Always splurge on mince pies —but scrimp on pudding

That’s the verdict of food experts in our bargain vs blowout taste test

We all feel the pinch at this time of year as we splash out on party frocks and presents. But if you’re haemorrhaging money in the run-up to Christmas, don’t despair. For when it comes to festive food and drink, the priciest products aren’t always the best.

this year, budget buys have been beating high- end alternatives in taste tests, from aldi’s £1.50 mince pies to Iceland’s £8 Christmas cake.

there are, of course, some festive essentials it pays to splash out on — such as good- quality turkey or ham — but experts say many are a waste of cash.

‘the golden rule,’ explains ratula Chakraborty, retail expert and business management professor at the University of east anglia, ‘is not to pay over the odds for expensive packaging or expensive combinations of foods packaged together for convenience.’

So, asks SARAH RAINEY, which Christmas foods are worth splurging on this year — and where can you make clever savings?

PLUM PUDDING

SAVE: Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Vintage Pudding, £12.99 for 800g.

Crowned the best plum pudding in the country by consumer magazine which?, aldi’s pud is packed full of fruit and nuts. You can taste the triplewhammy of cognac, sherry and ruby port — and there’s plenty to share.

SPLURGE: Claridge’s Large Christmas Pudding, £60 for five to six people.

Baked by top chefs at the luxury london hotel Claridge’s, this pudding is made from a century-old recipe, combining sultanas, grated carrot and apple. You get a souvenir bowl, but the product itself isn’t extraordinary.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘a good quality ownlabel can be much better,’ says prof Chakraborty. ‘I’d happily try any of the major supermarkets.’ VERDICT: SAVE

MINCE PIES

SAVE: Tesco Mince Pies, 87p for six.

Made from golden, buttery pastry filled with spiced mincemeat, these certainly look appetising — and are even a little wonky around the edges so they appear homemade. But the filling is disappointingly bland and the pastry stodgy and oversweet.

SPLURGE:

Fortnum & Mason Traditional Mince Pies, £12.95 for six. at £2.16 per pie, these are the priciest around, but don’t look too different to the budget option. the taste is far superior, though, with generous helpings of boozy mincemeat surrounded by flaky shortcrust.

THE EXPERTS SAY: It’s best to avoid budget own-label pies, says prof Chakraborty, as they’re unlikely to be high quality — you get what you pay for. Food policy expert Sylvain Charlebois adds: ‘ the pastry has to be just right; crispy but a little soft as well.’ VERDICT: SPLURGE

MULLED WINE

SAVE: Morrisons Winter Warmer Mulled Wine, £3.75 for 75cl.

Voted best of 2019 by Good Housekeeping magazine, this fra

grant offering has a deep, gingery flavour. at 10 per cent alcohol, it’s not excessively sweet — and comes in an attractive festive bottle.

SPLURGE: Harvey Nichols Mulled Wine, £15 for 75cl.

Made from two German wines with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, this comes in a limited- edition white reusable bottle, which is s attractive, but not that festive. It’s 10.5 per cent alcohol but tastes more like juice than wine, with a sugary after-taste.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘Make your own or buy a decent own-label,’ advises prof Chakraborty. prof Charlebois says luxury mulled wine is ‘overrated’, as with all the spices, you barely taste the wine. VERDICT: SAVE

FRUIT CAKE

SAVE: Iceland Luxury Christmas Cake, £8 for 1kg. laCed with cognac and brandy, this budget buy looks — and tastes — opulent. Covered with thick icing and a generous layer of marzipan, it’s fruity, delicately spiced and moist.

SPLURGE: Selfridges Traditional Christmas Cake, £49.95 for 1.3kg. dark and dense, this isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s heavy, with chunks of fruit, nuts and overpowering brandy.

THE EXPERTS SAY: this is one to save on, says prof Charlebois, as the ingredients tend to be similar whatever the price tag. though the cakes aren’t cheap, their components — raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries — are, so you’re paying for the decoration and box. VERDICT: SAVE

PIGS IN BLANKETS

SAVE: Asda Party Pigs in Blankets, £2 f for 300g. this frozen pack is underwhelming: the sausages — just 56 per cent pork — are tiny and the bacon fatty.

SPLURGE:

Daylesford Pigs in Blankets, £8.50 for 340g.

Made from pork reared on the Bamford family’s organic Cotswold farm, these are luxurious. the bacon — smoked over applewood chips — crisps up nicely and there’s barely any fat from the 80 per cent pork sausages.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘pork is one thing worth spending extra on, so you know it’s been fairly farmed and isn’t full of gristle,’ says prof Charlebois. VERDICT: SPLURGE

YULE LOG

SAVE: Deluxe Lidl Luxury HandFinished Festive Yule Log, £3.15. runner-up in several taste-tests, lidl’s offering is a decadent chocolate sponge rolled with chocolate buttercream. It tastes rich without being too sweet and looks expensive.

SPLURGE: Fortnum & Mason Praline Yule Log, £22. this chocolate sponge filled with praline buttercream and studded with hazelnuts is incredibly sweet. the decorations look amateurish; the price tag implies something more polished.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘ It’s a cake rolled with icing — don’t waste your money,’ says prof Charlebois. this is another instance where the ingredients — sugar, butter, flour, chocolate — are all low-cost. VERDICT: SAVE

CHEESE BOARD

SAVE:

Waitrose The Perfect Cheeseboard, £7 for five cheeses. tHIS ticks all the festive boxes: a tangy blue Stilton, buttery brie and wensleydale with cranberries. But the contents aren’t as big as they look on the box and none of the cheeses stands out for flavour.

SPLURGE: The Fine Cheese Co Large British Christmas Cheese Selection Box, £59 for five cheeses.

Beautifully packaged, with detailed information on each cheese – ranging from a crumbly cheddar to goat’s cheese. the cheeses are unusual and well- worth spending on.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘pay more for the odd special treat — like a good cheeseboard,’ says pr o f Chakraborty. opt for some from good British dairies, made by hand and carefully wrapped so they’ll last. VERDICT: SPLURGE

CRANBERRY SAUCE

SAVE: Sainsbury’s Wild Cranberry Sauce, £1.80 for 220g. this contains only 21 per cent cranberries ( and 28 per cent of cheaper lingonberries), so the overall flavour is insipid and watery.

SPLURGE: Harrods Cranberry and Port Sauce, £6 for 340g. this boozy sauce is packed full of cranberries (53 per cent), port and orange zest, with a lovely, chunky consistency. It tastes sharp, tangy and sweet at the same time.

THE EXPERTS SAY: like fresh foods, it makes sense to spend a bit extra on sauces and chutneys. this guarantees a higher percentage of fruit and fewer preservatives. VERDICT: SPLURGE

PANETTONE

SAVE: Morrisons The Best Classic Fruit Panettone, £7 for 750g. this panettone boasts a 72-hour baking process, using a ‘mother dough’ that’s been around since 1964. the centre is buttery and yellow but the crusts are dry and hard, the sultanas and orange peel hard to find.

SPLURGE:

Fortnum & Mason Traditional Panettone, £100 for 3kg. this whopper not only has a huge price tag; it’s eye-wateringly enormous (and heavy). there’s enough to feed 20 people. the taste is divine: melt-in-the-mouth sponge, flavoured with honey and vanilla, and delicious fruit in every slice.

THE EXPERTS SAY: ‘Spoil yourself,’ says prof Charlebois. ‘panettone are wonderfully versatile — for breakfast, lunch with cheese or as dessert to finish a nice dinner.’ If £100 is a little out of your price range, you can snap up smaller gourmet options for £30 or £40. VERDICT: SPLURGE