CHRISTMAS PUDDING/ BRANDY BUTTER

WINNER Aldi Specially Selected Golden Topped Christmas Pudding 80/100 £7.99 for 907g This decadent pudding is beautifully arranged to showcase jewelled fruits with a sprinkle of gold dust. Our panel praised the aroma, saying the warming alcohol balanced nicely with orange marmalade, nuttiness and perfectly plump fruit.

RUNNERS-UP

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Vintage Christmas Pudding

78/100 £9.99 for 907g A luxury pudding containing whole vine fruit, mixed peel and nuts. It has a buttery aroma with chocolate-like treacle undertones and top notes of burnt caramel. Beautifully moist with a crunchy, nutty texture.

Marks & Spencer Collection 12 Month Matured Vintage Christmas Pudding

78/100 £14 for 800g Drawn in by a gooey, fudge-like appearance, our panel smelt a host of different fruits, including sloe plums, cherries stewed in star anise and cinnamon. The more we ate, the more complex this pudding became. The moist and sticky alcohol-steeped fruit was a hit, and we loved the balance of the light texture with a nutty crunch. Unfortunately, gritty vine fruit seeds let this pudding down slightly. Morrisons The Best Pedro Ximénez Sherry & Pear Christmas Pudding 78/100 £8 for 800g Stunning golden pudding with a melt-in-the-middle gold pear sauce. Sherry-soaked, sticky, sweet vine fruit smelled and tasted like liquorice, fig and treacle. Deceptively dense looking, this pudding was wonderfully light. However, we would have liked more of an alcohol hit to balance sweetness.

Selfridges Selection Traditional Christmas Pudding

77/100 £11.99 for 450g Generously laced with alcohol – if you want your pudding to get the party off to a good start, this is the one for you. We enjoyed the moist, alcohol-spiced ripe fruit, which includes flame raisins, cranberries, cherries, orange peel, almond and pecan pieces.