CHRISTMAS pudding is a staple of the big day for many, with the supermarkets serving up a bevy of microwavable, rich and dense desserts.
So which is best?
We asked Lynsey Hope to try the supermarket offerings, with ratings out of ten.
Scrummy Christmas Pudding (400g) Asda, £2.25 – 5/10
AFTER cooking this in the microwave for three minutes, it had zero aroma and was much lighter in colour than all the others I tried.
It contained a lot less fruit and the overwhelming taste was of cider and brandy.
I found it stodgy and bits kept getting stuck on my tongue.
It was more like a cake than a pudding.
I wouldn’t expect it to be slimming but just one quarter of this pud contains a whopping 326 calories and 45g of sugar.
Holly Lane 6 Month Matured (400g) Aldi, £1.85 – 8/10
FULL of flavour with a lovely texture, it only took two and a half minutes to cook in the microwave.
It contains 36 per cent sultanas, cider, rum and sherry.
It gave off a lovely aroma as the microwave pinged and I liked that it was very fruity.
I reckon it would serve about eight people.
For the price this is a bargain, and very moreish.
It’s Christmas in a pudding.
No 1 Christmas Pudding (400g) Waitrose, £7 – 7/10
THIS is dome-shaped rather than having the square top and it had a lovely attractive sheen.
It looked so appetising that I couldn’t wait to dig it.
You can steam for an hour, or microwave for two and a half minutes.
It’s made with plump vine fruits, cream, pecan nuts and a generous splash of Cognac, which gave it a rich and creamy flavour.
It’s juicy and light and not sickly at all and has a bit of a sweet marmalade flavour, which I loved.
The only downside is the price.
Deluxe 9-Month Matured (400g) Lidl, £3.79 – 10/10
A FIRST-class pudding here from Lidl – and my pick of the bunch.
It’s filled with juicy vine fruits, crunchy almonds and walnuts and laced with generous amounts of Cognac and sherry, giving it a rich and full taste.
It’s not as cheap as some but it’s worth that bit more, and you’d think it was from a high-end retailer.
This is a quality product at a brilliant price – a real winner for Christmas Day.
Christmas Pudding (400g), Tesco £2.40 – 5/10
A BIT disappointed with this.
First of all, after heating in the microwave for two and a half minutes I tried to tip it out and it looked like a crumbly mess.
I wouldn’t really want to serve this up on the big day.
You can’t really taste the spices at all and it doesn’t contain any nuts, which I’d expect in a Xmas pud to bring out the flavour.
The booziness was nice.
It’s a good price but there are cheaper ones out there which are better.
Rich Fruit Pudding (400g) Morrisons, £2 – 9/10
LOVED this one – for £2 it’s a great choice.
It has a lovely flavour and texture.
It was very moist, packed with fruit – much more than some of the others – and it went down a treat.
I finished this and will definitely buy another before Christmas day.
6 Month Matured Pudding (400g) Sainsbury’s, £3 – 4/10
I’M a big fan of Sainsbury’s products but sadly, not this.
It was a bit dry and didn’t contain as much fruit as I’d hoped.
I would have liked to see some cherries and almonds.
It was more expensive than many of the other supermarkets and I didn’t think it was worth the extra pennies.
Not my pick for the big day.
12 Month Matured (907g) M&S, £12 – 8/10
I WAS excited to try this pud from M&S.
It’s pricey but more than twice the size of all the others we tried so it’s still quite good value.
It was very fruity, boozy and nutty, delicious really, but I’m being really picky I found some of the nuts too big and the texture a bit grainy.
It did feel like quite a treat to have this from Marks’ though, which is after all the point of Christmas!
I would buy it again.
