The Great Blueberry Muffin Taste Test!
Ta ra! Roll of drums, fireworks, dancing girls. The great blueberry muffin taste taste is here!!!!
I started this "Aldi Tasted" blog and my other (rather smaller) "Lidl Tasted" blog, last year to see which of the two shops were the better. I never kept up with it, but they are my most popular blogs, and people keep asking me questions about Aldi and Lidl food, so this week I have gone round several supermarkets to get together several product to do some really impressive taste tests. So here we have blueberry muffins from Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's.
I reviewed Aldi Holly Lane Blueberry Muffins in February 2016, and I gave them a score of 6 out of 10. But I wasn't really comparing them to anything else, so the score was, I suppose, fairly random. Now we have some real competition!
Prices go from 85p for Lidl and Aldi. £1 for Asda. £1.20 for Tesco. And a crikey moses £1.85 for the Sainsburys. Are they serious?
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| All the muffins on a plate |
Get the muffins out of the packets and onto a plate together, and it's already looking clear which muffins look most promising. There are two large muffins bursting with blueberries, and three smaller less exciting specimens.
Cut the muffins in half and the goodness inside is revealed. We know there is a huge price difference between these. But now we see why. The three cheaper ones at the top are quite pale compared to the juicy looking ones at the bottom: the two most expensive ones - Sainsbury's and Tesco.
I just looked at the ingredients. They all contain 13% blueberries except Lidl which has "33% more blueberries" yet contains only 8%. The difference appears to be not the quantity, but the quality and freshness. Sainsbury's and Tesco use all fresh, while the others use dried blueberries for all or part of the 13% content . Also the others have way more chemicals listed in the ingredients than the Sainsbury's
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| The goodness inside is revealed |
I just looked at the ingredients. They all contain 13% blueberries except Lidl which has "33% more blueberries" yet contains only 8%. The difference appears to be not the quantity, but the quality and freshness. Sainsbury's and Tesco use all fresh, while the others use dried blueberries for all or part of the 13% content . Also the others have way more chemicals listed in the ingredients than the Sainsbury's
Oh my gosh the Sainsbury's one is gorgeous. Moist, light, melts in your mouth, tastes fresh with a delicate balance of fresh sweet juicy blueberries and cake.
The Tesco one is stodgy. It is heavy and chewy and sticks to your mouth. It tastes like blueberry flavoured cake.
The Aldi one is soft and sweet. Its like sweet sliced white bread but more crumbly. There is blueberry flavour, but quite light, and not fresh and juicy.
The Asda one is like a sponge cake, but a little denser. It is is dry and characterless There is a light blueberry flavour.
Lidl is likeable, but is more cake than blueberry, and there is an artificial flavour to it. Lidl and Tesco are our usual muffins, but they don't really compare with Sainsbury's. The nearest in flavour to the sumptuous (and expensive) Sainsbury's is Tesco, but it's quite stodgy.
The Sainsbury's muffin stands head and shoulders above the rest, but it is more than twice the price of the cheaper ones. The Aldi and Lidl ones are really quite edible and tasty. They don't really compare in terms of quality with Sainsbury's, but they are both quite likeable, and at that price, they are ideal for everyday breakfast. Yes, if you are having your boyfriend/girlfriend staying the night, and want to impress them with a lovely breakfast in the morning, it is well worth getting the Sainsbury's muffins as they will love you and marry you for ever. But once married, you'll settle for having Lidl or Aldi, and save the cash towards buying a house.
The Sainsbury's muffin stands head and shoulders above the rest, but it is more than twice the price of the cheaper ones. The Aldi and Lidl ones are really quite edible and tasty. They don't really compare in terms of quality with Sainsbury's, but they are both quite likeable, and at that price, they are ideal for everyday breakfast. Yes, if you are having your boyfriend/girlfriend staying the night, and want to impress them with a lovely breakfast in the morning, it is well worth getting the Sainsbury's muffins as they will love you and marry you for ever. But once married, you'll settle for having Lidl or Aldi, and save the cash towards buying a house.
Result:
Best tasting blueberry muffin - Sainsbury's.
Best value for money blueberry muffin - Aldi / Lidl
Best value for money blueberry muffin - Aldi / Lidl
