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Nottingham Post

Entertainment

Caroline Barry

I tried supermarket ice cream tubs and my favourite was far too enjoyable

Food Warehouse Aldi Co (Organization) Coop (Organization) Ben and Jerry

Nothing beats a nice cold ice cream in the garden in this weather but there may not always be an ice cream van when you need one. Having a supply on standby in the fridge means you can enjoy a bowl, or two, right when you need it the most.

I decided to taste test three supermarket ice creams to find out which was the best for value, flavour and taste. Not only was I pleasantly surprised but one of the three scored very highly in all categories.

As I don't drive, I chose three supermarkets within walking distance from work: Food Warehouse, Coop and Aldi. After all, I didn't want a bag full of melted ice cream by the time I managed to collect all three.

Ice cream no.1:

Triple Layer Chocolate Ice Cream from Food Warehouse £2 for 600ml

It was difficult to find a Food Warehouse brand amongst all the big brand ice creams but I managed it. I decided to go with a chocolate version because it was either that or mint. There were no fruity options which are normally my favourite, although it wasn't exactly a hardship to have to go with chocolate.

I was pleasantly surprised by the ice cream as it really did taste like chocolate and not synthetic as I had been expecting. It reminded me a little bit of a chocolate cake although I wasn't sold on the vanilla layer on the top.

There was a lot of it too so it's going to last a lot of scoops. I did have to wait for it to thaw out a bit because it was absolutely frozen solid when I opened it.

Overall, not a bad effort but I feel like there were more exciting options in the store that I could have gone with but the challenge was to get a supermarket brand. In a push, this wasn't a bad option although I was intrigued by a tub of Iron Brew flavoured millions ice cream which looked interesting.

Marks out of ten: 8/10

Price: £2 at Food Warehouse

Ice cream no.2

Gianni's real dairy ice cream salted caramel. £1.99 for one litre.

I had far more choice in Aldi and could have gone for any number of options but the salted caramel caught my eye. I couldn't get an exact match for my choice in Food Warehouse so I used that as an excuse for going for something totally different.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth but salted caramel gets me every time. This was an absolute treat from start to finish in that not only was it the cheapest, admittedly by 1p but every little counts, but it was also the best value for money. The ice cream also tasted the best as it was creamy and flavourful from the first mouthful.

It genuinely tasted like salted caramel with little bits of caramel inside the ice cream similar to Ben and Jerry's caramel versions. It was far too enjoyable and I very sheepishly grabbed a second bowl of it. It was just the right side of creamy and sweet without being too sickly or intense.

Marks out of ten: 9.5/10

Price: £1.99 from Aldi

Ice cream no.3

West Country Cream: Mango and Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream. £3.55 for 500ml

Not going to lie here, I was not feeling the brightest after three bowls of ice cream but I take my taste-testing seriously so with that, I decided to have my last bowl. I hadn't felt like another chocolate or caramel option so I went for a fruity flavour in Coop - that and I didn't have a lot of choice.

This was the most expensive of the three ice creams at £3.55 and the smallest as well so I expected it to justify the higher price tag. We weren't off to a good start when it was revealed that the inside paper lid had melted into the top layer of ice cream meaning I had to scoop a good bit out to get it out of the food which was grim.

However, in fairness, it picked up after that as the ice cream felt lighter than the other two options and really did taste like real fruit. In fact, it was closer to a sorbet than an ice cream which made it far easier to enjoy after two creamy bowls of dessert. Although I'm not quite sure I could argue this is one of my five a day but I could give it a fair go.

I feel like this is a posh option that would work better if you were trying to impress friends or using as a dinner party dessert rather than a guilty pleasure to enjoy while sitting in the sun. While nice, £3.55 is a lot for a tub of ice cream that isn't a brand name considering Ben and Jerry's is normally £4.50.

Marks out of ten: 5.5/10

Price: £3.55 at Coop

The winner:

I have to say that the salted caramel option from Aldi got my vote. Not only did it taste like salted caramel but it was creamy yet light at the same time as feeling a bit naughty. I was also impressed that for £1.99, it was the best value.

I appreciate that salted caramel may not be to everyone's taste but there was also lots of choice at Aldi. While Aldi may be the winner, Food Warehouse scored points for being a bargain at £2. The Co-op needs to work on its packaging to avoid a soggy mess but it was tasty but sadly, a lot at £3.55.