11 hours Ago By [email protected] (Ketsuda Phoutinane, Unzela Khan)
In the same way there's no such thing as a bad pizza, I made the mistake of assuming the same of pigs in blankets. It's a cocktail sausage wrapped in bacon - at its fundamental level, it's a delicious bite of food we're all happy to see at Christmas dinner. Like beans on toast or Scotch eggs, it's much of muchness that just works; meat wrapped in meat, stodge on stodge.
Worried there would be little to say on the matter, I picked up a sampling from my local shops - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. I assumed such a simple side could neither be that good or bad until I tried Sainsbury's - the very worst of the bunch. Testing four supermarket pigs in blankets To keep the playing ground fair, I sought out the standard pack of each supermarket's offerings, avoiding both the cheapest or the finest.
Marks and Spencer - The easy winner Rating: 9/10 This year M&S is wrapping all its pigs in blankets in a full rasher of bacon, rather than half. And even though it's got twice the meat, it's somehow the nicest and tidiest looking of them all and the extra serving doesn't overwhelm. At first glance, Marks and Spencer's pigs in blankets looked like a winner - and it happened to taste like one too, reports the Mirror .
The cocktail sausage's subtle snap and peppery, rich taste plays off the double helping of bacon nicely. Though it's the second oiliest - Sainsbury's beating it hands down - I don't mind it and it'd be my pick for Christmas dinner. M&S British Outdoor Bred Pigs in Blankets, priced at £4.
75 from Ocado or £5.50 from MandS (check your local shops for a 4 for 3 deal), are a festive favourite. Waitrose Rating: 8.
5/10 It seems pigs in blankets can be quite elevated, and it's Waitrose offering the most interesting and expensive of the bunch. Their pigs in blankets offer heaps of flavour - herby, juicy and well seasoned, the sausage is the most flavourful I've had. However, the maple element of the bacon doesn't shine through, and it's a less than generous serving of bacon that doesn't fully cover the sausage.
Despite this, the overall effect is still nice as the edges crisp up nicely. If pigs in blankets are being passed around as an appetiser at your festive do, these would be the perfect pick. They're a bit smaller than the others, easily eaten in two bites without having to tear through stringy bacon.
Though if you'd rather they play a supportive role on your dinner plate, its bolder flavour could be divisive. Waitrose Christmas 12 Pigs in Blankets are priced at £6, Tesco Rating: 7/10 These remind me of a hot dog, which from me is only a compliment. Costco hot dogs are a once-a-year treat when I'm able to go with my brother, a card-carrying member, and I love them as much as any fancy food.
These were a top choice, with a perfectly browned rasher of bacon wrapped around the hot dog-like sausage. However, they narrowly missed out on second place when an unpleasant crunch revealed a hard piece of cartilage hidden inside. Tesco 12 British Pigs In Blankets 222G, £2.
50. Sainsbury's A greasy, processed disaster. Rating: 1/10 This option shattered my assumption that all pigs in blankets are more or less acceptable.
Sainsbury's pigs in blankets are a sensory nightmare, oozing with oil and excessively processed. The unpleasant taste isn't the first thing you notice - the awful texture hits you first. One bite and a scorching layer of grease coats your mouth, lingering even after you hastily grab a paper towel to dab at the oily residue on your lips.
I take a closer look at the sausage itself, which is so smooth it's reminiscent of cat vomit - not the chunky kind that comes up immediately after eating, but the well-digested kind that appears hours later. Even my meat-loving husband struggled to finish this, commenting: "The sausage feels and tastes bad more than anything." So save your money this Christmas - avoid this option.
Sainsbury's Butcher's Choice British Pork and British Bacon Pigs In Blankets x12 260g, £3.25 or £2.50 with Nectar Card.
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