I tried all the supermarket pains au chocolat – winner cost just 45p each and was FULL of yummy choccie

Scottish Sun

06-05-2025

Which are best to eat on the go?
NO PAIN, NO GAIN I tried all the supermarket pains au chocolat – winner cost just 45p each and was FULL of yummy choccie
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OOH la la.
When it comes to pastries, it seems many people are opting for a taste of France, as pains au chocolat fly off the shelves in supermarkets.
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Laura Stott has tested all the supermarket pains au chocolat
Credit: Damien McFadden
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Pains au chocolat are flying off the shelves in supermarkets
Credit: Getty
Buttery, flaking and traditionally filled with two tunnels of dark cocoa, chocolate croissants have enjoyed an eight per cent rise in sales.
But whether you enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, or simply with a cup of coffee as a treat, which own-brand versions give you the best taste for your dough?
Laura Stott tastes a selection and rates them.
Pains Au Chocolat (4) Morrisons, £1.80 (45p each)
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These are so good you might even fool yourself that you bought them at a bakery in France
Credit: Damien McFadden
AN all-butter packet of pains au choc for this price means you are getting super quality for your money – and they did not disappoint on flavour.
The high-grade ingredients are similar to those in costlier packets.
Made in the traditional French style, these pastries look inviting, with thick wodges of dark chocolate running through the middle that ooze out of each end.
The outer layers are lovely, flaky and dark golden.
The dough crumbles as you bite in to enjoy the rich and yummy taste.
There is loads of choccie in every mouthful, which is incredibly satisfying.
Trying the largest and most expensive pain au chocolat in Paris
Good warmed up, or tasty munched cold.
You might even fool yourself that you bought them at a bakery in France.
Rating: 5/5
Pains Au Chocolat (6) Sainsbury's, £1.60 (27p each)
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These are individually wrapped, which makes them ideal for eating on the go
Credit: Damien McFadden
THE pastries in this multi-pack are individually wrapped, which makes them ideal for popping into bags to eat on the go.
Enjoy them for brekkie on your commute or just saving a bit of cash when you pop out for coffee.
The flavour is good, especially for the price.
Made with proper butter and 14 per cent chocolate, they looked a bit squashed and sad but tasted better than I expected.
The pastry is quite dense and very filling owing to a heavier texture.
But it's not too stodgy, and on the plus side this did make them more substantial.
A nice soft dough means these also tasted good even when eaten cold.
Ideal for tucking into with a cup of coffee while sitting in the sunshine.
Rating: 3/5
Finest Pains Au Chocolat (4) Tesco, £2.40 (60p each)
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These treats from Tesco have the best dark chocolate inside
Credit: Damien McFadden
TRES bon, Tesco.
These tasty treats had the best dark chocolate inside of all those I tried.
With 18 per cent per pastry, it's a decadent and delicious dark filling that would be good enough to eat on its own if it came as a bar.
Encase it in crumbling, flaky, all-butter pastry and it tastes even better.
Nice, fluffy dough with lots of pastry layers and not dry at all.
These are so moist and rich they taste fine if munched straight from the packet.
But I'd still warm them for a few minutes in the oven or air fryer to get the gorgeous aroma and golden crispiness.
Very generous pastries.
Divine with a cup of coffee, and the perfect way to start a lazy weekend.
Rating: 4/5
Bon Appetit Pains Au Chocolat (8) Aldi, £1.49 (19p each)
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The chocolate is very good in these considering what great value for money they are
Credit: Damien McFadden
THE packet says these were baked in France – and while they might have lost a bit of their je ne sais quoi on the journey across the Channel, they don't taste bad at all for a supermarket effort.
The chocolate is very good, considering what great value for money they offer with eight per pack.
You get 12 per cent cocoa, which has an intense flavour.
The two smooth runs of dark choc are evenly distributed through each croissant, so there is plenty to keep you happy.
Lovely once warmed up, and the aroma is very appetising.
The pastry, while golden and crumbly, tasted extremely sweet, and there is no butter listed in the ingredients, which does affect the texture.
Rather oily when heated, too.
Perfect for snacking, or as an anytime treat, and super value for money.
Rating: 4/5
Pains Au Chocolat (4) M&S or ocado.com, £3 (75p each)
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Marks and Spencers' offering are the biggest but also the priciest
Credit: Damien McFadden
WITH only four in the packet, they might be a bit pricier per croissant.
But these are absolute whoppers, easily the biggest and bounciest pastries of those I tried.
They are delicious, made with all-butter pastry that gives them a flaking, rich outer.
It crumbles all over your chin when you bite in.
The genuine French dark chocolate inside is top notch.
It is thick and chunky and there is plenty of it packed into the middle, so you get the taste on every bite and don't feel short-changed.
Warm these up and they taste so good you could have bought them from a Paris boulangerie. A shame they are so expensive.
Rating: 3/5
Rowan Hill Pains Au Chocolat (8) Lidl, £1.29 (16p each)
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These are cheap but you don't get much for your money
Credit: Damien McFadden
WHILE unbeatable on price, these were not the most enjoyable pastries I tried.
The ingredients say each one contains 12 per cent chocolate, but the filling seems very mean.
You do get two strips layered though the pastry but these were very thin.
I found the pastry dry, chewy and unpleasantly soft, with an odd vanilla scent and flavour.
Tasted more like a soft bread roll than a traditional French treat.
They are a bargain, and being individually wrapped makes them useful for a grab-and-go eat.
But I'd rather spend a few pence more for a better pain, or just have a piece of chocolate with my cuppa.
Rating: 1/5
Bakery Pains Au Chocolat (4) Co-Op, £2.35 (59p each)
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Co-op's offerings are better eaten warmed up
Credit: Damien McFadden
THESE are somewhat smaller croissants and their ratios overall seem rather unbalanced.
Despite being more compact, they were generous on the chocolate filling, with double portions of tasty cocoa that's bitter and authentically French tasting, not overly sweet.
Very thick pieces, too, which were satisfying to scoff.
The chocolate adds good moisture to the pastry, which is needed as, despite containing 17 per cent butter, the dough outers were pale and tasted rather dry.
Also, the bottoms were thick and bread-like.
Better once warmed up but be careful not to burn your mouth as there's so much liquid filling inside they get oozy.
Rating: 2/5
Bakery Pains Au Chocolat (8) Asda, £1.98 (25p each)
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These have a nice hint of sweetness that's not overdone
Credit: Damien McFadden
SUPER value for money, and the pains au choc in this packet looked and smelled deliciously fresh.
Like the Sainsbury's croissants, these offerings from Asda have a denser-tasting pastry outer, probably due to the inclusion of some rye flour, which also gives them a darker colour.
Made with butter so they taste nice and rich, this also gives the flakes a lovely softness when you bite in, which I really enjoyed.
A nice hint of sweetness that's not overdone. Lovely chocolate, and plenty of it.
A little flat to look at and not the biggest pains on the block, but they puffed up beautifully in the oven, so you don't feel disappointed.
Very tasty and a super price. Would pair well with a hot chocolate.
Rating: 4/5
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