UP: Aldi Ballycastle Country Cream Classic, £4.99 for 700ml (12% ABV)
Aldi’s cream liqueur was thinner than Baileys and not as boozy, containing just 12% ABV, compared to Baileys’ 17% ABV.
But the taste was a good copy for the real thing.
And it came in at less than a third of the price, at just 71p per 100ml.
