15 hours ago
The sausage roll that's better than Greggs – and it beats Aldi and Lidl too
IT'S officially picnic season – but what are the best supermarket foods to pack in your hamper?
We've tested all the own-brand sausage rolls from the major supermarkets to see which are the best value for money - and whether they beat Greggs.
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We've scored them out of 10 for taste and 10 for value, taking into account the pork content and price for a 360g pack of six.
Here's how the sausage rolls scored out of 20 overall:
Tesco Pork Sausage Rolls, £1.95 for 6
Our test of the Tesco sausage rolls got off to a bad start with a large piece of gristle in the first bite.
The sausage was tasteless, which is unsurprising as it contained just 27 per cent pork – the joint-lowest of all the supermarkets.
But the pastry was light and flaky.
At 33p per roll, these were middle of the range on price but you don't get much sausage for your money.
Taste: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Total: 10/20
Asda Pork Sausage Rolls, £1.95 for 6
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The Asda sausages were also disappointing, as the sausage meat was a bland, smooth paste and the pastry had a greasy aftertaste.
Overall these were greasy and tasteless – and cost more than the budget versions from brands like Aldi and Lidl.
Taste: 4/10
Value: 6/10
Total: 10/20
Sainsbury's Pork Sausage Rolls, £1.69 for 6
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At 28p per roll, Sainsbury's versions were one of the cheapest supermarket sausage rolls we tried – but they had one of lowest meat contents, at just 27 per cent pork.
Although the pastry was light and flaky, the meat filling was unusually dark and tasted bland.
Taste: 6/10
Value: 6/10
Total: 12/20
Morrisons Pork Sausage Rolls, £2.40 for 6
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Morrisons ' sausage rolls had a great taste, with plenty of seasoning and the second highest meat content of all those we tried, at 30 per cent pork.
The pastry had large gaps in and crumbled apart easily, but it tasted buttery.
At 40p per roll, these were one of the most expensive options – but were worth the price.
Taste: 8/10
Value: 6/10
Total: 14/20
Aldi Crestwood Sausage Rolls, £1.69 for 6
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Both Aldi and Lidl's sausage rolls were extremely similar, with a crumbly sausage meat filling and stodgy pastry that looked undercooked – even after heating them in the oven.
At 28p per roll, these budget versions tasted bland but salty.
Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Total: 13/20
Lidl Chef Select Sausage Rolls, £1.69 for 6
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Just like the Aldi version, these budget sausage rolls were inoffensive but covered in stodgy, undercooked pastry.
Both Lidl and Aldi's versions contained 29 per cent pork.
Taste: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Total: 13/20
WINNER Waitrose Sausage Rolls, £2.40 for 6 (360g)
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Posh supermarket Waitrose's sausage rolls were the joint-most expensive – at 40p per roll – but worth the extra pennies.
The pastry was crumbly and brown, although it was not quite as crisp and flaky as the pastry on a Greggs ' sausage roll.
The filling had a wholesome taste of pork and herbs.
It wasn't surprising to find they had the highest pork content (36 per cent) of all the sausage rolls we tried.
These are worth splurging on – and they're still nearly a third cheaper than Greggs.
Taste: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Total: 15/20
Greggs Sausage Rolls, £3.90 for 4 large rolls (440g)
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The 'nation's favourite' sausage roll is a classic for a reason.
It had crisp, light and flaky pastry, although the sausage meat itself was fairly bland.
That is perhaps not surprising - the pork content of the Greggs sausage rolls is far lower than any of the supermarket versions we tried, at just 22 per cent.
And they were also the most expensive.
You get more sausage roll by weight in a pack of four from Greggs (400g compared with 360g in all the supermarket versions).
But it still works out around a third more expensive gram-for-gram than the most costly supermarket versions at Waitrose.
Taste: 8/10
Value: 5/10
Total: 13/20
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
