Budget buys win Good Housekeeping Christmas taste test! Aldi beats posh rivals to be crowned overall winner - as best party food, puddings and turkey are revealed

In the bleak midwinter, the pricey prospect of the festive season can lead many British households to start tightening their belts.

However, a new taste test survey suggests families on a budget can still enjoy a particularly cracking Christmas this year.

Cheaper turkey and trimmings do not necessarily mean a dip in quality and flavour, according to an annual study from the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI).

Products from the likes of budget retailers Aldi and Lidl impressed judges, who blind taste tested 664 entries across categories including Christmas centrepieces, sides, party food, desserts and drinks.

Aldi came out on top as the highest scoring supermarket overall, with 13 first and second-place results. Its wins included best pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, mince pies, stollen and whole turkey.

Meanwhile, when it comes to bang for your buck, Lidl led the way in testing, claiming 11 Best Value accolades, with highlights including prosecco, flavoured salmon, roast potatoes, meat free mains, and yule logs. 

Other standout products included Edenmoor's Festive Sausage Roll Wreath, which achieved the highest score of the entire taste test with an exceptional 94/100. 

Waitrose also impressed, with its Polar Bear Bao Buns the highest-scoring supermarket product after receiving 92/100 from the judging panel.

Read on to discover all the best festive food you can get this Christmas... 

Christmas dinner and savoury favourites

Aldi's Specially Selected Double Wrapped Pigs in Blankets retained its title for a second year, scoring 88/100, while Tesco's Finest Roast Potatoes with Confit Garlic (84/100) impressed the testing panel. 

In the all-important turkey categories, Aldi's Specially Selected Roly Poly Whole Turkey was awarded best 'Whole Turkey', scoring 82/100, and Tesco's Finest Bronze Turkey Crown with Pork, Cranberry & Chestnut Stuffing topped the crown category with 84/100.

For those looking for alternative centrepieces, Waitrose took the top-spot with its Slow Cooked Free-Range Clementine & Maple Gammon (85/100). 

Meanwhile, COOK's Brie, Portobello Mushroom & Caramelised Onion Wreath was the meat-free main winner (79/100).

Puddings and festive bakes

When it comes to desserts, Aldi's Specially Selected 24-Month Matured Christmas Pudding was the standout entry in the Classic Pudding category (85/100). 

Morrisons took the flavoured pudding title with The Best Limoncello & Clementine Christmas Pudding (78/100).

Meanwhile, Aldi's Specially Selected All Butter Mince Pies (86/100) and Specially Selected Luxury Topped Stollen (82/100) were both named the winner in their respective categories.

Bettys' Soft Iced Christmas Cake was the highest-scoring Christmas cake (85/100), while Tesco won the flavoured panettone category with its Finest Toffee Apple Panettone (88/100).

Morrisons' The Best Classic Panettone also scored 88/100 to take the classic title, while Co-op and Waitrose tied for the Trifles win.

Drinks

Exceptional by Asda Prosecco Brut was the top Prosecco, scoring 87/100, and Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Champagne Brut NV proved to be the best champagne with a score of 83/100. 

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Discovery XO Cognac was named best Brandy (84/100).

The best Christmas Red Wine can be found at Asda and Aldi, both scoring 89/100, while Sainsbury's and Waitrose couldn't be beaten when it came to the best Christmas White Wine, also with 89/100 each.

Party food and starters

Edenmoor's Festive Sausage Roll Wreath was the highest-scoring product from all 664 entries tested in this year's GHI Christmas taste test, with a score of 94/100. 

Waitrose's Homemade Polar Bear Bao Buns were the best supermarket entry for Picky Bits, scoring 92/100.

For those looking for the best seafood platters this festive season, Sainsbury's Ultimate Luxury Seafood Platter scored highest with 84/100.

Hundreds of products went through extensive testing by GHI experts and Good Housekeeping VIP members over the past five months. 

Over 500 individual mince pies were consumed, 261 pigs in blankets and over 70kg of turkey roasted, all served to over 230 consumer testers at the GHI tasting facility in west London.

Stacey Smith, Senior Food & Drink Editor at the GHI said: 'The Christmas Taste Test is one of the highlights of our testing calendar, giving us the opportunity to discover the very best festive food and drink products on the market. 

'This year, our experts and Good Housekeeping VIP members blind tasted 664 entries, judging everything from traditional turkey and fun party food to mince pies and festive drinks. 

'The winning products reflect the exceptional quality and variety available, helping shoppers shop with confidence and make every part of the festive season feel that little bit more special.'

The full results of the GHI 2026 Christmas taste test are available on the Good Housekeeping website.