Budget supermarket frozen roast potatoes have beaten branded items in a blind taste test. A panel for consumer group Which? compared spuds from well-known brands Aunt Bessie’s and McCain, comparing them with eight supermarket offerings.
Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes, which cost £2.49 for 1kg, came out top, receiving a score of 74%.
Which? said the flavour pleased most of its tasters, with three quarters being fans of the "fluffy interior" of the potatoes and two-thirds loving the crispy outsides.
Aldi's potatoes tied in terms of scoring with Maris Piper Roast Potatoes, £3 for 800g - but came out slightly on top due to being cheaper. Aunt Bessie’s Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, the most expensive in the test at £4.50 for 700g, scored third. But in last place were branded rivals McCain. It's Triple Cooked Roasts, which cost £3 for 700g, scored 60% with 43% of the tasters saying they weren't crispy enough and it lost points for a weak flavour.
Which? say this , ready-made roasties can make a handy, time-saving short cut - but it is also worth checking product weights to get the best deal. For example, Aldi and come in a 1kg bag - 300g more than the branded products.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Roast potatoes are a staple for a but can often be time-consuming to make from scratch while juggling other things.
"We tested a variety of frozen alternatives on offer from big brands and that require next to no preparation and are the perfect cooking hack – saving precious time in the kitchen.
“Aldi's Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes and M&S’s Maris Piper Roast Potatoes proved to be the most popular among our taste-testing panel for their fluffy interior and crispy outsides, both receiving a Best Buy award.
“Aldi’s offering also received a Great Value award as it was the cheapest on test, costing almost £2 less than Aunt Bessie’s offering.
"This highlights that you don’t necessarily need to splash out on the big brands for a great tasting frozen roast potato."
1. Aldi Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 74%. £2.49 for 1kg
2. M&S Maris Piper Roast Potatoes – 74%. £3 for 800g
3. Aunt Bessie’s Duck Fat Roast Potatoes – 72%. £4.50 for 700g
4. Morrisons The Best Beef Fat Roast Potatoes – 71%. £2.75 for 800g
5. Sainsbury’s Maris Piper Roast Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Taste the Difference – 71%. £2.95 for 1kg
6. Tesco Finest Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 71%. £3 for 800g
7. Co-op Irresistible Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 70%. £3.40 for 750g
8. Waitrose Frozen Roast Potatoes in Beef Fat – 70%. £2.75 for 800g
9. Asda Extra Special Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 68% £2.75 for 800g
10 McCain Triple Cooked Roasts – 60%. £3 for 700g
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