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Greatest smoked salmon
WINNER: Cubicles Triple Smoked Salmon Facet (£45), 1kg
This complete aspect is ideal for easy entertaining. The flavour is gentle with balanced candy and smokiness and wealthy meaty mouthfeel.
RUNNER UP: Morrisons the Greatest Chilly Smoked Salmon (300g), £4.00
This traditional all-rounder could be simply nearly as good with scrambled eggs for breakfast as it might be on a canape. The smoke is gentle, with a transparent fish flavour and good seasoning.
RUNNER UP: LIDL Premium Rope Hung Smoked Salmon (200g)
This has a pretty deep color, and sheen, with a gentle and yielding texture and good stage of smoke.
Greatest panettone
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Style the Distinction Cherry & Almond Panettone (750g), £10
A profitable all-rounder, this has a deep golden crust, loads of tart juicy cherries to steadiness sweetness and excellent gentle texture with slight bounce.
RUNNER-UP: ASDA Additional Particular Traditional Panettone (750g), £7.50
This easy traditional possibility may very well be eaten any time for breakfast, tea, or dessert (attempt a panettone bread and butter pudding). It’s gentle and buttery with an incredible texture.
Greatest vegetarian fundamental
WINNER: M&S Rustic Potato, Caramelised Onion and Brie Pie (500g), £8.00
Melting cheese, candy onions and crisp buttery pastry – you’ll be able to’t go improper. It is a wealthy winter hotter.
Greatest traditional mince pie
WINNER: M&S 6 Assortment Mince Pies (334g), £3.00
These have a transparent orange hit to the candy, juicy mincemeat full of plump raisins. The pastry is buttery and tender.
Greatest flavoured mince pie
WINNER: Waitrose Heston Pear & Fig Mince Pies in Triple Cheese Pastry (pack of 6), £3.50
A twist on the traditional, these had crisp flaky pastry and candy fruity mincemeat. Can be nice heat with brandy cream.
Greatest xmas log
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Style The Distinction Belgian Chocolate & Clementine Yuletide Log (700g), £10
Chocolate orange followers will love this – the engaging dense cake hides an orange curd for successful of sharpness.
RUNNER UP: M&S Assortment Crackling Chocolate Logs (1.33kg), £20.00
For a showstopping tackle a Yuletide log, you’ll be able to’t beat this indulgent stack my M&S. Three xmas logs in a single, this spectacular cake is matched by a crisp chocolate coating, numerous creamy ganache and cake with good chocolate flavour
Greatest stollen
WINNER: M&S Collections Stollen Loaf, £7.00
Marzipan is swirled all through this loaf for a style in each chew. The bread had good texture, crunch from almonds and juicy fruit.
Greatest vegan fundamental
WINNER: ASDA Additional Particular Vegan Wellington (460g), £5
meat different, this has a herby sausage-like flavour to the filling and buttery pastry – like a festive sausage roll!
Greatest vegan dessert
WINNER: Morrisons Vegan Chocolate Dessert (375g), £6.00
Our winner had a great crumbly base, gentle vanilla cheesecake-style filling with a touch of butterscotch and a wealthy thick ganache chocolate high.
Greatest pigs in blankets
WINNER: Co-op Additional Posh Pigs in Blankets (220G), £3.25
A robust herby sausage, these chipolatas will stand out in your Christmas plate.
RUNNER-UP: Waitrose No1 Chipolatas (pack of 6), £4.25
These had good stage of salt, herb and savoury flavours. The sage leaf was a pleasant further contact and the meat has a great texture.
Greatest sizzling canapé
WINNER: M&S 10 Mini Steak Sandwiches, £7.00
A straightforward mouthful to move spherical at a Christmas celebration, these crostini had lots happening with crisp toast, candy onion jam, well-seasoned meat and creamy topping.
RUNNER UP: BOOTHS Festive Sausage Roll Wreath with Camembert, £7
An undeniably wealthy Christmas mixture, judges couldn’t assist however get pleasure from this responsible pleasure. The sausage meat was well-seasoned with an onion crumb on high and the Camembert had good flavour. A Camembert does agency up fairly shortly so this could be finest suited to small teams to share earlier than a cocktail party fundamental course, not passing spherical as a canapé.
Greatest Christmas cake
WINNER: M&S Collections Jewelled Fruit & Nut Cake (755g), £20.00
When you don’t like royal icing, this luxury different is for you, adorned with loads of nuts and juicy cherries. The cake is moist, citrussy and has extra complete nuts. It is available in a tin to make it nice for gifting too.
Greatest turkey
WINNER: M&S Collections British Oakham Gradual Cooked Turkey Crown with Bacon & Stuffing (2.5kg), £25.00
A traditional turkey crown, the bacon provides good saltiness and judges loved the intensely savoury stuffing full of herbs.
RUNNER UP: Morrisons Turkey Breast Joint with Stuffing Balls and Pigs in Blankets (1.4kg), £20.00
This comes full with stuffing and pigs in blankets, for a simple all-in-one possibility. The turkey breast joint will not be giant (however very simple to prepare dinner) so it’s an incredible possibility if you happen to’re having Christmas dinner for 2.
Greatest Christmas pudding
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Style the Distinction Caramelised Biscuit Christmas Pudding (700g), £12
A twist on the traditional Christmas pudding, judges loved the candy butterscotch sauce and crunch from complete almonds.
Greatest Christmas ham
WINNER Lidl Deluxe Sugar Baked Gammon Joint
A small, agency ham, this had good ranges of smoke, a balanced treatment and robust depth of flavour.
RUNNER UP Waitrose Cider cured ham with apple and bay (1.1kg), £30
Judges loved the engaging apple ornament to this conventional ham, nice for bringing out for Boxing Day. The apple rings additionally added sweetness while the meat was juicy and had good flavour.
Greatest festive liqueur
WINNER Tesco Best Gingerbread Latte Irish Cream Liqueur, £12.60
This has the precise stage of sweetness to alcohol, with heat from the light gingerbread flavour – a great twist on a traditional.
Greatest port
WINNER Morrisons The Greatest Aged Tawny Port (75cl), £12.00
This was clean and simply sippable. It was nicely balanced between sweetness and alcoholic heat.
Greatest chilly canapé
WINNER: ALDI Specifically Chosen Hog Roast Bites with Bramley Apple & Kentish Cider Sauce (340g), £3.90
Good sizzling or chilly, these herby hog roast bites are very moreish and judges loved the apple sauce addition.
Greatest seafood centrepiece
WINNER Waitrose No. 1 Cherrywood Entire Facet of Smoked Salmon (800g), £45
Though not a fundamental course, this could be nice as a part of a blini board or drinks celebration centrepiece. The entire aspect appears dramatic and the salmon had nice robust smoky flavour.
Greatest Christmas wellington
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Style the Distinction British Beef Wellington (1kg), £42
Tender well-seasoned meat, good flaky pastry and a satisfying mouthfeel to the mushroom duxelle made this stand out. Judges felt it may virtually be selfmade.
RUNNER UP: Cubicles Beef Wellington (1.2kg), £52
The meat on this wellington felt top quality, tender and stayed pink within the center when cooked in keeping with directions. The mushroom layer is creamy and pastry was flaky.
Stuffing
WINNER: TESCO Best Pork & Apricot Stuffing Parcels wrapped with a ribbon of Streaky Bacon (284g)
Judges loved the presentation of those neat parcels, which had been virtually like pigs in blankets. Crispy bacon retains the fruity stuffing moist.
RUNNER UP: M&S British Out of doors Bred Pork & Figgie Festive Stuffing (360g), £7.00
An uncommon presentation like a Christmas pudding, this was a brilliant fruity and spiced stuffing. The feel is pretty gentle and crumbly, however the figs are a pleasant addition.
