The best supermarket BBQ food revealed in blind taste test including burgers and bangers
THE best supermarket BBQ food has been revealed in a blind taste test.
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A panel of experts blind-tasted more than 140 products submitted by 12 UK supermarkets across 16 categories.
All packaging is removed and the products are prepared by a home economist according to packet instructions.
This is to ensure the judging is fair and unbiased.
Bargain retailer Aldi won three awards, scooping best vegan sausages, BBQ meat hero, and best sharing bread.
Its Specially Selected Ultimate No-Pork Sausages, were crowned the best on the market and cost £2.49.
Lidl also came out on top after its antipasti platter, vegan burger, sausage rolls and quiche won were crowned the best in each category.
The German discounter and the Co-op both won four awards, the most compared to any other supermarket.
The member owned supermarket was a favourite for brioche buns, coleslaw and vegetarian picnic pastry.
Tesco was crowned the tastiest store to pick up sausages, with its Fire Pit 7 Jumbo Cheesy BBQ Pork trumping other contenders.
The UK's biggest supermarket and Sainsbury's were named joint winners for the best place to pick up burgers.
I have the easiest and safest way to clean your BBQ grill - after a few wipes, it will be ready to cook again
Meanwhile posh retailer Waitrose scooped the best award for hummus, while veggie burgers.
Lulu Grimes, managing editor of Good Food, said: 'It's fantastic to see so much variety and quality in this year's entries from all the supermarkets.
"The winning products really reflect the way people want to eat over the summer – with bold, punchy flavours and time-saving options, so you can spend more time outside enjoying the sunshine.'
Full list of taste test winners
Best Sausages
Tesco Fire Pit 7 Jumbo Cheesy BBQ Pork Sausages (£4.75/595g)
Best Vegan Sausages
Aldi Specially Selected Ultimate No-Pork Sausages (£2.49/270g)
Best Burger Buns
Co-op Irresistible Soft & Buttery Brioche Buns (£1.95/4 pack)
Best Burgers (Joint Winners)
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Dry Aged Aberdeen Angus Burgers (£4.25/pack of 2)
Tesco Finest Wild Garlic Beef Burgers (£4.50/pack of 2)
Best Veggie Burgers
Waitrose Vegetarian Aubergine & Feta Burgers (£2.95/pack of 2)
Best Vegan Burgers
Lidl Vemondo Vegan Burgers (£1.89/250g)
Best Meat or Fish Kebab
Morrisons The Best Tandoori Chicken King Kebab
Best BBQ Hero for Entertaining (Meat or Fish)
Aldi Specially Selected Coronation Chicken King Kebab (£5.49)
Best BBQ Hero for Entertaining (Fish or Seafood)
Tesco Fire Pit Mango Coconut & Lime Fish Skewers (£3.75/6 skewers)
Best Coleslaw
Co-op Irresistible Deliciously Rich Coleslaw (£1.95/300g)
Best Sausage Roll (Joint Winners)
Co-op Irresistible Perfectly Seasoned Ploughman's Sausage Rolls (£3.50/4 pack)
Lidl Chef Select Sausage Rolls (£1.69/360g)
Best Vegetarian Picnic Pastry
Co-op Irresistible West Country Cheddar & Habanero Chilli Jam Pinwheels (£3.50/88g)
Best Picnic Centrepiece
Lidl Deluxe Quiche – Maple Bacon (£2.99)
Best Sharing Bread
Aldi Rosemary & Rock Salt Sharing Focaccia (£1.99/220g)
Best Antipasti Platter
Waitrose No.1 Italian Grazing Platter (£10/380g)
Best Hummus
Waitrose No.1 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Houmous (£2.75/170g)
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds.
"Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
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