The taste test

WHAT

The Taste & Tell series is a monthly feature where the same or similar supermarket items are put to a taste test by a panel.

WHY

There’s been an enormous growth in the supermarket convenience-food category which is aimed at making our lives easier. But does it? Convenience foods come at a price and by undertaking tastings we offer readers an opinion, although subjective, on products for them to make their own decision. Doing this provides a platform to showcase the growing variety of convenience foods available in supermarkets.

WHO

For each tasting we gather a different group of people to be part of the panel.

WHERE

The tasting takes place at a facility that offers a professional kitchen, chefs to assist with the preparation where necessary, and a room where the panel can evaluate the food.

IS IT FAIR

A theme for each tasting is selected by food editor Hilary Biller, who goes out and shops as a consumer would. Then at the tasting we work with chefs and a food expert in the kitchen to oversee the process.

Items are categorised, numbered and stripped of all their packaging.

Any reheating and cooking is done strictly to package instructions. The tasters undertake a blind tasting and the food is judged on a score sheet and is rated according to appearance, taste, quality of ingredients and whether the taster would consider buying the product. Each category is judged out of 10 points: 10 is excellent, 5 average and 1 extremely poor. An auditor checks each score sheet and collates the results.