A blind taste test conducted by Good Housekeeping Magazine has revealed that customers seeking the best mince pies and prosecco this festive season should head to budget retailers Iceland and Lidl. Lidl’s £5.29 Allini Prosecco Spumante came out on top in Good Housekeeping’s December edition and Luxury Mince Pies from Iceland were deemed as the best in their category, beating the likes of prestigious highly priced retailers Harrods and Selfridges.
The Iceland mince pies, priced at £1.50, were praised by testers for their “juicy mince meat” and “lovely crisp and buttery pastry case.”
At the top of the table for turkey was Iceland’s £4.95 a kg Luxury British Whole Brined Turkey with Orange & Thyme Butter which excelled above options from other retailers. Its Luxury Outdoor Bred Pork, Honey and Rosemary Parcels stuffing was also voted as the best in the vote.
Caroline Bloor, consumer director at Good Housekeeping, said: “Our expert team and panel of consumer testers blind test an incredibly wide range of Christmas products, so we can be very confident that these results shine a light on the food and drink that tastes the best.
“Everyone loves a bargain and so it’s good to see Iceland mince pies and Lidl prosecco beating more expensive upmarket brands.”
Market giants M&S appeared most frequently in the survey and made the top five in 10 of the 12 categories tested. The company won the Stilton and mulled wine tests as well as claiming first place for the Christmas pudding with its £12 The Collection Belgian Chocolate & Orange Star Christmas Pudding for its “delicious twist on a traditional pud.”
Iceland’s £6 Luxury 12-month Matured Christmas Pudding came a close second, astounding testers with its high quality and taste.
Newcomer Ocado.com topped the category for best champagne with its £19.99 Champagne Faubert Brut NV.
