The best Christmas food to buy this year: Good Food Christmas Taste Awards 2025

From smoked salmon to Christmas cake, our expert panel blind-tasted more than 180 products to find the UK supermarket buys that should grace your table this holiday season. Plus, we've also done taste tests of the best Christmas sandwiches to buy and the best panettone to buy.

For over 400 buyers' guides, visit our reviews section. We've also got all the Christmas gifting inspiration you need, like subscription services and best hampers, in our gifts hub. See the best letterbox gifts, 50 best budget gifts under £15, advent calendars and much more.

Good Food Christmas Taste Awards 2025

Starters

Best smoked salmon

Joint winner: Aldi Specially Selected the ultimate salt-aged Himalayan smoked salmon

Buttery and smooth, this is a great example of a classic smoked salmon.

Available from:
Aldi in-store (£3.99)

Joint winner: M&S Collection cherry & chestnut wood smoked salmon

This has a creamy, soft and smooth texture, rich flavour and attractive darker colour from the cherry and chestnut wood smoke.

Available from:
M&S in-store (£6)
Ocado (£6)

Best hot canapé

Joint winner: Aldi Specially Selected mini Barber’s cheese & ham scones

We haven’t seen mini scones as a canapé before, and these impressed us with good buttery flavour, a salty tang from the ham and a melty cheese filling.

Available from:
Aldi, launching soon (£4.99)

Joint winner: Tesco Finest scallop & prawn toast

Deeply golden and crisp, with black and white sesame seeds, these toasts are also well-filled and spiced with spring onions, garlic and ginger for subtle heat.

Available from:
Tesco, launching soon (£5.50)

The main event

Best turkey crown

Joint winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference British free-range bronze turkey crown with pork, apricot, pear, cranberry & candied ginger stuffing

For a showstopper, this does the job with its golden, glossy glaze and crispy bacon that has good smoky flavour. The meat is juicy and complemented by a fruity apricot and cranberry stuffing.

Available from:
Sainsbury's (£22.75 per kg)

Joint winner: M&S Oakham hot maple-glazed turkey crown

This will add some extra flavour to your Christmas table – judges loved the sticky, peppery hot maple glaze and stuffing packed with fruit.

Available from:
M&S (£50)
Ocado (£50)

Best alternative Christmas main

Winner: Booths British porchetta

Here’s an eye-catching centrepiece with moreish, salty, crunchy crackling. The pork is tender, with a herby filling rolled inside.

Available from:
Booths (£21, 1.55kg)

Runner-up: Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Discovery 35-day dry-aged Aberdeen Angus rump joint with a velvety tarragon & pepper cream sauce

A joint that's easy to cook and carve, and comes with a sharp mushroom sauce. The meat stayed tender and juicy in the centre once cooked.

Available from:
Sainsbury's, launching soon (£25)

Best gammon

Winner: M&S slow-cooked bone-in Heritage Gold pork gammon

This bone-in joint is deeply golden brown, with juicy meat that pulls apart easily and well-balanced levels of sweetness and smokiness, without being overpowering.

Available from:
M&S, launching soon (£36)

Best pigs in blankets

Winner: Tesco Finest 10 pork & caramelised onion pigs in blankets

Crispy bacon, flavourful sausage with visible herbs, plus a glaze for extra sweetness – this has everything we’re looking for when it comes to this classic side.

Available from:
Tesco, launching soon (£3.25)

Runner up: Lidl Deluxe pigs in blankets

A chunky sausage if you like larger pigs in blankets. This has good flavour that keeps its heat well.

Available from:
Lidl, launching soon

Best vegetarian main

Winner: M&S Collection mushroom, Barber’s cheddar & leek en croute

A good choice for a veggie centrepiece with beautifully burnished, crisp pastry. The filling has big chunks of mushroom, a creamy sauce and good seasoning.

Available from:
M&S in-store (£12.50)
Ocado (£12.50)

Festive desserts

Best Christmas cake

Winner: M&S perfectly matured iced fruit cake

We love this pretty cake; the layered floral design on the icing makes it feel special and luxurious. The cake is also a generous size, with lots of sultanas and nicely balanced spice, plus good almond flavour in the layer of marzipan.

Available from:
M&S in-store (£24)
Ocado (£22)

Best alternative Christmas cake

Winner: Booths enchanted forest cake

This has a very cute festive design with a pretty snowy scene. The icing is light and sweet, and the cake is fudgy and chocolatey.

Available from:
Booths, launching soon (£28)

Best Christmas pudding

Winner: M&S Collection 12-month matured Christmas pudding with pecans & panettone

Matured for a year, this is a delicious pudding with a tall, rounded shape, glossy appearance and firm texture. There's plenty of fruit and large chunks of nuts within, so it really delivers the flavour, including citrus and a hint of alcohol.

Available from:
M&S in-store (£16)
Ocado (£16)

Best showstopper dessert

Winner: Morrisons Signature Collection Belgian chocolate & praline star

This has a striking modern design, and is filled with a rich chocolate ganache. The praline adds crunch and a pronounced hazelnut flavour.

Available from:
Morrisons (£15)

Best trifle

Winner: Lidl Deluxe Amontillado sherry trifle

Made with premium sherry, this is a traditional trifle with a generous layer of jellied fruit, a hit of booze and thick custard to balance out the neatly piped cream on top.

Available from:
Lidl, launching soon (£4.99)

Runner-up: Aldi Specially Selected irresistible tiramisu trifle

A great alternative to traditional flavours, for those who love a tiramisu or coffee-flavoured pud. It has smart piping decoration and layers of rich coffee mousse.

Available from:
Aldi, launching soon (£4.99)

Best biscuit tin

Winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference chocolate chip shortbread present tin

The judges enjoyed these sweet, crumbly, buttery biscuits. They have satisfying crunch and are studded with creamy chocolate chips.

Available from:
Sainsbury's, launching soon (£8)

Runner-up: Morrisons milk biscuit selection

Crowd-pleasing chocolate biscuits with smooth, sweet milk chocolate and a well-balanced ratio of chocolate to biscuit.

Available from:
Morrisons (£6)

Festive bakes

Best classic mince pies

Winner: Morrisons The Best Signature Collection mince pies

Deep-filled mince pies with soft, buttery pastry and a pretty festive star design. The mincemeat filling is juicy and citrussy, with strong orange flavour.

Available from:
Morrisons (£2)

Runner-up: Booths six all butter mince pies

The pastry is pleasingly crumbly and the pies are neatly filled with sweet, jammy mincemeat.

Available from:
Booths, launching soon

Best flavoured mince pies

Winner: Morrisons The Best cherry bakewell mince pies

As well as the mincemeat, these have a frangipane topping that is soft with good almond flavour that’s not too sweet. Flaked almonds add a bit of crunch on top.

Available from:
Morrisons (£3.50)

Best gluten-free mince pies

Winner: Waitrose freefrom mince pies

Judges noted that the pastry has a great texture that's biscuity and crunchy, and it crumbles well. The mincemeat has plump fruit and a good level of citrus to balance the sweetness.

Available from:
Waitrose (£3)

Best vegan mince pie

Winner: Waitrose mince pies

A thin, crisp layer of pastry with deep golden edges and a generous level of mincemeat that contains plenty of juicy sultanas.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£2.25)

Runner-up: Asda OMV! mince pies

Pretty mince pies with crimped edges and a festive star – these would look great at a Christmas get-together. The pastry is crumbly and the mincemeat soft and smooth.

Available from:
Asda (£1.98)

The judging process

Thirteen supermarkets entered their best Christmas products in 18 categories. Food was prepared and cooked (following pack instructions) by an independent home economist. Packaging was removed and judges tasted all items blind, then submitted comments and a score out of 10 for each product via anonymous judging forms. The process was overseen by an independent adjudicator. This year, we tested 185 products to find the best in each category. We also awarded ‘highly commended’ status to high-scoring entries.

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@immediate.co.uk.