Pigs in blankets are a staple for a meat-eater's Christmas Day dinner. But as, for many, they are probably only eaten with their meal one day a year, just how do you know you're picking the best version of this traditional fayre? One woman tested seven supermarket brand pigs in blankets pre-festivities and claims that there is only one that is worthy of a place on your Christmas plate.
Taking on the challenge was a reporter at Nottinghamshire Live's sister publication, Manchester Evening News (MEN). Bethan Shufflebotham took one for the team and bought a grand total of 84 pigs in blankets - cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon - so that readers could enjoy the perfect plate on December 25. Stocking up with packs of 12 standard pigs in blankets, Bethan got to work on finding the best.
On test were a variety of brands in the middle range, so there were no Extra Special or Taste the Difference varieties, and no Just Essentials either. Seven supermarkets came under scrutiny including M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.
Rated according to price, packaging, appearance and taste, the ultimate pigs in blankets were sought. Here are the results.
Findings based on weight and price
Price, especially during a cost of living crisis, is an essential consideration and according to the MEN reporter, there’s a whopping £2.26 difference between the cheapest and most expensive tested. Aldi and Lidl come in at £1.99, while Marks and Spencer’s product retails at £4.25 pack - each pack contained 12 bacon-wrapped sausages.
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Morrisons costed their packs of 12 at £2.25, while Asda’s were £2.40 and Tesco 10p more at £2.50. Sainsbury’s were the second most expensive at £3 per pack - but it makes sense, since they’re one of the heaviest too, coming in at 260g. M&S were heaviest at 282g, while Asda, Lidl and Aldi all weighed 222g, Tesco at 228g, with Morrisons coming in smallest at 210g.
Here are the sausages in order of price per 100g
Lidl and Aldi 89p per 100g
Morrisons £1.07 per 100g
Asda £1.08 per 100g
Tesco £1.09 per 100g
Sainsbury’s £1.15 per 100g
M&S £1.50 per 100g
How did they look? Packaging and appearance
Bethan said: "When it comes to packaging design, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons win for me, complete with proper party packaging - not just ‘red with a bit of glitter’ like most of the others". She added: "M&S had some of the most boring packaging, with a barely noticeable holly illustration being the only remotely festive thing about it - but Tesco’s was by far the bleakest."
Packaging in order of festiveness:
Sainsbury’s
Morrisons
Asda
Aldi
Lidl
M&S
Tesco
Bethan added: "I considered which looked the best before cooking, and it was safe to say M&S chunky looking sausages won that one, appearing to have the most bacon. Tesco’s looked tiny in comparison, while Morrisons just looked a bit messy really, having to re-wrap some of the pigs before I could even put them in the oven."
Now the essential - taste
"I cooked two of each sausage to provide a blind taste test for my family, who would go on to try half a sausage from each supermarket. After being in the oven on Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes, they looked ready to eat - but some looked more appealing than others.
"Post-roast, it was Lidl’s that looked the best, with crispy bacon and a well-coloured meat - but, upon eating, the meat was quite gristly with quite an earthy flavour. Similarly, Aldi’s didn’t pack much flavour, with the streaky bacon being quite fatty. This means shoppers would do better to spend a little extra on their pigs in blankets, with both budget options failing the taste test for all four people.
"With a rating falling in the middle was Tesco, with quite a salty flavour due to the abundance of bacon, while Morrisons previously messy pigs in blankets looked rather appealing, but lacked in flavour. Asda’s offering was quite ‘bratwurst-y’, with a consistent texture without gristle - leaving Sainsbury’s or M&S to take the crown for the best pigs in blankets for 2022.
"M&S’s pigs in blankets lost points for bacon shrinkage, no longer actually blanketing the sausage, but clinging on to it for dear life. It appears that although the thought of a thicker sausage might seem like a good idea, the end result just isn’t as satisfying. For me, it was Sainsbury’s who brought home the bacon with a herby sausage that tasted like effort had been made to put these together. They were richer than cheaper offerings, with the perfect bacon to sausage ratio."
In conclusion, our heroic taste tester said: "It seems you really do get what you pay for with pigs in blankets - but M&S’s are, in my opinion, a bit overpriced. Sainsbury’s £3 option (which is also gluten free) was my winner and well worth the money."
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