The best premade roast potatoes in the UK are revealed in Which? taste test – so, did YOUR favourite triumph?
- Consumer giants Which? taste-tested 8 frozen tatties, and Aldi’s came out on top
- READ MORE: Revealed: The four Christmas decorating styles set to take over the festive season – from bold rainbow colours to the wholesome Christmas Cottagecore
A Which? taste test series has revealed the best roast potatoes money can buy in British supermarket aisles.
Roast potatoes are one of the stars of the show when it comes to Christmas dinner, but with factors such as crispiness and colour to take into consideration, they can be a tricky component to master.
So, it’s no surprise that many cooks choose to buy them premade from the frozen aisle. But do you need to pay premium price for the perfect roast potatoes this Christmas?
Consumer giants Which? blind taste-tested eight frozen offerings at varying prices from leading supermarkets and big brands to see which was the tastiest treat was to go with your turkey.
Aldi’s beef dripping roast potatoes achieved the title of ‘Best Buy’ and also a ‘Great Value’ status
The taste test series took to a consumer panel of 76 people, who each compared a variety of frozen roast potatoes on offer that require minimal preparation.
The consumers, who each regularly buy and consume frozen roast potatoes, rated the taste, texture, appearance, and aroma of each one.
Achieving the top title of ‘Best Buy’ was Aldi’s roasties – at £2.49 per kg – which were praised for being the most budget-friendly option in Which?’s test and achieved Great Value status.
A three-way tie for the best frozen roast potatoes, saw Aldi’s at £2.49 for 1kg, Aunt Bessie’s at £4.40 for 700g, and Waitrose at £3.40 for 1kg all come out on top with an impressive score of 72 per cent.
The potatoes were widely praised for their delicious flavour, golden colour, and crispy texture.
Meanwhile, McCain Frozen Roast Potatoes failed to impress the panel, and were ranked lowest, with a score of just 46 per cent.
More than two-thirds of the panel felt they lacked flavour and three-quarters wanted a crispier outside. They scored worse than all the other potatoes for looks, aroma, flavour, and texture.
At £3.40 for 1 kg, Waitrose’ beef fat roast potatoes came out joint top with an impressive score of 72%
Aunt Bessie’s ‘crispy and fluffy’ roast potatoes impressed the panel, and came joint top with a score of 72%
At £0.93 per kg, Asda’s roast potatoes are on the cheaper side, but still impressed reviewers and achieved 66%
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services said: ‘For many, Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without a generous serving of roast potatoes, but achieving that piping-hot perfection can often mean more time spent cooking than with loved ones.
Revealed: The best premade supermarket roast potatoes according to Which? taste testers
- Aldi – 72% – £2.49 per kg
- Waitrose – 72% – £3.40 per kg
- Aunt Bessie’s – 72% -£4.40 per kg
- Morrison’s – 70% – £0.95 per kg
- Tesco – 67% – £0.95 per kg
- Asda – 66% – £0.93 per kg
- Sainsbury’s – 63% – £1.67 per kg
- McCain’s – 46% – £2.79 per kg
‘To keep things quick and easy, we tested a variety of frozen alternatives on offer by big brands and supermarkets that require next to no preparation and can even be cooked in an air-fryer.
‘While Aunt Bessie’s, Waitrose and Aldi proved equally popular among our taste-testing panel for crispiness and flavour, it may come as a surprise to find that Aldi’s Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes also achieved Great Value status for being the cheapest on test.’
Elsewhere, Morrisons (70%), Tesco (67%), and Asda (66%) performed reasonably well, while Sainsbury’s (63%) roast potatoes were less favoured.
It comes after a simple roast dinner has sent foodies into a spin – with the easy recipe needing only 10 minutes of prep time.
Queensland mother Lyn swears by the slow cooker meal, and revealed that she makes it at least once a week when she’s craving a hearty dinner.
The meal requires butter, a potato, a piece of pumpkin, an onion, three cloves of garlic, two chicken legs, and some tinned Gravox to recreate – and it takes three hours in a 1.5l slow cooker.
Lyn also recommends preparing some greens on the side to enjoy with your dinner.
The home chef has been living in a caravan for the last 18 months and only has access to a slow cooker and a microwave, but her favourite chicken dinner hasn’t made her feel like she’s missing out on anything.
At £0.95 per kg, Tesco’s vegan roast potatoes proved to be tasty with a reasonable score of 67%
Coming in near the top was Morrison’s vegan roast tatties, with an impressive score of 70%, despite only being £0.95 per kg
Sainsbury’s scored near the bottom of the rankings with a rating of 63%. These potatoes will set customers back £1.67 per kg
In last place was McCain’s with a score of 46%. More than two-thirds of the panel felt they lacked flavour and three-quarters wanted a crispier outside
‘This is my little roast dinner for one,’ the mother captioned a delicious photo of her dinner.
The method is simple, Lyn halved a potato, cut a piece of pumpkin, peeled an onion, and threw some garlic cloves into her slow cooker along with two chicken legs.
She the cooked the meal on high for three hours while she performed other errands and tasks.
The mother said that while the potatoes turn out slightly soggy, the vegetable tastes delicious and contains several ‘crispy spots’ on the surface.
Lyn usually adds a big of Gravox and cold water to the juices to make a thick gravy she drizzles over her meal.
Many other home chefs were in awe of Lyn’s roast dinner. ‘That looks amazing and seems so easy to make, I’m definitely going to try the recipe,’ a woman said.
‘I’m drooling, I love roast chicken,’ another added. ‘Perfect use of the 1.5l slow cooker,’ a third observed. ‘I made chicken vegetable soup tonight… so yum!’
Source: Read Full Article
