Over the Christmas season, party food is an absolute must for all those festive buffets and get togethers when you want to spend minimal time in the kitchen.
You can get party food from most supermarkets and many have deals on to snap up three or four different items for around £10. Not only does it make life that little bit easier, but it also saves on washing up with less effort needed to prepare everything.
In fact, the hardest thing can be deciding which items to buy and finding space in your fridge or freezer to keep it all. This week, we've been testing out party food from four of the big supermarkets, to see how they compare in terms of flavour, presentation and value for money. Here's the results:
READ MORE: 'I spent £14 on the M&S cheese wreath to see if it was worth it'
Marks and Spencer
What I bought
With a 'buy any 4 for 3 across party food' offer on, I bought M&S Collection 10 Mini Beef Wellingtons (£7.50), M&S 10 Chicken Shawarma Parcels (£7.50), M&S Collection 10 Duck Croquettes with Hoisin Dip (£7.50) and M&S 18 Indian Snack Selection (£5.50)
How easy it was to prepare
The packets were clearly labelled to say 'all our party food cooks at 180C', which definitely made life easier and nearly everything I bought cooked in around 15 minutes, so it was easy to get everything ready at the same time. The Mini Beef Wellingtons came on individual pieces on baking paper to stop them from sticking and I prepared everything on two baking trays, so it all felt very effortless.
How it looked and tasted
I do love party food but it can end up all looking a bit beige and sad. So I was pleasantly surprised that this M&S selection came out crisp, golden and having kept it shape. The pastry on the Mini Beef Wellingtons puffed up nicely and the the Duck Croquettes had that rich moreish umami flavour, with the glossy hoisin sauce perfect for dunking and adding sweetness.
I really enjoyed the Chicken Shawarma Parcels and Indian Snack Selection as well, which both had a really good amount of spice to them if you like something with a bit of a kick.
Overall, the food came out piping hot, full of flavour without being too salty, and it wasn't too greasy or stodgy at all either. I enjoyed every item and there was plenty for around three or four people depending on how big your appetites are. If you're serving it with other items, it would even stretch further.
It's not the cheapest party food deal on the market but for the quality of flavour, it's a range I'd buy again.
Best item
The Mini Beef Wellingtons were the star of the show - the pastry came out crisp, puffed up and golden, with a delicious buttery flavour. The diced beef brisket inside, with mushroom duxelle melted in the mouth and it was so moreish I ate three in one go, when I only planned to have one.
Total price: £22.50, which included £5.50 discount as part of the '4 for 3' offer
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy: M&S Food Halls or Ocado
Iceland
What I bought
I absolutely love party food, and often pop to Iceland for mine purely because of its sheer range of options. Iceland always have quirky items on offer, and I particularly like its Greggs range of foods. This time, I bought some Cathedral City Cranberry Bites (£3.50) some Greggs Mini Cheese and Onion Rolls (£3) and some TGI Friday's Sesame Spring Rolls (£4) for my buffet.
How easy it was to prepare
In classic Iceland fashion, all of the buffet items were very easy to prepare. Although some temperatures were 10 degrees or so different for a fan oven, I whacked them all in at 200 degrees for 15 minutes and they turned out absolutely fine. In terms of the packaging, nothing was complicated in the slightest, and all I had to do was empty everything onto a separate baking tray. The Tennessee style sauce had to be defrosted in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to go with the spring rolls, but that was nice and easy.
How it looked and tasted
If I'm being completely honest, the Iceland buffet food range didn't exactly look mesmerising, but that's always sort of expected with beige buffet food. However, the TGI Friday's Sesame Spring Rolls looked like they were straight from a Chinese restaurant and not a supermarket - which was great. The aesthetics of the packaging was bright and colourful with Greggs, TGI Friday's and Cathedral City branding and I couldn't wait to give it all a try.
The highlight for me was by far the Cathedral City Cranberry Bites; although you had to heat up the cranberry sauce separately, the bites alone were enough to satisfy my rumbling stomach. The bites had an incredibly satisfying cheese pull, and although they were quite small, they were very filling.
Surprisingly, the Greggs Mini Cheese and Onion Rolls were the weakest item because they were slightly dry, although they still tasted fairly good with a strong onion taste. The Sesame Spring Rolls were bursting with flavour and the Tennessee style sauce was a great addition as they would've been a bit dry otherwise.
Best item
The best item by far for me was the Cathedral City Cranberry bites, although they were small, they were mighty, and bursting with cheese. Even if you're not a fan of cranberry sauce, the cheese was just as tasty on its own. Let's just say I'll probably be eating these all year round if I can get my hands on them, and not just at Christmas.
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Online or at your nearest Iceland
Morrisons
What I bought
I love party food over the Christmas period and think there's nothing better than enjoying some while watching a Christmas film. I decided to head to Morrisons and picked up two party food items for £3.50 as part of a deal. I opted for the Margherita Pizza Pockets (priced at £2.39 when purchased separately) and a pack of 20 mini cheese and onion rolls (priced at £2.39 when purchased separately).
How easy it was to prepare
One of the bonuses of party food is that it's nice and easy to prepare and is quick to cook. Both items are ready to eat, but I chose to warm it up. I have a fan oven and cooked the pizza pockets for 10 minutes at 200°C. The cheese and onion rolls took eight minutes to cook.
How it looked and tasted
Party food is typically quite beige, so it doesn't look especially eye-catching. However, it all looked delicious and I was excited to tuck in. The cheese and onion rolls tasted great - a particular highlight was the texture of the pastry, which was just right. The pizza pockets also tasted delicious too and were filled with mozzarella and a tasty tomato sauce.
Best item
Both items tasted great, but I especially enjoyed the margarita pizza pockets. The filling was nice and generous and I would definitely eat them again.
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Your local Morrisons store or online
Asda
What I bought
I recently had a girls' night in with some close friends, and got a little carried away when shopping for snacks and sweet treats. With this week's review in mind, I also included a bag of 36 chilli cheese bites (£3.25), a bag of breaded garlic mushrooms (£1.50) and 12 mini pizzas (£4) among the rest of my shopping.
How easy it was to prepare
Everything I bought could be prepared in the oven, so it was all incredibly simple and easy to prepare. I just popped the items on some baking trays, shoved them in the oven and set a timer. Easy peasy.
My oven is slightly psychotic so I always have to halve any time suggestions for oven food, which I did with these to get them just right. If you have a normally functioning oven then these items are so simple, you'll be able to indulge in a Snowball while you're waiting.
How it looked and tasted
The items were bought with a beige buffet in mind so they, naturally, all looked relatively beige. The mini pizzas added a little splash of colour with hints of marinara sauce peeking through, but the rest was definitely 50 shades of beige.
Everything tasted pretty darn special, though. The chilli cheese bites were particularly delicious, with the perfect combination of cheese and warming spice. I'm not the most tolerant of spicy foods, but the cheese to chilli ratio was spot on.
The garlic mushrooms were a let down though, they didn't really taste of anything. The breadcrumb crust was bland and lacking in seasoning, while the mushrooms had nothing to offer but a thick, rubbery texture. I will not be buying them again.
The best item
For me, it was easily the chilli cheese bites. There were 36 in the bag and despite buying them in for a girls' night in with several friends, it was definitely me that ate the majority. They're light yet decadent, creamy yet spicy, and incredibly moreish. I'll absolutely be buying them again.
Rating: 4/5 (though this is only for the chilli cheese bites and mini pizzas)
Where to buy: Your local Asda store and online
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