The Good Housekeeping Institute’s Christmas Taste Test is back for its 25th year! To mark the GHI’s centenary (yes, we turned 100 this year), our experts have tested 44 categories (our biggest undertaking yet) at our state-of-the-art testing facility in west London.
Sampling more than 730 festive products from over 97 brands and retailers, our experts have found the very best Christmas food and drink to buy – to make sure this year’s feast is one to remember.
Meet the experts
From pretty canapés and delicious pigs in blankets, to traditional and flavoured smoked salmon, and fresh and frozen turkeys, we’ve tested everything you need for the big day.
New categories for this year also include Christmas brunch, tasty veggie sides, beautifully presented biscuit tins and gingerbread houses. We’ve also collated the best “hero” products from each retailer – highlighting the buys that stood out for both innovation and taste.
For those with a sweet tooth, we’ve tracked down the most showstopping Christmas desserts, puds and panettone, and the tastiest mince pies — whether you’re a traditionalist or prefer a fun twist.
From supermarket champagne, prosecco and cava, through to fun festive liqueurs, you’ll also want to read the full results of our alcohol taste tests before refreshing your drinks trolley this season.
And with the cost-of-living crisis continuing to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, we’ve also included an exceptional value buy in every category, to ensure we cater for all budgets.
The results…
We’re pleased to reveal that Aldi is the overall winner of our 2024 Christmas taste test, with 15 of the brand’s products appearing in first or second place across all categories. Aldi scooped the top spot four times in total – for its whole turkey, flavoured Christmas puddings, mince pies and champagne.
In second place is ASDA, where you’ll find the best smoked salmon, yule log, show-stopping dessert and Christmas crisps.
Read on to discover all the GHI’s top Christmas food and drink products for 2024.
Our panel tried a mix of fresh and frozen whole birds and turkey crowns. Waitrose came out on top overall with its Glorious Treacle Glazed Turkey Crown (89/100), while Aldi won best whole turkey with its Specially Selected Roly Poly Whole Turkey (86/100).
For those looking for a change, we also tested the best alternative meat centrepieces, including glazed gammons, slow-cooked specials and bone-in joints. Sainsbury’s finished in first place here, scoring 89/100 for its Taste the Difference Bone-in Crackling Gammon with a Festive Spiced Glaze.
Turkey
Turkey crowns
Christmas meat
Vegetarian and vegan mains
Catering for a meat-free crowd? Frozen food specialists COOK proved popular for vegetarians, scoring 83/100 for its Roasted Pepper and Goat’s Cheese Quiche, while plant-based brand THIS! Isn’t picked up 78/100 for its vegan entry.
For a special Christmas Day breakfast, why not indulge in the best smoked salmon from luxury retailer Fortnum & Mason, which came out top with its welfare-accredited fish (85/100).
For a subtle festive twist, the ASDA Exceptional Fig, Whisky & Spiced Honey Smoked Salmon (78/100) is finished with the brand’s signature flavour for 2024, winning first place in the flavoured smoked salmon taste test.
Alternatively, you may prefer to start your day with a ready-made pastry treat. A new festive taste test for 2024, The Good Housekeeping Institute felt Co-op’s Ready to Bake Cinnamon Danish (86/100) was a worthy winner in the Christmas brunch category.
Smoked salmon
Flavoured smoked salmon
Christmas brunch
Christmas starters
Pigs in blankets
Roast potatoes
Side dishes
Make hosting a doddle, with Waitrose’s restaurant-quality Lobster, Crab & Prawn Cocktails (93/100), which our experts agreed was the best starter this season.
Christmas dinner isn’t complete without our favourite sides, and this year they are ultra-decadent. Sainsbury’s reigned supreme for a consecutive year with its premium pigs in blankets, picking up first place for both its traditional Taste the Difference Proper Pig in Blankets (86/100) and its flavoured Taste the Difference Caramelised Onion Chipolatas (85/100).
COOK beat the supermarkets with its convenient frozen Roast Potatoes (80/100), while Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Sprout, Leek and Cavolo Nero Gratin (88/100) was the winner in our new-for-2024 Christmas side dish category.
This year, we’re hoping to entertain more friends and family than ever before, so our expert panel sampled 61 meat, seafood, vegetarian and vegan canapés to pair with your festive fizz.
Special mentions here go to Morrisons The Best Prawn Bao Buns (91/100), COOK Chicken, Ginger and Lemongrass Bites (89/100) and Morrisons The Best Vegetable Tempura Nests with Sweet Chilli Dip (85/100).
The secret to curating the perfect Christmas cheeseboard is to include a variety of textures and tastes to suit every guest. Paxton & Whitfield impressed with its truly unique Kaldi (94/100), which was our experts’ best buy of the season.
The festive season doesn’t really start until you take your first bite into a warm mince pie. The Good Housekeeping Institute sampled 48 classic, flavoured and gluten-free varieties across this popular category. Drumroll please…
Mince pies
Mince pies with a twist
Scooping the top spot in the classic category are Aldi’s Specially Selected Mince Pies, achieving an impressive score of 88/100. Meanwhile, Booths Viennese Topped Mince Pies are our top-rated alternative (91/100). Coeliacs will want to head to Costa where they’ll find the tastiest gluten-free mince pies (85/100).
From classic Christmas cake and puddings to show-stopping dessert centrepieces, the testing team were presented with 124 festive sweet treats to evaluate.
For traditionalists, the top-rated pud was the Meg Rivers Christmas Pudding with a score of 85/100. For a delicious flavoured alternative, Aldi’s Specially Selected Orange and Maple Pudding (88/100) was a hit with our panel.
Biscuiteers and Daylesford shared the top spot in the Christmas cake category, scoring 85/100 for their respective offerings. Meanwhile, Meg Rivers proved most popular for its innovative take on stollen, scoring 89/100 with this Christmas Tart.
Christmas pudding
Christmas pudding with a twist
Christmas cake
Stollen
Christmas desserts
Yule log
Panettone
Biscuit tins
And for all-out decadence the whole family will enjoy, ASDA scooped first place in our Christmas dessert category for a consecutive year, this time for its comforting Crème Brûlée (88/100). The brand also nabbed the coveted first prize for its Clementine and White Chocolate Log (85/100) in the yule log category.
We also tried a selection of panettone, with the crown going to Waitrose’s Limoncello Fizz Panettone (94/100).
And because there’s always room for something sweet, the Good Housekeeping Institute tested Christmas biscuit tins and gingerbread houses for the first time. The Bettys Biscuit Tin Selection (96/100) stood out from the crowd, while ASDA’s Gingerbread House Kit (89/100) was best for those who prefer a DIY approach.
Get the party started, without spending a fortune, with our best supermarket fizz.
Taking the top spot in our champagne taste test is the Aldi Veuve Monsigny Premier Cru Champagne (85/100). Meanwhile, if you’re looking for inexpensive Italian fizz, Tesco won first place for its blush Tesco Finest Prosecco Rosé Brut (82/100).
Graham’s Blend No.12 (89/100) is our most highly rated entry in the port category, with notes of juicy red fruit and bracing acidity. Meanwhile, Gonzalez Byass Solera 1847 Cream Sherry proved most popular with our sherry fans, scoring 85/100.
Selfridges is where to go for the best mulled wine this year, while Ocado proved your best bet for dessert wine, with the Stellar Organics Heaven on Earth.
And finally, for the best festive liqueur, you can either pop into Hotel Chocolat for its Black Forest Gateau Chocolate Cream Velvetised or swing by Lidl to pick up the brand’s Deluxe Cream Liqueur Tiramisu, both of which scored (87/100) to claim joint first place.
It’s suddenly feeling a lot like Christmas…
