From mince pies to crackers, chutneys, and puddings, we lined up a festive spread for the ultimate blind taste test conducted by the Irish Farmers Journal team. With the labels hidden and the competition fierce, we sampled, compared, and debated our way to our top three choices.
There is at least one person in each household who enjoys a nice mince pie with a cup of tea at Christmas time. While there are still plenty of folk who make their own, we have to admit – the quality and flavour of supermarket-own brand mince pies has increased exponentially over the years.
What we’re looking for:
Mince pie lovers are generally in one of two camps: they either love soft, crumbly pastry versions, or they’re traditional all the way preferring a crispier, less sugary shortcrust base. We judged based on the quality of pastry, flavour of the filling and filling-to-pastry ratio.
The winner: Avoca Mince Pies (€10.95)
This was a close one. Our tasters either loved Avoca’s handmade, traditional shortcrust or preferred softer, sweeter supermarket pies. Our final taster tipped Avoca across the line, just edging out our second-place pies. And let’s face it: Avoca is a very worthy winner. These mince pies are clearly made with care and attention. The filling is the perfect balance of fruit, aromatics and spice. The pies are sweet, but not cloyingly so.
Second place: Tesco All-Butter Pastry Mince Pies (€3.75)
Where Avoca’s shortcrust was crisp and buttery, Tesco’s was soft and crumbly. Our tasters particularly enjoyed the texture of these mince pies, which encased a generous portion of filling.
Editor’s pick:SuperValu’s Gluten-Free Mince Pies (€2.99)
Our gluten-free team members thoroughly enjoyed these mince pies from SuperValu, with production editor Naomi Richardson, who is a coeliac, stating she would be buying them in bulk for the festive season. These featured a delicious pastry base filled with an equally flavourful mincemeat.
Irish households eat a lot of cheese – and go through a lot of chutney over holidays. You might think chutney is ‘just chutney’ with most offerings tasting similar. We found, when tasting them side by side, that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
What we’re looking for:
When it comes to a well-made chutney, we looked for a few things. First, the colour and consistency – is the chutney glossy? Does it come out in one big clump (not a good sign)? For flavour, we look for a good balance of sweetness, acidity and spice.
The winner: Aldi Specially Selected Ploughman’s Chutney with Irish Bramley Apples (€1.89)
This chutney from Aldi ticked every box for our blind tasters for consistency and flavour. The apples shine through while the balance of spice and sweetness will work with almost any cheese you might be featuring on your holiday cheeseboard. Tasters noted the depth of flavour present in this chutney and said they liked the tang of a tomato-forward chutney.
Second place: Avoca’s Festive Chutney (€7.45)
Avoca’s offering scored highly for consistency and its deeply spiced flavour. The addition of Seville oranges to this chutney adds an extra dose of Christmas tang, but the orange isn’t overpowering.
Editor’s pick: Dunnes Stores Simply Better Handmade Festive Chutney (€2.75)
This chutney would be as tasty alongside a meat pie or chicken liver pâté as it would on farmhouse cheeseboard. Plums, cranberry and apple cider vinegar add depth, sweetness and the right levels of acidity to this seasonal offering.
We wanted to test out seasonal cracker offerings for holiday snacking, and we found a huge range available in each major supermarket. Crackers are often an afterthought, or something bought in a rush, but they are so much more than a vessel for dips and cheeses. The variety available in supermarkets ranges from wholemeal and handmade to interesting flavour combinations (we even tasted a black charcoal and sesame cracker).
What we’re looking for:
When it comes to crackers, texture and flavour are key. Thin, crisp and toothsome – if going artisanal, we want earthy depth of flavour. For a standardised version; we want a buttery, extra crisp texture. Interesting flavours are an added bonus.
The winner: SuperValu Sea Salt & Black Pepper Crackers (€1.59)
You can’t beat a classic. These savoury, scallop-edged crackers were the clear favourite among our taste-testers. These are a versatile cracker to have in the pantry, whether to crumble over vegetable soup or pair them with your favourite cheese ball. They deliver what they say on the box: a deeply peppery flavour; nicely seasoned with sea salt. What more do you need?
Second place: Lidl Deluxe Artisan Smoked Chilli & Sesame Seed Crackers (€3.49)
Our tasters really enjoyed the smoky flavour of these crackers and felt, for a more artisanal offering, they had an excellent texture: not too thin, not too thick.
Editor’s pick: Marks and Spencer Biscuits for Cheese combo pack (€7.50)
If you’re a gourmand, you’ll love the flavours and handmade texture of these crackers. The combo pack features rosemary and olive; beetroot sourdough; rye sourdough; and date, plum and hazelnut crackers, meaning you’ll have an ideal pairing for whichever cheese you bring to the table.
What’s a turkey dinner – or even a great Christmas leftovers sandwich – without a dollop of tart-and-sweet cranberry sauce? It’s a fairly straightforward sauce to make from scratch, but this Christmas dinner element is usually shop-bought for convenience. Similar to chutney, you might think all cranberry sauces are the same – we were genuinely surprised at the different recipes and variations available in supermarkets.
What we’re looking for:
While many supermarkets are now offering cranberry sauces with added elements (like orange or ruby port), for the purposes of this taste test, we stuck with the original cranberry sauces on offer. During the tasting, we considered the texture (does it come out in a clump, or is there a smoothness to it?), the balance of tart versus sweet and the overall colour, sheen and look.
The winner: Marks and Spencer Cranberry Sauce (€3.75)
This is a fantastic cranberry sauce. It has a homemade feel and flavour to it, and a fairly loose texture, thanks to the addition of cranberry juice to the fresh cranberries. Our tasters commented on the deep flavour, pleasing colour and spoonable texture.
Second place: Tesco Cranberry Sauce (€0.85)
This cranberry sauce is from Tesco’s every-day range, so you can find it any day of the year. Our tasters all commented on its overall flavour, colour and soft texture.
Editor’s pick: Avoca’s Cranberry Sauce (€6.45)
Not only is this sauce deliciously tart – its packaging is eye-catching and colourful. We would include this cranberry sauce in a Christmas food hamper for a good friend or neighbour – it is very giftable.
Smoked salmon is widely available in supermarkets at varying price points. If you’re planning on having a smoked salmon starter or serving it as a canapé, you’ll want to invest in smoked salmon of the highest quality. Luckily, much of the smoked salmon on offer in Irish supermarkets is made with organic farmed Irish salmon. If it doesn’t say where it comes from on the label, it probably isn’t Irish.
What we’re looking for:
We specifically only tasted cold smoked salmon for this taste test. This means all of the salmon we tasted would have that silky-smooth texture, with no flakiness. We were looking for an ideal salmon to include in your Christmas dinner or with poached eggs for a festive brunch.
The winner: Dunnes Stores Simply Better Royal Fillet of Irish Organic Smoked Salmon (€11.99)
Aside from its rich, buttery texture and natural smoky flavour, this salmon comes in a fillet, which means you can slice your own as thinly as you like or even dice the salmon up to include it in some cream cheese sushi rolls. We loved its versatility, but ultimately it was the rich flavour which impressed our tasters the most.
Second place: Tesco Organic Ready to Eat Irish Smoked Salmon Slices (€7)
This offering from Tesco was also very pleasing on the palate – the smoke didn’t taste artificial, and texture was soft and velvety.
Editor’s pick: Aldi Specially Selected Organic Irish Cold Smoked Salmon (€3.99)
This smoked salmon from Aldi had a great texture and light smoky flavour – it had us dreaming of poached eggs with lashings of Hollandaise.
If you missed 'stir-up Sunday' this year, fear not – there are more options than ever before for Christmas puddings in Irish supermarkets. From the fanciest, upscale offerings to the teeniest, tiniest puddings for one, these steamy dreams require only a few minutes in the microwave before plating and enjoying (with plenty of warm custard, of course).
What we’re looking for:
A Christmas pudding should be soft, but not greasy. Ideally, we'd like it balanced, with spice, sweetness and a dash of citrusy flavour. It should be fruit-forward, with a high fruit-to-pudding ratio. Finally, the smell is important, ideally an aromatic waft of booziness – but not so boozy it knocks you over. We’re not asking for much, are we?
The winner: Neven Maguire’s Christmas Pudding for Dunnes Stores Simply Better (€14.99)
Before anyone accuses us of nepotism, remember that however much we love our Neven, this was a blind tasting. But also, you should know that this pudding won by quite a lot. It will easily feed six, and it’s made using Neven’s MacNean House recipe. Our tasters loved the high ratio of fruit, but it was the texture which set this pudding apart from its peers. It is soft, moist and fluffy, with a booze-forward headiness.
Second place: SuperValu Christmas Pudding infused with Sherry and Rum (€4)
This pudding also had a pleasing texture as well as a variety of fruits like glacé cherries, mixed peel and dried apple. Its smaller size makes it ideal as a dessert for two (or one, if you really love Christmas pudding).
Editor’s pick: Lidl Deluxe Jewel-Topped Christmas Pudding infused with Armagnac Brandy (€12.99)
This jewel topped pudding wins for being most visually appealing, with its nut and fruit topping and booze-forward aroma, thanks to a generous dose of Armagnac.
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