CHEESE is a Christmas staple – and Wensleydale with Cranberries is a classic cheeseboard treat.
But which supermarket does the best version, for the best price?
We’ve tested the cheese being sold this year at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Waitrose.
For each one, we gave it a score out of ten for taste. We also gave a score out of ten for value, based on the price per 100g and the amount of cranberries in the cheese.
Here’s how the cheeses scored out of 20 overall:
This Tesco cheese had a creamy taste but the texture was very gritty, a bit like eating cheese sand.
It contained a decent amount of cranberries – but we weren’t impressed that it didn’t declare the percentage of cranberries on the packaging, unlike all the other brands.
At £1.38 per 100g, this was one of the cheaper ones we tested.
Asda’s version of the cheese had a creamy texture and a slightly sour tang aftertaste, like traditional Wensleydale.
It also had a higher cranberry content than all the other cheeses we tested, at 14 per cent.
At just £1.25 per 100g, this was the cheapest of the main supermarket brands and better than some of the more expensive versions.
The star shape and blackcurrant topping on this cheese means it would add some festive cheer to your cheeseboard.
But we weren’t sure the blackcurrant topping worked.
It added a very intense sharp and sweet taste, which felt overwhelming.
When combined with the cheese underneath, it was more like a cheesecake than a cheese.
And, disappointingly, the cheese on its own was very bland and tasteless, with just 10 per cent cranberries (the lowest of all we tried).
It’s a nice look but for £1.75 per 100g – the most expensive we tried – the taste wasn’t worth it.
Aldi’s cheese had a greasy texture and a very sweet taste – almost like a pink iced fairy cake.
We couldn’t work out why, until we realised the small print on the back of the pack said the cheese also contained 2.5 per cent white chocolate.
We couldn’t understand why such a bold added ingredient choice wasn’t made clear on the front – some people might love it but we thought it was too much of an unwelcome surprise.
The Wensleydale from Waitrose was very traditional, with a taste that was creamy, followed by a strong sour aftertaste.
Our testers either loved or hated it – some thought it reminded them of plasticine.
It contained 13 per cent cranberries, the same as Sainsbury’s, but was more expensive, at £1.45 per 100g.
The Sainsbury’s version was the perfect Christmas cheese.
The Wensleydale was authentically crumbly and had the classic taste combination of creamy and sour.
It contained 13 per cent cranberries, which were juicy and tasty.
At £1.33 per 100g, this was cheaper than several other supermarkets but much better.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
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