MOST of us love a pig in blankets at Christmas… but which ones are the best value for money?
The Sun has tested the traditional treats from major supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl– and compared them with ones from posh supermarket Waitrose.
This year, for the first time, we’ve also included Amazon’s new “by Amazon” range in the tests.
We cooked the pigs in blankets according to their packet instructions and gave them a score out of ten for taste.
We also rated them out of ten for value, based on their price per 100g.
Here’s how the pigs in blankets scored out of 20 overall:
Tesco Pigs in Blankets, £2.50 for 12, 222g
We were pleased to see Tesco has brought back its standard fresh pigs in blankets this year, which were about mid-range in price, at £1.13 per 100g.
These were decent cocktail sausages which came wrapped in a smoky, crispy bacon. Although they were a bit salty, they were very moreish.
For half the price of the Waitrose version, these would be perfect for a festive feast.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Total: 15/20
Waitrose Pigs in Blankets, £5.25 for 12, 252g
We were expecting Waitrose’s pigs in blankets to be top-notch, as they were more than twice the price of other supermarket brands – but we weren’t hugely impressed.
The meat looked pink and pale, which wasn’t appetising. And the sausage had a mushy texture and tasted unusually sweet. Although the bacon was thick and meaty, it tasted more like gammon than traditional crispy bacon.
We didn’t think these were worth the extra cost.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 4/10
- Total: 10/20
Asda Pigs in Blankets, £2.40 for 12, 222g
The Asda pigs in blankets were disappointing. The sausage was mushy and very cheap tasting, while the bacon was tasteless – and left a greasy feeling in the mouth after eating.
These were some of the cheaper ones we tried, at £1.08 per 100g, but it would be worth spending a few pennies more on another supermarket version.
- Taste: 3/10
- Value: 6/10
- Total: 9/20
Morrisons Pigs in Blankets, £2.75 for 12, 210g
These Morrisons pigs in blankets crisped up nicely in the oven and had a decent texture but didn’t have a strong taste. Both the sausage and bacon tasted similar – it was hard to tell the difference between them – so the whole thing was quite bland. It was also very salty.
We also weren’t impressed by how little meat you get for your money. This was the smallest version we tried, with a pack size of just 210g. It cost more as a result, at £1.31 per 100g.
- Taste: 5/10
- Value: 5/10
- Total: 10/20
Sainsbury’s Pigs in Blankets, £3.25 for 12, 260g
These pigs in blankets from Sainsbury’s were one of the best ones we tasted. The sausage had a herby, sage taste, just like traditional sausage. And the bacon was very thin so crisped up nicely – although it also burnt easily.
At £1.25 per 100g, these were cheaper than fancier brands but just as good.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Total: 12/20
Aldi Ashfields Pigs in Blankets, £1.99 for 12, 222g
Aldi’s pigs in blankets looked a bit odd as the sausages were long and thin, with a small bit of bacon wrapped around the middle like a napkin ring.
The bacon was crispy and had a rich, smoky bacon taste – but unfortunately, the sausage was bland and lacking in seasoning.
At just 90p per 100g, these were the cheapest fresh pigs in blankets we tried. They weren’t amazing but they were pretty good for the price.
- Taste: 4/10
- Value: 8/10
- Total: 12/20
Lidl Party Time Pigs in Blankets, £1.99 for 12, 240g (frozen)
This year, Lidl hasn’t yet released any standard range fresh pigs in blankets – so we tested its frozen Party Time version. Although these were the cheapest we tried, at just 83p per 100g, they were disappointing.
The bacon was unpeeled from the sausages during cooking, so they fell apart. The bacon tasted a bit like plastic, while the sausages were bland and cardboard-like in taste. We wouldn’t recommend these.
- Taste: 3/10
- Value: 7/10
- Total: 10/20
By Amazon Pigs in Blankets, £4 for 12, 252g
Amazon’s pigs in blankets had really great sausages, which were packed with meaty flavour and traditional herbs like sage.
But the bacon was a disappointment – we could barely taste it, so it acted more like a crispy skin on the sausage than an extra layer of taste.
These were also more expensive than the supermarket brands, at £1.59 per 100g.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Total: 12/20
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