Christmas is the time of year when everyone has an opinion on food. While you might have a tradition to cook a family recipe from scratch, there are certain parts of the meal that a handy shop-bought alternative does just the trick and saves time.
With that in mind, we picked four products to sample and test: ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mince pies.
From our tasting, we wanted to ascertain a clear winner in each category, but also to see what others performed well – because everyone’s tastes are different. We also wanted to present our readers with the best of Irish so one stipulation was that all products had to be produced in Ireland.
To get a large consensus in determining the best tasting products this Christmas, we enlisted the Irish Farmers Journal team (they said it was a tough job – but eventually agreed to help).
For all products, the packaging was removed and prepared by the team as per exact packet instructions (if any). It was imperative that the products were tasted ‘blind’, which meant no one tasting knew what exact product they were sampling.
We had a scoring and comment sheet and all results were verified and counted. Find out what tickled our tastebuds.
The turkey’s other half… the second meat in the main Christmas meal for most homes in Ireland, what would turkey be without the salty, tender, delicious ham to balance out the flavours on the plate? Of course, it is also an essential ingredient in the tradition of the late-night Crimbo sandwich.
You want the joint to be succulent and juicy, without being dry or bland, or too salty for that matter. Most people boil the ham first to do away with some of the salt, then finish in the oven and add their glaze of choice. Others stick to boiling, and it’s done the night before to save time and hob space on the day.
We tasted six hams from well-known suppliers across the country and all from Irish farmers. We didn’t add any glaze to hams unless it was supplied with it and cooked as per instructions. James Whelan Butchers supplied a precooked ham (although they also have a raw version of their Heritage ham available at a lower price). The others were cooked by our team and all were served cold on the day.
The standard in this category was very high. In fact, our tasters found this to be the toughest one to judge because all products were tasty in their own way, and everyone in the office loves ham. Some scored better due to the texture or if they had a dry rub or glaze.
1 Specially Selected Irish Easy Carve Ham with a fig and Christmas spice glaze (2.2kg). Aldi, €27.99.
We had a clear winner in the end and that is the Irish Easy Carve Ham with a fig and Christmas spice glaze from Aldi’s Specially Selected range.This ham was deemed to be the most tender and succulent in texture, with a significant number of comments stating this. The glaze was an added bonus of flavour with the Christmas spices, which were a big hit too with our tasting team. The sweetness from the figs added good depth and enriched the ham.
Deluxe Sweet Cure Topside Ham Fillet (1kg). Lidl, €12.99.
From a Tipperary farmer, this ham fillet was very popular with our tasters, coming in second place. Overall, our team found that it had a very tender bite, and many remarked on the the spice that came through from the glaze, which is made with bitter orange, spiced maple and thyme.
Heritage Cure Cooked Ham Ready to Serve (3.8-4.5kg). James Whelan Butcher, €69. Raw-(6.3kg-7.5kg), €55
Our only entry which was precooked, which we felt was a handy way of saving time. Although this was the most expensive ham, it was also the biggest and a great option for larger families and groups. It also works for sandwiches, and additional dishes over the festive season. Our tasters enjoyed the cure flavour and found this ham to be very tender.
Signature Tastes Irish Hampshire Ham Fillet (2.7kg). SuperValu, €18.99.
This was liked for its traditional flavour and suitable if you prefer boiling as the method of cooking. “This is the ham of our childhood”, said one of the testers and would work equally well with cabbage as it does with turkey for Christmas.
5 Tesco Finest Dry Cured Irish Ham with Mulling Spices & Honey Glaze (2.4Kg). Tesco, €25/€20 Clubcard price until 26/12/23.
This ham surprised a lot of our tasters as it was far more tender than it looked. However, the glaze was very subtle, but if you got an outside piece, you could appreciate it a bit more.
6 Simply Better Hand Cut Unsmoked Irish Ham Fillet (1.5kg). Dunnes Stores, €13.99.
The least favourite of our six hams, although enjoyed by some. Our tasters felt it lacked in flavour compared to the others and felt it was quite generic. It was cooked as per instructions, but perhaps an added glaze would bring out a better flavour.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their top four Christmas stuffing.
An essential part of the Christmas dinner, stuffing can tie the dish together. The herbs bring out the flavour of the turkey and balance the ham. Plus, we all know how good potatoes and stuffing are together. Add a bit of gravy and it is perfection on the plate.
For the purposes of our taste test, we sampled the classic sage and onion stuffing. There are lots of other versions of stuffing available from all retailers.
1Traditional Herb & Onion Stuffing. Avoca, €8.50 (serves 2, or €21.50 serves 6).
Our winner was the Traditional Herb & Onion Stuffing from Avoca. Our tasting team unanimously agreed that this stuffing had the most flavour and the right balance of herb and onion, plus it was rich with butter. This stuffing seemed almost homemade; you could definitely hide the packaging, pass it off as your own and no one would know.
2 Signature Tastes Wild Sage & Red Onion Stuffing (serves 4). SuperValu, €3.50.
This stuffing was runner-up and for good reason, our tasters found it to be an all-round tasty stuffing. A little heavier on the herbs than some of the others, but some commented it brought a fresh addition to the plate. Definitely one to put on the list to accompany your turkey.
3 Sage & Onion Stuffing (serves 4). M&S, €4.
This is not just stuffing, this is M&S stuffing, however, it only comes in at number three. But our team still felt this moist with an appealing texture. As a result, it would work well in that essential Christmas night sandwich when you get hungry again.
4 Simply Better Handmade Wild Sage & Red Onion Ciabatta Stuffing (serves 4). Dunnes Stores, €2.99.
While this stuffing was our lowest scoring it still received some positive comments, with testers stating it had good richness to it. Add some trimmings like roast potatoes and gravy, this would still be a fine side for the family.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their favourite cranberry sauces.
Cranberry sauce
Love it or hate it, cranberry sauce is very much a part of Christmas dinner and it’s one of the items many don’t make from scratch anymore so a shop-bought version will find its way onto the table. While some add a fruity injection, others add a sharp tartness to your meal.
1 Simply Better Handmade Cranberry Sauce (200g). Dunnes Stores, €2.50.
The winning sauce from our taste test is the Simply Better Handmade Cranberry Sauce, which our team found to be an excellent balance of fruity sweetness and a note of tartness. It was an all-rounder and a slick of this sauce would be delicious in any leftovers sandwich.
2 Signature Tastes Cranberry Sauce with Ruby Port (240g). SuperValu, €1.99.
This cranberry sauce was lush with the addition of the ruby port adding a boozy richness that didn’t make it too heavy, but instead gave it a depth of flavour.
3 Deluxe Cranberry Sauce (250g). Lidl, €1.69.
Our third favourite cranberry sauce was very different to the others in that it was definitely higher in tartness. It has a sharp taste, so anyone with a sweet tooth should opt out, but those looking to add a dollop of fresh fruit to cut through the fatty flavours on your plate, this is the perfect job.
4 Cranberry Sauce (200g). Avoca, €5.95.
Our tasting team found this sauce to be very sweet and almost jam-like in texture and taste. It would however, be an interesting option to have on your cheeseboard this festive season.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their favourite mince pices.
Many of our testers were very excited to try the range of mince pies displayed and some even claimed to be mince pie connoisseurs. Whether you prefer crumbly pastry or a rich boozy mincemeat, the main point that our tasters noted was that the pies had to have an adequate amount of filling.
1 Simply Better Handmade All Butter Mince Pies. Dunnes Stores, €4.99 (6 pack) or 2 for €8.
This was a highly contested category with most mince pies scoring very high, however, the winner is Simply Better Handmade All Butter Mince Pies. Described as “tasty, indulgent and divine” by one of our testers, there is no doubt this is a crowd pleaser. The pastry was very crumbly and really had all our tasting team going back for more.
2 Deluxe Irish Mince Pies with Whiskey and Pecans. Lidl, €4.99 (6 pack).
Also rated highly, coming second in our taste. Our testers felt that the pastry was very good and the ratio of filling was well balanced too. The richness of the mincemeat was a big hit and the pecans added an extra texture.
3 Mince Pies. Avoca, €9.95(6 pack).
These were the mince pies that our tasting team felt they would most likely be able to pass off as their own because of their homemade look and taste. The mincemeat was described as very fruity compared to others tasted.
4 The Foodie Market Gluten Free Mince Pies. Aldi, €2.99 (4 Pack).
Although rating last in the taste test, these mince pies were well liked and described as crumbly. It’s good to have such a good gluten-free option, but our tasters felt they would buy them regardless.
Read more
ICL Food: festive favourites from some of Ireland's top chefs
Cookbooks we loved in 2023
Christmas is the time of year when everyone has an opinion on food. While you might have a tradition to cook a family recipe from scratch, there are certain parts of the meal that a handy shop-bought alternative does just the trick and saves time.
With that in mind, we picked four products to sample and test: ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mince pies.
From our tasting, we wanted to ascertain a clear winner in each category, but also to see what others performed well – because everyone’s tastes are different. We also wanted to present our readers with the best of Irish so one stipulation was that all products had to be produced in Ireland.
To get a large consensus in determining the best tasting products this Christmas, we enlisted the Irish Farmers Journal team (they said it was a tough job – but eventually agreed to help).
For all products, the packaging was removed and prepared by the team as per exact packet instructions (if any). It was imperative that the products were tasted ‘blind’, which meant no one tasting knew what exact product they were sampling.
We had a scoring and comment sheet and all results were verified and counted. Find out what tickled our tastebuds.
The turkey’s other half… the second meat in the main Christmas meal for most homes in Ireland, what would turkey be without the salty, tender, delicious ham to balance out the flavours on the plate? Of course, it is also an essential ingredient in the tradition of the late-night Crimbo sandwich.
You want the joint to be succulent and juicy, without being dry or bland, or too salty for that matter. Most people boil the ham first to do away with some of the salt, then finish in the oven and add their glaze of choice. Others stick to boiling, and it’s done the night before to save time and hob space on the day.
We tasted six hams from well-known suppliers across the country and all from Irish farmers. We didn’t add any glaze to hams unless it was supplied with it and cooked as per instructions. James Whelan Butchers supplied a precooked ham (although they also have a raw version of their Heritage ham available at a lower price). The others were cooked by our team and all were served cold on the day.
The standard in this category was very high. In fact, our tasters found this to be the toughest one to judge because all products were tasty in their own way, and everyone in the office loves ham. Some scored better due to the texture or if they had a dry rub or glaze.
1 Specially Selected Irish Easy Carve Ham with a fig and Christmas spice glaze (2.2kg). Aldi, €27.99.
We had a clear winner in the end and that is the Irish Easy Carve Ham with a fig and Christmas spice glaze from Aldi’s Specially Selected range.This ham was deemed to be the most tender and succulent in texture, with a significant number of comments stating this. The glaze was an added bonus of flavour with the Christmas spices, which were a big hit too with our tasting team. The sweetness from the figs added good depth and enriched the ham.
Deluxe Sweet Cure Topside Ham Fillet (1kg). Lidl, €12.99.
From a Tipperary farmer, this ham fillet was very popular with our tasters, coming in second place. Overall, our team found that it had a very tender bite, and many remarked on the the spice that came through from the glaze, which is made with bitter orange, spiced maple and thyme.
Heritage Cure Cooked Ham Ready to Serve (3.8-4.5kg). James Whelan Butcher, €69. Raw-(6.3kg-7.5kg), €55
Our only entry which was precooked, which we felt was a handy way of saving time. Although this was the most expensive ham, it was also the biggest and a great option for larger families and groups. It also works for sandwiches, and additional dishes over the festive season. Our tasters enjoyed the cure flavour and found this ham to be very tender.
Signature Tastes Irish Hampshire Ham Fillet (2.7kg). SuperValu, €18.99.
This was liked for its traditional flavour and suitable if you prefer boiling as the method of cooking. “This is the ham of our childhood”, said one of the testers and would work equally well with cabbage as it does with turkey for Christmas.
5 Tesco Finest Dry Cured Irish Ham with Mulling Spices & Honey Glaze (2.4Kg). Tesco, €25/€20 Clubcard price until 26/12/23.
This ham surprised a lot of our tasters as it was far more tender than it looked. However, the glaze was very subtle, but if you got an outside piece, you could appreciate it a bit more.
6 Simply Better Hand Cut Unsmoked Irish Ham Fillet (1.5kg). Dunnes Stores, €13.99.
The least favourite of our six hams, although enjoyed by some. Our tasters felt it lacked in flavour compared to the others and felt it was quite generic. It was cooked as per instructions, but perhaps an added glaze would bring out a better flavour.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their top four Christmas stuffing.
An essential part of the Christmas dinner, stuffing can tie the dish together. The herbs bring out the flavour of the turkey and balance the ham. Plus, we all know how good potatoes and stuffing are together. Add a bit of gravy and it is perfection on the plate.
For the purposes of our taste test, we sampled the classic sage and onion stuffing. There are lots of other versions of stuffing available from all retailers.
1Traditional Herb & Onion Stuffing. Avoca, €8.50 (serves 2, or €21.50 serves 6).
Our winner was the Traditional Herb & Onion Stuffing from Avoca. Our tasting team unanimously agreed that this stuffing had the most flavour and the right balance of herb and onion, plus it was rich with butter. This stuffing seemed almost homemade; you could definitely hide the packaging, pass it off as your own and no one would know.
2 Signature Tastes Wild Sage & Red Onion Stuffing (serves 4). SuperValu, €3.50.
This stuffing was runner-up and for good reason, our tasters found it to be an all-round tasty stuffing. A little heavier on the herbs than some of the others, but some commented it brought a fresh addition to the plate. Definitely one to put on the list to accompany your turkey.
3 Sage & Onion Stuffing (serves 4). M&S, €4.
This is not just stuffing, this is M&S stuffing, however, it only comes in at number three. But our team still felt this moist with an appealing texture. As a result, it would work well in that essential Christmas night sandwich when you get hungry again.
4 Simply Better Handmade Wild Sage & Red Onion Ciabatta Stuffing (serves 4). Dunnes Stores, €2.99.
While this stuffing was our lowest scoring it still received some positive comments, with testers stating it had good richness to it. Add some trimmings like roast potatoes and gravy, this would still be a fine side for the family.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their favourite cranberry sauces.
Cranberry sauce
Love it or hate it, cranberry sauce is very much a part of Christmas dinner and it’s one of the items many don’t make from scratch anymore so a shop-bought version will find its way onto the table. While some add a fruity injection, others add a sharp tartness to your meal.
1 Simply Better Handmade Cranberry Sauce (200g). Dunnes Stores, €2.50.
The winning sauce from our taste test is the Simply Better Handmade Cranberry Sauce, which our team found to be an excellent balance of fruity sweetness and a note of tartness. It was an all-rounder and a slick of this sauce would be delicious in any leftovers sandwich.
2 Signature Tastes Cranberry Sauce with Ruby Port (240g). SuperValu, €1.99.
This cranberry sauce was lush with the addition of the ruby port adding a boozy richness that didn’t make it too heavy, but instead gave it a depth of flavour.
3 Deluxe Cranberry Sauce (250g). Lidl, €1.69.
Our third favourite cranberry sauce was very different to the others in that it was definitely higher in tartness. It has a sharp taste, so anyone with a sweet tooth should opt out, but those looking to add a dollop of fresh fruit to cut through the fatty flavours on your plate, this is the perfect job.
4 Cranberry Sauce (200g). Avoca, €5.95.
Our tasting team found this sauce to be very sweet and almost jam-like in texture and taste. It would however, be an interesting option to have on your cheeseboard this festive season.
The Irish Country Living and Irish Farmers Journal taste test panel pick their favourite mince pices.
Many of our testers were very excited to try the range of mince pies displayed and some even claimed to be mince pie connoisseurs. Whether you prefer crumbly pastry or a rich boozy mincemeat, the main point that our tasters noted was that the pies had to have an adequate amount of filling.
1 Simply Better Handmade All Butter Mince Pies. Dunnes Stores, €4.99 (6 pack) or 2 for €8.
This was a highly contested category with most mince pies scoring very high, however, the winner is Simply Better Handmade All Butter Mince Pies. Described as “tasty, indulgent and divine” by one of our testers, there is no doubt this is a crowd pleaser. The pastry was very crumbly and really had all our tasting team going back for more.
2 Deluxe Irish Mince Pies with Whiskey and Pecans. Lidl, €4.99 (6 pack).
Also rated highly, coming second in our taste. Our testers felt that the pastry was very good and the ratio of filling was well balanced too. The richness of the mincemeat was a big hit and the pecans added an extra texture.
3 Mince Pies. Avoca, €9.95(6 pack).
These were the mince pies that our tasting team felt they would most likely be able to pass off as their own because of their homemade look and taste. The mincemeat was described as very fruity compared to others tasted.
4 The Foodie Market Gluten Free Mince Pies. Aldi, €2.99 (4 Pack).
Although rating last in the taste test, these mince pies were well liked and described as crumbly. It’s good to have such a good gluten-free option, but our tasters felt they would buy them regardless.
Read more
ICL Food: festive favourites from some of Ireland's top chefs
Cookbooks we loved in 2023
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