I tested supermarket Coronation strawberry trifles from Lidl, Asda and Tesco – I was shocked by how cheap the winner was
IT’S the retro 70s dessert that’s seen a renaissance - and now it’s been given the royal seal of approval.
King Charles’ pudding of choice chosen for his official Coronation menu is the iconic trifle.
Chef Adam Handling’s strawberry and ginger creation was paired with Ken Hom’s roast rack of lamb and Nadiya Hussain’s griddled aubergine starter.
The traditional dessert is made with fruit and sponge cake pieces set in jelly under a layer or custard and topped with whipped cream.
But in case you’ll be too busy celebrating to make your own tomorrow ahead of the coronation street parties, Julia Etherington trialled the supermarkets’ strawberry trifle offerings.
The winner is based on taste and value for money, with the winner the cheapest of the lot.
Aldi strawberry trifle (600g) £2.19
Rating: 2/5
Overall, I’d say this is ok considering it’s the cheapest in the trial, and certainly looks decent with its nicely presented cream topping.
The layers weren’t well defined and it didn’t have as much fruit in the jelly layer, but maybe it wouldn’t fit because there wasn’t that much jelly.
The cream also tasted a little too sweet, overshadowing the other two layers.
Lidl strawberry trifle (600g) £2.49
Rating 3/5
A decent trifle, remarkably similar to Aldi’s but with a slightly softer sponge and a darker coloured jelly than all the others in the test.
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Instead of lumps of sponge the cake forms a whole extra layer, which made it a bit too cakey.
There isn’t a very thick layer of custard, but taking a spoonful which gets a bit of every layer it tastes good.
Waitrose Essentials strawberry trifle (600g) £3.10
Rating: 4/5
Breaking through the cream and custard to reach the jelly and strawberries felt a little firmer than the others, which I liked.
It made it easier to be sure to bag a strawberry, which was surprising and deliciously juicy.
I thought the cream was a little too rich and thick, though.
It’s the only trifle from a supermarket’s ‘budget’ lin, and although a nice trifle, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra money.
Morrisons strawberry trifle (600g) £2.49
Rating: 2/5
I feel this trifle is on a par with Lidl’s. The cake, despite being in a wet pudding, seems a little dry.
The custard and cream were double the thickness of the jelly, but tasted good.
But the layer of jelly was lacking in thickness and pieces of fruit.
Asda strawberry trifle (600g) £3
Rating: 5/5
The king of the trifle test, this pudding is a taste sensation and definitely tasted better than I expected for its £3 price tag.
Not too sweet, Asda has come up with the perfect pud, with a layer of cream above creamy custard and cake, packed in juicy jelly with plenty of strawberries.
The supermarket also had the widest range of trifle flavours I’ve seen - eight flavours from chocolate to raspberry.
Top marks for catering to the widest audience.
M&S strawberry compote trifle (600g) £4
Rating: 3/5
This one tasted really nice, just the right balance of cream, custard and compote, but disappointingly no actual strawberries to bite into.
It’s a bit like having a layer of jam when it would be good to have something to bite into in contrast to the runny cream and custard.
Although the layers were well defined, adding a nice look, it was quite runny so not worth double the cost of the winning trifle.
Sainsbury’s strawberry trifle (600g) £3.10
Rating: 4/5
This is an attractive looking trifle with layers that look perfectly proportioned, and only a thin layer of cake.
Sadly the cream is a little too rich but the custard is nice and creamy, and it does have a good amount of jelly and strawberries to bring its score up.
It’s a great pudding if you want a treat, but I preferred Asda’s which is also marginally cheaper.
Tesco strawberry trifle (600g) £3
Rating: 2/5
Some effort has been made to make the cream topping look pretty - perfect for parties as it’s an attractive-looking dessert.
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But beneath the pretty surface lurks layers which have merged together, cake which has soaked into the jelly, and only modest halves of strawberries.
It just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.