Aldi’s £12.99 Christmas pudding is crowned the UK's best

Aldi’s Christmas pudding has been crowned the country’s best.

The supermarket chain’s £12.99 Christmas pudding has bagged the Which? Best Buy award beating off the likes of Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose in a taste test.

The Which? panel of experts blind-tasted 13 premium Christmas puddings, all of which were judged on taste, texture, aroma and appearance.

Proving that poshest and priciest isn’t always the best, only the Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Vintage Pudding pudding was deemed yummy enough to be named a Best Buy.

The 800g pud scored an extremely impressive 76%, beating all the other desserts to snag the top spot.

Available in all Aldi stores from 5 December, the winning pud is matured for six months and “handcrafted using fresh butter, juicy Californian raisins, sweet Turkish sultanas and plump Vostizza currants.”

As a bonus, the pud comes in a sleek ceramic basin, which you can re-use should you ever have the desire to make your own.

The judging panel (how do we get a job as a judge?) said that the winner was packed with high-quality fruits and nuts and were big fans of the red cherries the pud also includes.

Asda came in second place for the pudding tasting test, followed by M&S in third, Waitrose in fourth and Lidl in fifth.

Selfridges traditional Christmas pudding (the highest priced on the list at £16) grabbed eighth place whilst supermarket Iceland sadly scored the lowest to sit in thirteenth place.

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Commenting on the Christmas pudding the Which? Panel said: “Our panel loved that Aldi’s premium, zesty pud was packed with rich fruit and nuts with an orangey kick.”

“It’s always interesting to see the challenger supermarkets taking on the big four, and in our expert taste test Aldi delivered a Christmas pudding that really impressed,” Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine said.

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying and winner at Aldi, said: “We’re thrilled that our luxury Specially Selected Exquisite Vintage Pudding has been awarded a Which? Best Buy, demonstrating once again that great-tasting, exceptional quality products do not have to come at a premium price.”

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With Stir Up Sunday now behind us, those who weren’t able to take advantage of the annual pudding making day will no doubt be turning to a shop bought pud instead.

In the past we have seen brands switching up the flavours in the humble Christmas pudding with lifestyle retailer, Firebox even launching a £9.99 CBD Christmas pudding.

But Aldi is proof that it sometimes pays to stick to the more traditional flavours when it comes to creating the Christmas pud of dreams.