Two supermarket own-brand roast potatoes crowned better than Aunt Bessie’s in blind taste test – it’s not Tesco or Asda
Date: 2024-11-01
TWO supermarkets’ own-brand roast spuds have beaten Aunt Bessie’s taters to top spot in a blind taste test.
The group of shoppers put together by consumer group Which? crowned the two retailers’ roasties winners of the test.
In joint fourth alongside Morrisons’ spuds were Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Maris Piper Roast Potatoes with Beef Dripping and Tesco‘s Finest Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes, scoring 71%.
Shoppers’ were keen on the Sainsbury’s bag, which cost 30p per 100g and £2.95 for a kilo, but almost half of the taste testers wanted a stronger flavour.
Tesco’s spuds were branded a good all-rounder with more than half enjoying their flavour and crispy outsides.
The pack came in at £3 for a bag of 800g, or 38p per 100g.
Then followed Co-op‘s Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes, Waitrose‘s Frozen Roast Potatoes in Beef Fat and Asda’s Extra Special Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes.
The packs cost 45p, 34p and 34p per 100g respectively.
Bottom of the pack were McCain’s Triple Cooked frozen roasties which came in at £3 for a bag of 700g – 43p per 100g.
Shoppers said the spuds were too pale and weak in flavour, with over 40% saying they lacked crunch too.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Roast potatoes are a staple for a Christmas dinner but can often be time consuming to make from scratch while juggling other things.
“We tested a variety of frozen alternatives on offer from big brands and supermarkets that require next to no preparation and are the perfect cooking hack – saving precious time in the kitchen.
“Aldi’s Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes and M&S’ Maris Piper Roast Potatoes proved to be the most popular among our taste-testing panel for their fluffy interior and crispy outsides, both receiving a Best Buy award.
“Aldi’s offering also received a Great Value award as it was the cheapest on test, costing almost £2 less than Aunt Bessie’s offering.
“This highlights that you don’t necessarily need to splash out on the big brands for a great tasting frozen roast potato.”
It’s worth bearing in mind, the prices included in Which?’s taste test were correct as of October 24.
That means you might have to pay more or less when you come to buying one of the bags as supermarkets change prices on products regularly, sometimes daily.
It’s worth using a price comparison site like trolley.co.uk which compares prices on thousands of products.
The frozen roasted potatoes blind taste test is not the first Which? has carried out in recent months.
