I COMPARED SCONES FROM M&S, ALDI, TESCO, ASDA, SAINSBURY'S AND LIDL - AND LOOKS WERE DECEIVING
Us Brits only seem to eat scones on special occasions - Mother's Day or royal jubilees. There's something inexplicably fancy about these crumbly, fruit-filled treats.
But they're sold in the supermarkets all year round, so I say buy a pack whenever you fancy and bring an air of Bridgerton to any day of the week.
Set the challenge of finding the best store-bought scones, I picked up a pack-of-four from Aldi, M&S, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Asda and Tesco and slathered them all in the same jam and clotted cream (in that order) to fairly compare. Here's how I got on...
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Lidl
Lidl's were the second cheapest of the bunch at £1.39 for a box, but they looked a lot plumper than some of the others. I was pleased to see the discount supermarket hadn't scrimped on the fruit either.
A generous helping of sultanas made this budget-friendly scone taste extra juicy and, though they were quite a bit flakier than the rest, they weren't dry. A good start from Lidl and overall, I'd give these a 4/5.
Tesco
Tesco's Finest Scones cost £1.75 for a pack, but they looked a bit flat compared to Lidl's. There was a decent amount of fruit in these, but the flavour was a little blander and the texture of the scone stodgier.
They were nice, but I far preferred Lidl's offering. I scored these a 3/5.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Scones were a similar size and shape to the last. They looked fruity, but when I sliced one open, there were hardly any sultanas inside. They seemed to be mostly around the edge.
These were quite dense in texture, too, but slightly sweeter than Tesco's and I preferred them. A pack of four would usually set you back £2, which seemed a bit pricy, but they were reduced to £1.50. I'd give Sainsbury's a score overall of 3.5/5.
Aldi
My local Aldi was sold out of fruit scones so I picked up a pack of plain ones for the same price - £1.35 and the cheapest of the test. The scones themselves were fairly chunky, a similar size to Lidl's, but these looked fluffier inside.
They weren't dry, but tasted a little spongy - more cake-like than scone. It was lacking in flavour, too. I gave them a 2.5/5 overall.
M&S
Again, my local M&S had run out of fruity scones so I had to buy plain. Marks' were £2.30 for a pack of four, which was a fair bit pricier than the rest.
This was the only pack where the scones were laid out flat and I thought the packaging looked a little cheap, especially for the top price point. The scones looked squashed compared to the rest, but they were glossy on top.
They were certainly moister than the first four, with a creamier flavour. M&S's were definitely my favourite so far, but I couldn't help thinking they'd be nicer with fruit. With that in mind, I gave them a 4.5/5.
Asda
At £1.75, Asda's Extra Special Scones fell in the middle in terms of pricing. They were as big as Lidl and Aldi's but a little paler than the rest and I worried they'd be too stodgy.
But once again, looks were deceiving. These were just as creamy and moist as M&S's and the perfect balance between crumbly and stodgy. I couldn't think of anything bad to say about Asda's offering - a well-deserved 5/5.
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