if you're trying to take a slice out of your grocery bills during the cost of living crisis, the good news is a recent survey has found that cheap own-label pizzas take some topping when it comes to flavour.
A panel of Which? testers tasted six widely-available frozen pepperoni pizzas and found that two supermarket own-brand products were preferred over those with a price tag of nearly twice that of the budget buys.
The pizza fans blind-tasted double pepperoni pizzas from the likes of Tesco, Aldi and M&S alongside big brand Chicago Town and uncovered two top-scoring supermarket pizzas that impressed with their crisp base, cheesy flavour and pepperoni punch. But one pricey premium pizza disappointed tasters with its underwhelming taste and 'stingy' pepperoni topping.
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The survey found there's no need to splash out for a slice of pizza perfection - own label double pepperoni pizzas from Asda and Tesco came top overall in the taste test at a cost of £1.65 each. And if you're after the best possible value on a budget, Aldi's cheap pizza (£1.25) came in third place overall alongside Chicago Town (£3).
Asda Stonebaked Double Pepperoni Pizza scored 75% overall with the testers, edging ahead of Tesco's Stonebaked Thin Double Pepperoni Pizza at 73%. Testers praised its strong pepperoni hit along with a satisfying cheesy flavour, due to an extra dose of cheddar as well as mozzarella topping. The tasters were also impressed with the texture of the dough, with 80% rating it just the right level of crispiness. The tasters were equally complimentary about the Tesco pizza, saying the pepperoni texture is 'spot on'.
Aldi's Thin Crust Stonebaked Double Pepperoni Pizza was the cheapest pizza tested and scored 71%, with Which? saying: "It's the cheapest on test, but that didn't stop Aldi from claiming joint third place alongside Chicago Town, offering great flavour that's on par with the leading brand but for a fraction of the price. It also has less salt and calories per 100g than most other pizzas we tested, so could be a pragmatic choice if you're looking for a treat that's not too OTT. Half a pizza clocks in at 391 calories compared to Chicago Town's 522 calories."
Chicago Town's offering worked out as the most expensive pizza per 100g in the taste test, costing more than twice as much as Aldi's. It also has the most calories, fat and saturated fat of all the pizzas tested. While it scored well overall, its cheesiness was lacking for some, with just over a third rating the cheese flavour too weak. However it had one of the best-rated bases, with three quarters finding the texture just right. It was also the only pizza tested that contains palm oil. According to Which? "All in all, there are cheaper and tastier choices worth trying."
M&S Thin & Crispy Double Pepperoni Pizza was the lowest scorer overall at 64%, despite it being the most expensive own label pizza tested at £3.20, and Sainsbury's shoppers may also want to look elsewhere, as two thirds of tasters said the base was too soft on the Double Pepperoni Thin Pizza, which scored 65% overall and costs £1.75.
Morrisons Double Pepperoni Stonebaked Pizza (£2.29) divided opinion as it's the only supermarket to ditch the mozzarella in favour of emmental cheese. Not everyone was a fan, with half finding the cheese flavour lacking. Frozen double pepperoni pizzas from Co-op, Iceland and Lidl were not available at the time of testing.
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