Category: Reviews

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The Taste Test: Cream Cheese

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I think cream cheese is a bit of an unsung kitchen hero. I always have a tub of it lurking in my fridge. You can use it in savoury dishes – spread on toast or or a bagel or as the base for building a wrap, of course, but also to thicken sauces and soups, or to enrich bread dough and pastry. You can use it in desserts – cheesecake is the obvious answer, but it’s also great in buttercream that benefits from a savoury edge (not just cream cheese icing but in peanut butter and caramel frostings too) and is a fantastic filling for all sorts of stuff, complemented particularly well by fruit.

Yes, you can buy lots of fancy varieties of cream cheese these days, spiked with herbs and garlic or rippled with chilli. But I like the plain and simple stuff: it’s versatile, cheap, and lasts for ages. And, really, there are few things I like more than a freshly toasted bagel covered liberally in cream cheese with a mound of smoked salmon.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of cream cheese or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Cream Cheese

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Cream Cheese
100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Sainsbury’s
0.45
258
25
2.8
0.5
5.4
0.55
Philadelphia
0.56
235
21.5
4.0
0.2
5.5
0.75
Tesco
0.44
285
27.4
4.0
1.6
4.7
0.5
Aldi
0.25
243
23
3.4
1.1
5.4
0.72
Waitrose
0.38
285
27.4
4.0
1.6
4.7
0.53

A – Philadelphia- 7/10

  • Looked smooth in comparison to some of the others. Tasted rich and creamy and mild, with a little welcome acidity but not too much. Nothing surprising but a good base all-rounder.

B – Aldi- 7/10

  • Immediately less smooth and more craggy than A, visually, and it came through on the taste, but it was still enjoyable. More of a savoury, cheese-y taste than the first sample. Not bad at all, but a very different thing to A.

C – Waitrose- 5/10

  • Smooth. Much firmer and chalkier than the first two samples. Less flavour than A or B. Dissolves away in your mouth. Fine but undistinguished.

D – Tesco- 3/10

  • Looks and tastes less smooth than the other samples. Quite flavourless and very obviously grainy in the mouth.

E – Sainsbury’s – 6/10

  • Creamy and smooth. Similar to sample A in that it was creamy rather than cheese-y. Pleasant enough but unremarkable.

Conclusions

I was surprised that there was a visual difference between the samples. Some looked obviously creamier, some were crumblier. This carried through on the taste: I wondered if I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them, but actually I could, easily.

There were two camps here: creamy and cheese-y. Philadelphia was the winner, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the creamy camp, although Sainsbury’s a close second. These mild samples would both be great for use in desserts particularly. Aldi, though, was the winner for the cheese-y side – this tasted far more like soft cheese than like cream. It has a lot of flavour, and would be great for savoury things like sauces and soups.

This will be the last in my Taste Test series for a little while, as my real job is sucking up a lot of my time. But I am planning the next round! So if you have anything you would like me to put to the test, please comment and leave your ideas below…

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The Taste Test: Falafel

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I absolutely love falafel. Also hummus. Falafel and hummus together, ideally. Chickpea on chickpea. I don’t know why I find them so comforting, but I genuinely adore them. Of course, you can make falafel yourself. And I sometimes do. But, to be perfectly honest, it is a bit of a hassle. If you want them to be really excellent you have to deep fry them. I don’t have a deep fryer (thank god, really, because I’d never stop using it if I did), so I have to faff about with a pan and hot oil and even though it’s perfectly doable, I am lazy enough that I don’t do it too often.

So, mostly, I buy falafel. And that’s perfectly okay. But I’ve never thought too much about what kind of falafel I buy, preferring to simply chuck the cheapest option directly into my open mouth. It’s silly, though, because good, proper falafel are a wonderful thing, and worth getting right. Yes, the best are fresh from the fryer, hot and crisp and perfectly seasoned. But since we don’t live in a perfect world, most often it’s the supermarket version that will simply have to do.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of falafel or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Falafel

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Falafel
per 100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Waitrose
1.56
256
12.9
23.9
7.7
7.3
0.91
Aldi
0.64
245
12
26
5.7
6.3
1.4
Tesco
1.64
208
9
20.3
7.2
7.6
0.9
Sainsbury’s
1.00
281
15.5
25.2
6.4
6.8
1.25
Cauldron
0.63
268
14
25
6.0
7.5
1.5

A – Tesco – 4/10

  • Holds itself together well, doesn’t fall apart when you bite into it. A bit too dry when eating. A little bland – some spiciness of the finish but not enough salt. Not offensive but not interesting.

B – Aldi – 6/10

  • More texture than A. Obvious chunks of chickpea, more flavour. Still a little bland. Tastes of chickpea but not a lot else. Could do with more spice and salt, but basically fine.

C – Cauldron- 7/10

  • Obviously visually different from all the others. Much lighter and softer, not at all dry. Very smooth. Flavour of chickpeas, and a bit of a herby taste too. A nice spiciness on the aftertaste. Could do with a little more salt.

D – Waitrose – 8/10

  • Really different from the others. Chunks of onion and chickpea are obvious. Sweeter than the others, in a good way, but more spiciness too. Tastes of real ingredients, not a bland paste.

E – Sainsbury’s – 4/10

  • Not particularly fresh or natural tasting, but not awful either. Fine, but very nondescript.

Conclusions

Two front-runners here. The Waitrose falafel were  the tastiest and the clear winner. They were actually sweet potato falafel – I couldn’t find a sample of plain own-brand falafel in the shop – but what really made them stand out from the pack was the fact that they tasted like they had been made from real, natural ingredients that you could identify on eating.

The Cauldron falafel are probably a brand leader and I really liked those too, although they were very different from the other samples, being softer and lighter. It seems falafel are such simple little things, and comparatively fresh, so you can’t really get away with just using cheap ingredients and not bothering to season them properly.

All of them would be fine in a wrap or doused in hummus, but I was really surprised and interested at the vast gulf between the basic and the high-end offerings here – I will definitely buy Cauldron in the future, whereas before I would not have bothered with a brand, thinking that supermarket own would be just as good.

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The Taste Test: Mint Tea

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So, I don’t actually drink tea or coffee. I know, I know. However, inconveniently I am also the coldest human in the world. I am always freezing, and if I had my choice I’d live in rooms heated to sauna levels. Whenever the uninitiated walk into our flat they are always horrified by how oppressively hot I keep it. This means that in air-conditioned offices, where other people get to set the temperature to average human levels, I have to wrap myself in a blanket to keep at a stage above hypothermia. Ideally I would be one of those people who sets up an IV drip of tea throughout the day. But I hate tea. It’s just like dirty water, I don’t get it. So occasionally, when it’s really grim, I resort to mint tea. Which is more bearable.

All of this, I realise, is a very bad way of starting off a Taste Test post about tea. What I am basically saying is that I don’t like tea and I am a bad person to recommend what type you buy. Look at it like this: I have no tea loyalty or preconceptions or ideas about what brands are good. It’s like a virgin tea palette. I assumed I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them. Surprisingly, I was wrong.

Also, as you will see, the nutritional content table is basically non-existent this time. Because it’s pretty much just water. And the prices per 100g are really high because you never buy tea per 100g – a normal box is about 30g or something.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of tea or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Mint Tea

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Mint Tea
per 100g
£
Twinings
3.10
Waitrose Moroccan Mint
7.90
Teapigs
10
Diplomat Aldi
1.25
Tesco
1.98
Sainsbury’s
1.90

A – Sainsbury’s – 3/10

  • Doesn’t actually taste much like mint. A little on the aftertaste, but not so much on the drinking. Also a little artificial and plastic-y. Leaves you with a not particularly pleasant toothpaste kind of feeling.

B – Teapigs – 6/10

  • Immediately smells more minty than A. This comes through on the taste – you have the tingle of mint on your tongue. Definitely more enjoyable but not exactly great.

C – Twinings – 7/10

  • A bit of a mint scent, though not as strong as B. However, more flavour on the taste – less just like water. A little more enjoyable.

D – Tesco – 7/10

  • A different smell to the others – slightly sweeter. A more rounded taste – less like mouthwash than some of the others. Probably my favourite.

E – Waitrose – 4/10

  • A very unusual smell, not in a particularly good way. Carries through on the taste. I really didn’t enjoy it.

F – Diplomat – Aldi – 7/10

  • Smells more like mint. Nothing to write home about, but probably one of the nicer samples overall. A standard mint taste.

Conclusions

So, I still don’t like tea, as you might be able to tell from the rather lacklustre tasting notes. Hey, I thought it was worth a shot.

All the tea samples looked very, very similar, but there was a surprising amount of variation in the smell and taste of each sample. I thought Twinings, Tesco, and Aldi were all decent enough samples – and you can see that there’s a real variation in price between those products.

However, what you’re really paying for here is style, design, and packaging, I think. I was handed the samples ready made, so I didn’t see the aesthetics of the thing. But the more expensive teabags came in fancy boxes and had more packaging, and had those teabag strings and things that stop you losing them in the mug. I think the more expensive brands are as much about the pleasure and ease of the tea ritual as anything else. So if that’s important to you then it might be worth taking into consideration. But… it’s not important to me. So I guess I’d just get the Aldi ones and be done with it. Or have a nice clean glass of water instead.

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The Taste Test: Tomato Ketchup

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I thought ketchup would be a good subject for The Taste Test because it’s one of those products where there is a clear brand leader. Most people are probably accustomed to just habitually buying Heinz and paying more money for it, me included. But I suspected that this would be one of these tests where, actually, the cheaper own brands had a lot to offer. Read on to see if I was right…

I can actually take or leave ketchup.  I know some people are completely evangelical about it and eat it on everything, but I have no strong feelings. It’s alright on chips. I can live without it. Do any of your guys have an obsessive love for a particular condiment? Please don’t shun me, ketchup-lovers.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of ketchup or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Tomato Ketchup

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Ketchup
per 100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Sainsbury’s
0.13
95
0.5
19.9
2.3
1.9
0.97
Heinz
0.33
102
0.1
23.2
1.2
1.8
Essential Waitrose
0.13
103
0.2
23.4
1.4
1.2
1.45
Aldi Bramwell
0.08
108
1.0
23
1.2
1.3
1.7
Wilkin & Sons
0.69
182
0
41
1.5
1.2
Tesco
0.16
110
0.4
23.6
0.9
1.3
1.3

A – Waitrose – 5/10

  • Runny, slides on the spoon, separating a little bit. Smells tomatoey and slightly acidic – how I’d expect classic ketchup to smell. Quite an acidic taste. Tomato flavour is there but tastes a bit tinned.

B – Aldi Bramwell – 5/10

  • Very smooth. A less sharp and distinct smell than A, but a sharpness on taste and not much more than that. A bit too acidic, but not bad. Nondescript.

C – Wilkin and Sons – 8/10

  • Holds its shape well. Smells different to previous samples – not as sharp, more like tomato. Tastes rich and sweet, with a good balance of acidity and a nice texture. More of a tomato sauce taste than classic ketchup.

D – Tesco – 4/10

  • Holds shape well. Smooth and firm. Tastes very sharp – the sharpest sample. Too acidic and vinegary for me.

E – Sainsbury’s – 6/10

  • Smooth and mild. Doesn’t taste particularly sharp, but not dull either. A bit sweeter than some of the other samples – well balanced. Pleasant enough.

F – Heinz – 7/10

  • Tastes the nicest in terms of standard ketchup. Not too sharp or too sweet. Nothing to write home about, but a good example of a classic ketchup that’s well balanced and nice to eat.

Conclusions

Huge amounts of ketchup smell surprisingly nice. I was not expecting it to, but the savoury tomato scent made me hungry.

So, funnily enough, I actually did think that the Heinz ketchup was the nicest of the standard samples. The Wilkin and Sons was my actual favourite, but that was a very different style of product, and would probably be good for different things. If you’re just dunking chips, though, the Sainsbury’s own brand would do the job very well too. It’s worth noting that, gram for gram, Heinz is well over twice as expensive as the Sainsbury’s offering…

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The Taste Test: Raspberry Jam

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Well, I chose raspberry jam, because that’s my favourite jam. ‘That’s everyone’s favourite jam’, said James, but I don’t think that’s true? I feel like quite a lot of people would say strawberry? Anyway, me being me, my actual favourite jam is probably some obscure homemade artisan Morello cherry and Cognac monstrosity that I haven’t even tried yet, but certainly my favourite day-to-day jam is raspberry. It’s lovely on croissants. It’s excellent with peanut butter. Pop it in-between some cakes and you’ve got yourself a party.

Also, obviously I went for jam with seeds because I don’t get seedless jam. Just why?

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of jam or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Raspberry Jam

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Raspberry Jam
per 100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Sainsbury’s Organic
0.44
248
0.5
59
2.1
0.8
0.05
St Dalfour
0.77
237
0.8
56
2
0.5
0.02
Bonne Maman
0.50
239
0.2
57
3.4
0.7
Waitrose
0.52
247
0.6
58.8
2.2
0.6
0.13
Grandessa Aldi
0.13
244
0.5
61
0.5
0.5
0.05
Tesco
0.17
262
0.5
63
1.9
0.4
0.2

A – St Dalfour – 6/10

  • Firm, holds its shape well on the spoon. Very, very seedy. I like seeds but this might be a bit much for me – it’s like a seed paste. Good balance of sharpness and sweetness, and decent raspberry flavour.

B – Waitrose – 7/10

  • Smoother and less seedy than A. Sharper too, with more of a raspberry flavour than A. Tastes naturally fruity – very enjoyable.

C – Grandessa Aldi – 6/10

  • Much less structure, running off the spoon, very loose. Very sweet – a bit too sweet for my palate. Not a bad flavour though. Would probably be nicer on toast with the neutral bread to balance the sweetness.

D – Bonne Maman – 8/10

  • Dark, rich, and thick, holds shape well. Substantial. Not too sweet, a great balance. Full on raspberry flavour.

E – Tesco – 3/10

  • Holding shape well, not running everywhere. Much lighter in colour than some of the other samples. Tastes a bit artificial and cloying with sweetness – like raw jelly cubes – with an odd texture and aftertaste.

F – Sainsbury’s – 5/10

  • Fine, but nothing special, and again a bit too sweet. Another one with an odd texture.

Conclusions

Well, here we have a Taste Test where the fancy, pricier brands won out. I guess it makes sense here, in a way: more expensive product = higher fruit content and less bulking out with cheap sugar. Most of these would be fine for casual toast-consumption, but if you want to go for something a bit special, for an event cake for example, then I wouldn’t kick that Bonne Maman stuff out of bed, and the Waitrose one was nice too. Neither were actually the most expensive either, which is an unexpected bonus.

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The Taste Test: Honey

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Honey is one of those things that I always have in the cupboard, but haven’t ever really thought about that much. I sometimes have it on toast, drizzled over baked goats’ cheese, or use it in baking. It’s great in tea with lemon and fresh ginger. I use it in salad dressings. But I’ve never been too discerning about what brand I buy.

This was an interesting test, and tricky in a way, because there are so many different types of honey. So many. Different flowers, different fruits, different sets and consistencies. I have avoided set honey and manuka honey for the sake of consistency, but I am aware that the samples don’t exactly correlate. Some of them are based on specific flowers and so on. But it’s really tricky to find six different samples of exactly the same breed of honey, so just go with me on this.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of honey or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Honey

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Honey
per 100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Sainsbury’s
0.29
329
0.5
81.5
0.5
0.5
0.03
Waitrose
1.17
307
0
76.4
0
0.4
0.03
Rowse
0.84
329
0.5
81.5
0.5
0.5
0.03
Aldi – Everyday Essentials
0.29
328
0.5
82
0.5
0.5
0.01
Wilkin & Sons
1.51
355
0
86
0
0
0
Hilltop Honey
1.76
333
0.5
83
0.5
0.5
0.02
Tesco Finest
0.88
326
0.1
81.0
0.1
0.5
0.01

A – Rowse – 6/10

  • A deep amber colour. Fairly thin, very runny. Doesn’t smell like anything other than generic honey. Tastes quite floral – nice depth of flavour, not just pure sugar on the palate.

B – Aldi – 5/10

  • Lighter, a pale gold. Thicker and more viscous than A. Tastes sweet – generically sugary rather than carrying a specific flavour.

C – Wilkin & Sons – 7/10

  • A pale yellow gold. Much thicker than A or B, really coats a spoon. A interesting, complex scent. Sweet, but with an interesting flavour – elements of citrus. Enjoyable to eat.

D – Hilltop Honey – 7/10

  • The palest honey by far, almost clear. Medium thickness. Great taste. A bitter backnote against the sweetness, which gives it a complex and rounded flavour.

E – Tesco Finest – 3/10

  • One of the darkest, a rich orange. Thick, clinging to the spoon. A very distinctive taste, which I personally did not like. What I thought was an odd and unpleasant flavour – a sourness.

F – Sainsbury’s – 7/10

  • Mid golden colour. Quite thin. Smells lovely. Quite a lot of flavour – a floral taste.

G – Waitrose – 3/10

  • One of the darkest and thickest samples – really clings to a spoon. An odd smell and taste, which I found really quite unpleasant.

Conclusions

E (Tesco) and G (Waitrose) were notably different to all of the other samples. The rest were all subtly different from each other, but enjoyable in their own ways. All of those would be fine for eating, using in baking, or anything you might choose to use honey for. This might be one of those matters of personal taste – I’m not sure if any of these were objectively bad – but I certainly wouldn’t buy samples E or G again. They had an incredibly strong taste and smell, and I can’t imagine what I would use them for.

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The Taste Test: Mayonnaise

1 Comment

I am opening 2018 with a special Taste Test post. This is the first session for which I have had brought in a consultant. A specialist, if you will. My lovely friend Daisy is excellent in all respects, but kind of weird in that her favourite food is mayonnaise. ‘How much can a person really like mayonnaise?’ you might wonder. A lot, is the answer. I am not a mayonnaise expert, and there were a lot of samples to get through, so I brought in Daisy to do the heavy lifting on this one. Also I wasn’t as delighted with the concept of eating a whole load of mayonnaise as she was.

And we ate the mayonnaise on bread. We’re not animals.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of mayonnaise or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that we tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making our notes we didn’t know which product came from which shop. We sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when we learned which who had made product A, B, C and so on.

The Blind Taste Test: Mayonnaise

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Mayonnaise
per 100g
£
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Hellmann’s
0.75
721
79
1.3
1.1
1.5
Wilkin & Sons
0.92
748
81
3.5
1.8
1.27
Tesco
0.22
691
75
2.5
1.5
1.0
Waitrose
0.24
685
73
5.9
1.1
1.1
Sainsbury’s
0.23
677
73.2
3.5
1.0
0.9
Bramwell (Aldi)
0.12
722
78
3.9
0.8
0.96
Delouis
1.00
741
80
0.6
2
1.7

A – Tesco – 6/10

  • Looks very standard. Smells pretty lemony. Quite creamy, but fairly bland and a bit too oily. A bit of sharpness and a lemony flavour, but not salty enough. Fine, perfectly edible, but not very exciting.

B – Aldi – 3/10

  • Neutral colour. Thicker consistency than A. A bit of a strange taste – sour, but not in a good way. Not very pleasant to eat.

C – Sainsbury’s – 7/10

  • Tastes milder than the first two options. Quite light and quite creamy, but a good level of sharpness and salt too. Generally a pleasant sample, and good to eat.

D – Waitrose – 6/10

  • A very sharp smell, almost vinegar-y, that carries through on the taste. Light in texture, not oily. Not bad at all, but worth bearing in mind that it’s very sharp, so depends what you want to use it for.

E – Wilkin and Sons – 3/10

  • A very odd taste – weirdly sweet, especially in comparison to the other samples. Not enough sharpness, very cloying. Very different to the others.

F – Delouis – 8/10

  • Most visually different – very yellow, like butter. Tasted completely different to the other samples. A good lemon flavour, and really tasted like it contained real eggs. Interesting, complex. Good level of saltiness too.

G – Hellmann’s – 5/10

  • Looks very white. No particular smell, and that carries through to the taste – nothing distinctive. Nothing wrong with it, but very dull. A good vehicle for other stuff.

Conclusions

I didn’t know if I would be able to taste the difference between the different types of mayonnaise, as it’s not something I eat lots of or feel particularly strongly about, but actually the samples were all really distinctive, so this was more interesting than I thought it might be.

So, two favourites here. If you’re looking for a good, cheap, standard option, then Sainsbury’s own is your winner. We both preferred it to Hellmann’s, and it’s less than half the price of the brand leader. If you’re looking for something a bit special to go alongside something fancy, then the Delouis is delicious and was the favourite sample for both of us. It’s also by far the most expensive option. Sometimes these experiments are surprising and the cheapest thing is the most delicious, but sometimes you have to pay for quality.

Also, at the risk of invalidating this entire post, homemade mayonnaise is delicious, and actually pretty simple to make. Just saying.

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Review: The Jericho Tavern

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The Jericho Tavern has a lot of history behind it. It’s a bit of an Oxford institution, in no small part due to its dedicated venue space where a lot of celebrated bands have played. While other pubs and restaurants around it have come and gone, The Jericho has remained. My husband, as a musician, has both played and attended several gigs there. They also run lots of other events: I once went to a yoga class that ran upstairs (#pubyoga is the only way you might get me to exercise). The pub has a lot of memories attached to it, both for us and for lots of other people in Oxford. So when we heard it had been given a bit of a face lift, and had a shiny new menu, we were only too happy to go along and check it out.

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The main pub downstairs is huge, but manages to feel cosy rather than cavernous thanks to its deep blue walls, plush comfy benches, hidden away corners, and the friendly welcome we received on arrival. The dining area boasts huge windows with pretty stained glass that let in a lot of light and make The Jericho the perfect spot for watching the world come and go on Walton Street.

The menus are all available online, if you fancy a gander, but there’s a sandwich menu, a main menu, and a Sunday menu. Food is ordered at the bar. We were ordering off the main menu, which was full of tempting choices. The Sharers section looked great, particularly the Burger Board with its selection of twelve little burgers, but even we’d struggle to manage a dozen burgers between two people so sadly it was not to be this time. The snacks were also tempting, particularly the Pulled Pork Pie and the handmade Scotch Egg, but we were there for proper lunch. And proper lunch we got.

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I went for the 21 Day Aged Sirloin Steak, Mini Yorkshire Puddings Filled with Caramelised Onions, Triple Cooked Chips and Horseradish Butter. You know, a simple, light, healthy weekday lunch. Yup. James had the Chicken, Portobello Mushroom, Leek & Pancetta Pie with Roasted Roots and Triple Cooked Chips.

Unusually, James definitely won on ordering here. I sometimes choose steak as a good litmus test for a new menu – something simple that’s easy to do well but is often done badly – but I would definitely have plumped for James’s lunch if I was choosing between the two. My steak tasted great and had a lot of flavour, which I enjoyed, but it was a little tough. The menu advertised miniature Yorkshires filled with caramelised onions, but as you can see from the picture, I got one Yorkshire and a pot of caramelised onions on the side. Nothing wrong with that, but if you’re going to specify mini Yorkshires you might as well serve them. The horseradish butter was great, though, and the chips were absolutely excellent. Perfectly crispy outside, fluffy inside, well-seasoned, and addictive. Exactly as chips should be.

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James’s pie, while deceptively simple in appearance. was very tasty. Great pastry, buttery and full of flavour with a lovely flake and crunch, and a satisfyingly rich and meaty filling. His chips were as great as the ones that came with the steak, and the roasted root vegetables, while not especially exciting, tasted lovely.

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By this point, James was ‘too full for dessert’. This is not a state I really understand, because I am never too full for dessert, so I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and got two spoons, assuming I could persuade him to have a tiny nibble. This didn’t turn out to be an issue, because the pudding was delicious. Rich, warming, full of texture and flavour, and gloriously sweet and sticky. Definitely a winner.
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I also should point out that we attended the relaunch party for the Jericho Tavern a couple of weeks before this lunch, and ate that night too. I had the chicken katsu burger and James had the sausage and mash. No pictures, I’m afraid, but both were really very good indeed and we’d happily go back and eat them again.

The service we received at the pub was excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful, and all of our food arrived in good time despite the fact that the pub was packed with Christmas party bookings. Generally, it was a very pleasant experience and we had a lovely lunch.

The only little thing I would note is that it was very chilly inside. I am always cold and it was literally snowing on the day we visited, so I was prepared to dismiss this as being just my problem, but then I heard someone on the table next to us say it was freezing. My husband asked one of the staff members if he could turn on the radiator, which was stone cold and clearly off, but, although the guy was very friendly and helpful, he couldn’t work out how to get it going. This is only a minor complaint though, and I’m sure it’s something fixable.

Overall, the refurbishment of The Jericho looks to have been a success. They’ve smartened up, but kept the heart and essence of the pub alive, making it a fresher version of the place people have loved for years. The new modern menu is full of interesting options, and it was good to see choices suitable for vegetarians and vegans too. The food we’ve tried there so far has all been tasty and satisfying, ranging from good to great. If you’re in the Jericho area and looking for a hearty and delicious pub meal, then The Jericho Tavern is the place to go.

Disclaimer: The Jericho kindly provided us with a complimentary meal in exchange for a review, but all opinions are, as ever, my own.
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The Taste Test: Mince Pies

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Not going to lie, this was the best morning. I had mince pies for breakfast. Outside there was a carpet of perfect snow. It was still falling past the windows in a picturesque manner. Mince pies smell amazing. Especially six of them.

Now, the observant among you may notice that three of the mince pie samples are from Waitrose. Normally I try to spread the purchasing of Taste Test food out in a more effective way. But what can I say? I walked into Waitrose, I must have blacked out, and when I left I was clutching three different boxes of mince pies. And some other stuff. It happens fairly often, to be honest. I thought about leaving one of them out, but they were different. I wanted to try them all. Look, I don’t have to justify this madness, okay? This is my crazy series of random experiments.

As before, I feel I need a rambling disclaimer: obviously, I am doing this in my kitchen and not in a lab and I am not a scientist. These are the opinions of one person – that said, one person who has been trained to taste for quality. Also, the products used in this series are just examples – obviously each supermarket has, say, eight or nine different types of mince pies or whatever the product may be, and I’m not going to try every single one because what am I, made of money?

Finally, I should highlight that I tasted all the products blind, and at the time of tasting and making my notes I didn’t know which product came from which shop. I sat in one room while my glamorous assistant (er, my husband), prepared the samples in another. Any notes added regarding packaging and so on were only done after blind tasting, when I learned which who had made product A, B, C, D, or E.

The Blind Taste Test: Mince Pies

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Mince Pies
100g
£ – per pie
kcal
fat
carb
fibre
protein
salt
Waitrose -All Butter Mince Pies
2.50 pack, 42p per pie
391
14.6
60
3.3
3.3
0.25
Aldi – Cognac Steeped Mince Pies
1.49 pack, 25p per pie
361
11
59
2.6
3.8
0.1
Tesco – All Butter Mince Pies with Cognac
2.00 pack, 33p per pie
401
16.7
56.2
2.7
5.0
0.2
Essential Waitrose Shortcrust Mince Pies
1.00 per pack, 17p per pie
423
17.7
60.1
3.4
4.0
0.25
Heston from Waitrose Spiced Shortcrust Mince Pies with Lemon Twist
3.00 per pack, 75p per pie
365
12.7
58.3
2.0
3.3
0.40
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies infused with Brandy
1.50 per pack, 25p per pie
389
13.8
61.9
2.0
3.2
0.33

A – Sainsbury’s – 7/10

  • The only one with an incomplete lid – a star-shaped piece of pastry. Very crumbly when you cut through the pie, doesn’t hold together fantastically. Lovely smell, definitely get the booze. Nice pastry, with good crispness and sugar on top. The mince meat has good texture, with chunks of fruit. A good mince pie, but not exceptional. Solid option.

B – Waitrose – 6/10

  • One of the plainest in appearance. Not quite as well filled as A – significant gap between the filling and top of the pie. Holds together well when cut though, doesn’t crumble apart. A smoother mince meat than A, with less interesting texture, and a less buttery and flavoursome pastry. Not bad, not great.

C – Aldi – 7/10

  • Pretty snowflake pattern on top. Crumbles when cut through, doesn’t hold shape. Pastry not hugely buttery. Nice filling, with a good flavour, and a hit of booze. Definitely enjoyed eating it.

D – Waitrose Essential – 3/10

  • Plainest in appearance. Cuts well, doesn’t fall apart. Mince meat is very smooth, like a paste, and doesn’t taste as nice as the others – quite sharp. Pastry is very powdery, tastes cheap, disappears in the mouth. Didn’t like it.

E – Tesco – 8/10

  • A lovely crispy sugary top. Pies holds together well when cut. Tasty pastry. Mince meat is good – plainly visible different fruits and textures, with a good balance between sharpness and sweetness, and noticeable alcohol.

F – Heston – 9/10

  • This is advertised as a mince pie but looks almost like a tart. It has a crumble sort of topping rather than a normal pastry topping, and is larger and shallower than the others. It almost seems unfair to judge it alongside the other samples as it’s incredibly different. The thin layer of mince meat balances well with the top and has a great citrus flavour. It’s also finished with icing sugar. It’s really tasty, but not a traditional mince pie.

Conclusions

God, mince pies are great, aren’t they?

A bit of an odd one this week, which is my own fault for getting a weird Heston product. But I couldn’t help it – I was intrigued. So it’s messed up my results. My favourite thing to eat from all the samples was the Heston Spiced Mince Pie with a Lemon Twist, which was unusual and really tasty. But if we’re being strict about the mince pie criteria, my winner was the Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Deep Filled Mince Pie with Cognac. That would be my pick if you’re looking for a more traditional offering.

The only one I actively didn’t like was the Waitrose Essential sample – although it’s worth noting those were 17p per pie, while the Heston ones are a whopping 75p per pie. So I guess you get what you pay for here. The Sainsburys and Aldi pies were also completely acceptable.

Yes, I know, there are loads more types of mince pies, but I simply cannot try everything! If you want to buy stuff for me to taste then I am cool with that. Just saying.

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HelloFresh Christmas Cheat Sheet

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As I said in my recent post about how to host a hassle-free dinner party, the main trick to pulling off a spectacular meal is being organised. Planning ahead. Getting your prep done beforehand. But I admit that this sometimes feels a bit… dull. Even I, although I really do know better, sometimes can’t be bothered to plan things properly and just decide to wing it. And I always regret it.

At culinary school, we had to make a time plan before every single cooking session. Which meant writing one every day. Literally ‘11.30am: Second turn of puff pastry, start making caramel’, kind of thing. It was necessary to handle the hugely complex dishes we were putting together in class, but it’s not something I do in my day-to-day cooking. Even though I definitely plan, I don’t normally give myself a timetable. Except for Christmas dinner. And that’s where HelloFresh‘s cheat sheet comes in.

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If you’re the kind of person that sighs and fidgets at the thought of putting together a cooking schedule for yourself on Christmas day, fear not. HelloFresh have literally done it for you. They sent me a copy of their cheat sheet to have a look at, and it’s absolute gold for an organisational nut like me. They’ve worked out what you can make ahead and do the night before. They’ve made you a scheduled timeline for your Christmas Day cooking. And they’ve even included lots of recipes for tasty side dishes, in case you’re struggling with what to do with your parsnips this year.

You can get the cheat sheet for free here.

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It will be particularly useful if you’re the person in charge of Christmas dinner this year, but you’ve not done it before. Or if you’re stressed about the thought of cooking all those complicated bits and pieces and getting everything to be ready at the same time.

I cook the Christmas dinner in my family – when you have trained as a chef, you are responsible for the food at every family gathering for the rest of your life. Although some things stay the same every year, I like to mix it up too. We always have a goose, for example, but I like to try different ways of cooking and flavouring it. We always have braised red cabbage, but sometimes I try different ways of cooking other side dishes. There will be a Christmas pudding, but I always include another dessert as well, and that varies depending on my mood. The cheat sheet above has some great simple side dish recipes that you can try if you fancy mixing it up. I tested a few of them before writing this post, and I can guarantee that they are tasty.

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Are you in charge of making the Christmas dinner in your family? Do you have any particular traditions? Do you like the exact same meal every year or do you mix it up? I’d love to hear! We never have bread sauce which, I am assured, means it’s we’re failing at Christmas…

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by HelloFresh, but as always, all opinions are my own.