00:01Aldi has been crowned the overall winner this year, while Lidl has taken the best value title.
00:06What's the difference between those two awards?
00:09The overall winner, we calculate by how many times they've appeared in the top spots in each of our categories.
00:18We tested about 36 categories this year, again, including all those things from your turkeys, your mince pies, your Christmas
00:26puddings.
00:26And Aldi came in the top spots throughout most of those for all of our supermarkets, whereas Lidl became top
00:35spot in value specifically,
00:37which is where we're looking at the highest scoring product, which is the best value for money.
00:43So where you're getting the most of what you're buying for the best price.
00:46With so many households watching what they spend, what does this year's testing tell us about getting good quality Christmas
00:52food without paying more than we need to?
00:54So that is, interestingly, one of the biggest trends we've seen this year for us is a sort of return
01:03to the classics done really well.
01:06That we see both the brands and supermarkets, but also what our consumers are looking for is very traditional Christmas
01:16items done with that extra bit of quality.
01:21Were there any traditional Christmas favourites that either impressed you this year or that didn't quite live up to the
01:27expectations?
01:29Yes. So if you're looking for an alternative to a turkey, maybe it's not quite your thing.
01:37We still have plenty of amazing other Christmas centrepieces we've tested.
01:42And we tested an amazing clementine and maple gammon from Waitrose this year.
01:50It was our winning alternative meat centrepiece.
01:52And I just loved that return to, I love a roast ham.
01:57And that sort of clementine feels that little bit extra special and sweet and festive flavour.
02:04Aldi came out top overall with seven category wins, including whole turkey, pigs in blankets, mince pies and Christmas pudding.
02:13Tesco took the crown for its turkey crown with pork, cranberry and chestnut stuffing, scoring 84 out of 100, while
02:20Aldi's whole turkey scored 82.
02:22For shoppers looking to keep costs down, Lidl was named best value across 11 categories, including roast potatoes, meat-free
02:30mains and Prosecco.
02:31There are plenty of ways to balance the cost of the main event with the extras that make the meal,
02:36from choosing a supermarket-owned brand centrepiece to comparing the price of sides and desserts.
02:41And spending more doesn't automatically guarantee a better result, with the taste test highlighting products across a range of price
02:48points.
02:48The trick is to compare individual items and spend where quality matters most to you,
02:54rather than assuming you need to pay premium prices for the whole meal.
02:57And what did you make of the meat-free Christmas options this year?
03:00Is there enough choice now for people who don't want that traditional turkey dinner?
03:04I think there were some really delicious options we tried this year.
03:08It's been interesting to see a sort of growing trend away from the sort of fake meat kind of product,
03:15but we've seen a little bit of a diver away from a fake turkey substitute.
03:22And instead getting these beautiful pies or wreaths, pastries, bakes, that sort of thing.
03:29Our winner being a lovely one from Cook, which is brie and mushrooms,
03:34and was just not just a delicious tasting one,
03:40but it actually looks like a beautiful centrepiece that you'd want on your roast dinner table as well.
03:47If someone's trying to keep their Christmas dinner budget under control,
03:51where would you suggest they spend a little more and where could they save some money?
03:54It really depends on what your priorities are, I think, and what your Christmas looks like.
04:01One of the big bits of research we've had back this year is that
04:06people's Christmases aren't necessarily looking the same as they used to
04:11in terms of where you might be spending them.
04:14We know a lot more of our readers are, say, driving.
04:19They're maybe spending the morning with one part of the family
04:22and the afternoon or evening with another part of the family.
04:26If you're the one cooking at home, then maybe you're more interested
04:30in getting a high quality but good value turkey itself.
04:34Whereas maybe if you're one of the guests coming,
04:37there's plenty of desserts we've tried this year
04:41that are not only really delicious and really good value
04:45but also come in packaging and a way that's very easy to transport
04:50if you're the guest coming to, say, your grandparents' house or something.
04:55And so, a good Christmas dinner doesn't have to cost you a fortune.
05:00From the turkey and the trimmings to the festive pud,
05:03choosing the right products can help keep costs down
05:06without compromising on quality.
05:08So you can still serve up a meal the whole family will enjoy.
