A quest for the perfect roast potato – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside – often feels like an impossible feat amidst the chaos of Sunday dinner preparations. Pre-prepared roast potatoes offer a convenient alternative, and a recent supermarket taste test reveals the best options available. While homemade roasties hold a special place in our hearts, these ready-made contenders offer comparable taste and texture without the laborious peeling, parboiling, and meticulous roasting. This comprehensive review examines several popular supermarket brands, evaluating their taste, texture, price, and overall value.
Lidl’s Harvest Basket Potatoes, priced attractively at £1.19 per kilogram, offer a budget-friendly option for vegetarians due to their sunflower oil base. However, the presence of palm oil and a slightly peculiar taste detract from their overall appeal. While they crisp up nicely in the oven, the interior texture is disappointingly hard, requiring a generous smothering of gravy to be palatable. Aunt Bessie’s, a household name in roast potatoes, presents their Crispy and Fluffy Roasties. These visually appealing potatoes boast a beautiful golden hue and a satisfying crunch, but fall short in terms of fluffiness and overall flavor. Their dryness and slightly higher price point, coupled with a smaller bag size compared to other brands, lessen their desirability.
Iceland’s Perfect Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes offer a richer flavor profile thanks to the beef dripping, resulting in a pleasing golden color and a fluffy interior. These generously sized potatoes are a crowd-pleaser, earning high marks for taste and texture at a competitive price. Aldi’s Four Seasons Roast Potatoes emerge as a surprising contender, delivering impressive quality for under a pound. Despite their smaller size, they crisp up beautifully and offer a fluffy interior. Their simple ingredient list, free of palm oil, adds to their appeal. Asda’s Golden Crispy Potatoes, while affordable, offer a less remarkable experience. Their small size and firm texture lack the desired fluffiness, and the subtle turmeric flavor is barely discernible. While not the worst option, they fail to stand out amongst the competition.
Tesco’s Roast Potatoes disappoint with their small size, persistent hardness even after thorough cooking, and an overly salty flavor. The presence of bruised or greenish potatoes further detracts from their appeal, making them a less desirable choice. Morrisons The Best Roast Potatoes with Beef Dripping deliver a premium experience with plump, well-sized potatoes and a delightful texture. The beef dripping enhances both flavor and color, creating a truly satisfying roast potato. While slightly pricier, their quality justifies the cost. Sainsbury’s Roast Potatoes present a good balance of crispiness and fluffiness, cooking evenly despite their irregular shapes and sizes. Their affordability and generous bag size make them a strong contender, though the inclusion of palm oil is a drawback for some.
The clear winner of the taste test is Aldi’s Four Seasons Roast Potatoes. Offering exceptional crispiness, a fluffy interior, and a clean ingredient list, all for a remarkable price of 95p per kilogram, they present unbeatable value. While other brands offer appealing qualities, Aldi’s potatoes strike the perfect balance of taste, texture, and affordability, making them the ideal choice for a hassle-free and delicious Sunday roast.
Beyond the taste test, the article also provides valuable tips on saving money on groceries. These include looking for reduced-price items marked with yellow or red stickers, planning your shopping with a list to avoid impulse purchases, opting for own-brand products over premium alternatives, and taking advantage of wonky fruit and vegetable schemes offered by some supermarkets. For those on low incomes or with children, programs like Healthy Start vouchers and the Household Support Fund can provide additional financial assistance for groceries. These strategies empower consumers to make informed choices and stretch their budgets further, ensuring access to affordable and nutritious food.
