About the BBC Good Food Christmas Taste Awards 2017
Find out how an expert BBC Good Food panel tasted its way through over 160 supermarket products to provide you with the definitive festive shopping list.
Who was invited to enter?
We invited supermarkets with more than 300 branches that sell fresh, frozen and dry goods to enter these awards.
Judging:
We asked each supermarket to submit their star product for each category. There was no charge to enter. Each product was removed from its original packaging, portioned out and judged blind. Products were judged on taste and flavour first. The panel was made up of five members of the cookery hub, review and digital editorial team, and the judging was overseen by an independent adjudicator who compiled the results and feedback.
Categories:
Vegetarian starter
Criteria: A meat-free, individual or sharing starter for Christmas Day or a special festive dinner that can be served either cold or hot and rivals a homemade starter dish in the flavour stakes.
Judged entries from: Asda, M&S, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi, Booths, Morrisons
Meat and fish starter
Criteria: An individual or sharing starter for Christmas Day or a special festive dinner made of red, white or game meat or fish/shellfish that can be served either cold or hot and rivals a homemade starter dish in the flavour stakes.
Judged entries from: Aldi, Co-op, Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Iceland, M&S, Sainsbury's, Booths, Morrisons
Turkey
Criteria: The headline act – a free-range, extra-special hero product that will take pride of place in a Christmas Day spread. Whole and portioned (for example crowns) can be entered. Turkeys can arrive with flavour accompaniments but not stuffing or gravy.
Judged entries from: Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco, M&S, Asda, Booths, Lidl
Alternative main course
Criteria: For those who want a break from turkey. A carvable, meat sharing dish that stands proud instead of traditional turkey. The dish can be any red, white or game meat and should serve four or more (ham should not be included).
Judged entries from: Asda, Morrisons, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Tesco, Waitrose, Iceland, Aldi, Booths
Vegetarian main course
Criteria: Christmas is all about inclusivity, so we want to serve a vegetarian main that’s tantamount to meaty alternatives. The vegetarian main course can be individually portioned or a sharing size and should serve two or more.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Ham
Criteria: A raw joint of ham that comes ready to cook on the hob or in the oven. The ham can come with a glaze or other flavourings.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose, Iceland
Smoked salmon
Criteria: A hero smoked fish – your best, sustainable salmon, served sliced or as a whole piece.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Iceland
Ready to serve cheeseboard
Criteria: A selection of cheese that can be unwrapped and placed straight on the table. Unless sold within the cheeseboard to consumers, crackers and pickles should not be included. Cheeseboards should include at least three cheeses and cheese from around the world can feature.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose
Vegetarian, meat and fish canapés
Criteria: We take our parties seriously, and if we’re going to hand out nibbles we want something smart and innovative that’ll impress our guests. Meat (red, white and game, fish and shellfish and vegetarian canapés can be conveniently served hot or cold, and can come either ready-to-serve, assembly-only or cook from chilled. Canapés can be in pieces, on sticks or in serving vessels (e.g. shot glasses, small ramekins, pots) and can come with accompanying garnishes and sauces if this is what will be available to the consumer.
Judged entries from:
Vegetarian canapés: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Meat and fish canapés: Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi, Co-op, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Iceland, M&S, Morrisons, Booths
Sweet bites
Criteria: A party-ready bite-sized pudding that can be presented on a platter conveniently. Sweet canapés can be iced, chilled or hot, served on sticks, in small pots or in pieces, as long as they can be eaten in one or two bites.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose
Christmas pudding & Free-from Christmas pudding
Criteria: A basin pudding that can be cooked in the pan, oven or microwave. This should be a fruit-based pudding (please specify on unbranded packaging whether it is vegetarian). The pudding should serve four or more and look great on the table. Please supply an additional gluten-free option if possible.
Judged entries from:
Christmas pudding: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Free-from Christmas pudding: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose
Christmas cake & Free-from Christmas cake
Criteria: The number one cake to slice and serve at Christmas. The cake should be iced or decorated and ready to present to guests. The cake should be an absolute dazzler, and while many of our users will opt for a fruitcake at Christmas, less traditional entries are welcome – this needs to be the best cake you have an offer this Christmas. Additional special diet and gluten-free entries welcome.
Judged entries from:
Christmas cake: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Free-from Christmas cake: Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Co-op, Waitrose
Centrepiece dessert
Criteria: A traffic-stopping pudding to serve after the main event. This can be frozen or fresh, served iced, warm or cold. Focus is on visual appeal and fantastic, multi-dimensional flavours.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose
Mince pies & Free-from mince pies
Criteria: BBC Good Food fans take mince pies very seriously – they are our most popular festive recipe online in December, every year. We want mince pies made from traditional shortcrust or puff pastry, with a fruit filling (please specify whether vegetarian when packaging is unbranded), with a lid. Pies without a pastry lid can have an alternative (for example nuts, fruit or crumble) – as long as the pie filling is fully enclosed. Additional gluten-free options welcome.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Gluten-free entries: Asda, M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Booths, Aldi, Morrisons, Lidl
Stollen
Criteria: A whole stollen log or individual pieces, served dusted or iced with traditional marzipan flavours.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose
Panettone
Criteria: A traditional panettone loaf with fruit. Chocolate or alternative-shaped panettone will not be accepted.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose
Stuffing
Criteria: A ready-prepared festive stuffing that comes ready to cook in the oven or microwave. The stuffing should require no pre-mixing. The stuffing can be vegetarian or contain meat.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Waitrose, Iceland
Gravy
Criteria: Gravy that tastes like it's homemade but takes only minutes to prepare. We're looking for a fresh gravy that requires heating. The gravy shout complement the traditional festive dinner, but a vegetarian optins can be submitted if preferred.
Judged entries from: Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons, Booths, Waitrose
The Results
Now take a look at which products won...
Good Food Christmas Taste Awards 2017
All prices correct at time of publishing. If you have any questions or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@bbc.com.
