Tested
JUST DESSERTS
I tested all the supermarket Christmas desserts – the cut-price winner is a great swap for Xmas pudding
Laura Stott tastes and rates a selection of sweet treats in stores
MOVE over mince pies and pass on the Christmas pud – this year it is all about ending your meal with showstopper Yuletide desserts.
With most supermarkets offering ready-made and pre-frozen options, they are a great way to save yourself a bit of time and money.
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Laura Stott tastes and rates a selection of sweet treats in stores.
Deluxe Sticky Toffee Bombe £2.49, 227g, Lidl - 2/5
A FESTIVE-themed sponge made with dates, caramel and an oozing, thick toffee sauce that seeps out when you spoon into it.
This decadent dessert is extremely sweet and designed to serve two people.
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There’s plenty to go around and it heats up quickly in the microwave, or you can steam cook it more slowly the old-fashioned way.
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A nice alternative to the traditional Crimbo pudding, especially if you don’t have lots of diners over.
It is quite pricey for the amount you get, though, and does not offer much wow factor.
Salted Caramel Profiterole Stack £4, 164g, Marks and Spencer or ocado.com - 4/5
BRONZED icing and golden dusting certainly looks festive – and it would make a lovely alternative pudding when you don’t have many mouths to feed.
Delicious choux pastry filled with whipping cream and topped with salted caramel sauce, it is very rich so you only need one or two pastries.
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No one would blame you if you demolish the whole stack, though.
Extremely tasty and well-priced, especially for a more artisan-style patisserie product.
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Ideal for rounding off a romantic Yuletide dinner for two. Yummy.
Santa’s Sleigh Chocolate Mousse £6, 500g, Morrisons - 2/5
TRIES hard to bring the wow factor to your Christmas table but falls short of being a complete showstopper.
A sleigh-shaped mousse is a nice idea but unfortunately it doesn’t really resemble Santa’s wheels as much as you’d hope.
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Once it is turned out on to the plate it is more like a big brown blob.
If you don’t have a sweet tooth, a slice of this isn’t going to be your top pick and it’s all a bit one flavour.
A fun idea, especially for families, and a great alternative to cake.
But ultimately a little bit boring to look at and eat.
Extra Special Raspberry Pistachio & Passion Fruit Pavlova Wreath £7, 438g, Asda - 4/5
IT looked gorgeous on the table with its jewelled raspberry colours, splashes of vibrant passion fruit and appetising nibs of pistachio nuts.
The tasty meringue was light, crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle then topped with cream, fruit and berries.
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Not overly filling if you don’t want to completely overindulge.
You could add extra berries on top and some holly, but it’s a nice centrepiece served straight out of the box.
Effortless, and there is plenty to go around.
Taste The Difference Chocolate & Praline Choux Tower £9 (£6 with Nectar card), 420g, Sainsbury’s - 4/5
SHIMMERY and sparkling, looks fab on the table and tastes rather yummy as well.
Made with layers of choux pastry, chocolate fudge sauce and praline cream, it’s extremely indulgent but manages to stay just the right side of being overtly sickly.
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It’s then topped with chocolate ganache, more milk chocolate shavings and hazelnut pieces.
Buy frozen and remove from the freezer 90 minutes before you want to scoff.
Perfect for social media snaps and guaranteed to get a great reception.
Lemon Meringue and White Chocolate Sponge £2.99, 300g, Aldi - 3/5
A LITTLE bit different and excellent value for a dessert that will feed four people.
A buttery base with Sicilian lemon curd, lemon oil and meringue pieces, the citrus aroma of this yellow sponge is fresh, although a bit artificial.
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Heat it up in the microwave or on the hob and serve on a platter.
A December dessert for any evening you want something festive but inexpensive.
However, the promised snowflake effect on the top, shown on the box, wasn’t replicated on the pud I turned out, which was disappointing.
Luxury Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska £6, 506g, Iceland - 3/5
A FAFF to prepare but worth the effort if you want to bring a bountiful centrepiece out at the end of your Christmas meal.
Once you have prised it from packaging, pop the pud on the wire rack on the grill pan.
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Warm for two minutes to achieve colour on the top, then remove the outer tray – which was fiddlier than it sounds.
Defrost for 25 minutes then it’s ready to serve.
Very sweet but moreish, and it does look great on the table.
A useful, affordable and tasty pud to have in the freezer.
Finest Forest Berry Meringue Wreath £6.50 (£5.80 with Clubcard), 518g, Tesco - 5/5
IF you enjoy Black Forest-style cherry flavours, then you’ll love this seasonal showstopper.
It hits that sweet-sour spot nicely with a boozy kick too.
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It is made of crispy and chewy meringue topped with sloe gin and cherry cream, adorned with blackberries, sour cherries, sloe gin and cherry sauce, plus dark chocolate shavings.
Fresh, tasty and a nice alternative to a heavy Christmas steamed pudding.
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Hassle-free too.
Just get it out of the freezer a couple of hours before you want to serve.
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