THE best supermarket to buy your Christmas dinner essentials has been revealed in a blind taste test.

BBC Good Food has announced the results of its yearly Christmas Supermarket Taste Awards, with winners across 21 categories.

5

5

Advertisement

5

Over 185 products from 13 supermarkets were taste tested, with judges submitting a score out of 10 for each product.

Starters, mains, alternative main, best gammon, pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce were all snaffled up by the expert panel.

Vegetarian main, vegan main, desserts, mince pies and mulled wine also featured in the final list.

Lily Barclay, content director at Good Food, said: “The Good Food team of experts started testing in August for the mammoth Good Food Christmas Supermarket Taste Awards, creating the ultimate guide to festive food buys.

“This Christmas the supermarkets have outdone themselves with the range and quality on offer, and our selection of winners will help save time in the kitchen, so you can focus on celebrating the festive season with family and friends.”

M&S took the crown for the most winners in this year’s blind taste test, scooping seven wins out of the 21 categories.

Waitrose was awarded five wins while Asda and Aldi tied for third place with three wins each.

Upmarket retailer Booths scooped the gong for best smoked salmon, with its strong oak smoked Scottish pack, worth £8, scoring well.

Judges said the thick slices and “crowd-pleasing” flavour were ideal for Christmas sandwiches.

Waitrose won the the award for best turkey crown, with its Glorious Treacle Glazed Turkey Crown, weighing in at 2.5kg and costing £60, commended for its herby chestnut stuffing and salty bacon.

Morrison’s “The Best” pigs in blankets, which cost £3.25 for a 210g pack, had a “touch of sweetness, with pleasing crispy bacon and good texture”, judges said, as they gave it top spot in the pigs in blankets category.

The best cranberry sauce went to M&S, whose fresh 400g pack on sale for £3.25 was highlighted for its “pleasing tartness”.

Winner of the Christmas cake category went to Waitrose’s No.1 Hand-Decorated Matured Rich Fruit Cake weighing in at 1.5kg.

BBC Good Food Judges said the £18.50 cake had a generous amount of marzipan and “pretty, impressive appearance”.

Shoppers after something a bit different this Christmas will want to divert their attentions to the winner of the best alternative Christmas cake 2024.

Asda’s Ginger and Caramel Snow Cake took the top podium, with judges noting its “charming” appearance.

Shoppers can pick up the cake, which serves 16 people, for just £12.

Judges voted M&S’ classic mince pie, which is £4 for a pack of six, the winner of the “classic” mince pie award.

They said each one had a “beautiful, unique design with a well-patterned top, buttery pastry with a good mouthfeel”.

Boozy shoppers will want to go for Asda’s Extra Special Mulled Wine, which emerged as the judges favourite in that category.

You can snap a 75cl bottle up for a fiver.

This is the full list of 21 winners in this year’s BBC Good Food Christmas Supermarket Taste Awards:

1. Best smoked salmon: Booths Strong Oak Smoked Scottish Salmon, 200g (£8.00)
2. Best hot canapé: M&S Collection Barber’s Extra Mature Cheddar & Ham Hock Scone, 290g (£7.50)
3. Best turkey crown: Waitrose Glorious Treacle Glazed Turkey Crown, 2.5kg (£60)
4. Best alternative Christmas main: Aldi Specially Selected Wagyu Wing Rib, 1.8-2.8kg (£24.99 per kg)
5. Best gammon: Aldi Specially Selected Sugar Baked Crackling Gammon Joint, £18.99
6. Best pigs in blankets: Morrisons The Best pigs in blankets, 210g (£3.25)
7. Best cranberry sauce: M&S Cranberry Sauce (fresh), 400g (£3.25)
8. Best vegetarian main: Joint winner – Waitrose Ultimate Plant-based Festive Wellingtons, pack of two (£7.50), Joint winner – M&S Collection Handcrafted Honey Glazed Vegetable & Barber’s Cheddar Galette, 400g (£12.50)
9. Best vegan main: Joint winner – Tesco Finest Roasted Vegetable & Cranberry Star, 340g (£6)
Joint winner: Aldi Plant Menu Vegan No Turkey Crown, 490g (£4.99)
10. Best Christmas cake: Waitrose No.1 Hand-Decorated Matured Rich Fruit Cake, 1.5kg (£18.50)
11. Best alternative Christmas cake: Asda Ginger and Caramel Snow Cake, serves 16 (£12)
12. Best Christmas pudding: Waitrose No.1 Jewelled Cointreau & Cranberry Christmas Pudding, 800g (£15)
13. Best showstopper dessert: Co-op Irresistible Spiced Gingerbread Crown, 600g (£8)
14. Best trifle: M&S Sticky Toffee Trifle, 1kg (£15)
15. Best free-from dessert: M&S Chocolate & Orange, Fruit & Nut Brownie, 630g (£12.50)
16. Best classic mince pies: M&S Collection Mince Pies, pack of six (£4)
17. Best flavoured mince pies: Morrisons The Best Cherry Bakewell Mince Pies, pack of four (£2.75)
18. Best gluten-free mince pies: Waitrose Mince Pies, pack of four (£2.90)
19. Best vegan mince pie: Asda Free From 4 Mince Pies 220g (£2)
20. Best biscuit tin: M&S Collection Shortbread Tin, 400g (£10)
21. Best mulled wine: Asda Extra Special Mulled Wine, 75cl (£5)

In other news, Which? tasters crowned a supermarket’s own-brand cheddar winner in a blind taste test.

5

Advertisement

5

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Protection Guru has announced it will hold bi-monthly virtual forums for Consumer Duty Alliance (CDA) members.

The forums are to help demystify protection advice for wealth firms and identify how they can define the best strategy for clients’ needs in these areas

These events will complement Protection Guru’s existing monthly Protection Forums and the AdviceTech Forums already chaired for the CDA by Protection Guru founder Ian McKenna.

The initial CDA Protection Forum will take place from midday until 1pm on Tuesday, 29 October.

Speakers will include CDA chief executive Keith Richards, who will address why it is essential for advisers to decide how they wish to address protection needs; Emma Thomson, last week’s recipient of the “Dedication to Protection” award, and newly promoted LifeSearch head of product Alan Richardson.

Each speaker will share their extensive experience of the subject and the session will be chaired by McKenna.

Advisers can register to participate from this link.

The second CDA Protection Forum will take place on Monday, 16 December and will focus on why it is essential business protection is both a crucial advice area and a huge opportunity for wealth advisers.

Richards said: “The recent announcement of the pure protection review has made it clear that the FCA sees protection as a key part of the advice landscape and core to Consumer Duty obligations.

“In recent years, however, many wealth firms have understandably focused on clients’ retirement planning needs, resulting in a general reduction in the level of Protection business written across the sector.”

McKenna added: “While our own forums have focused on firms at the leading edge of technology deployment, the CDA AdviceTech sessions aim to help firms wanting to embrace technology but needing more support and guidance earlier in their journey.

“This has worked well, and we have seen several firms accelerate their plans via this structure.

“Providing the same support for wealth advisers in protection is a natural next step.”

MARTIN Lewis has revealed a quick trick that could see married couples receive a £1,000 cheque.

Speaking on his website, the money-saving expert reminded those in marriages or civil partnerships that they may be able to claim back money through Marriage Tax Allowance.

1

This allows eligible people to transfer £1,260 of their personal tax allowance to their spouse or civil partner.

To be eligible, one partner must be a non-taxpayer – earning under £12,570.

The other needs to pay a basic 20% basic tax rate – which applies to earnings between £12,570 and £50,270 in the UK.

If these conditions are met, the non-taxpayer is entitled to transfer 10% of their tax-free allowance to the taxpayer – meaning less tax is paid overall.

This could result in a tax refund of up to £252 for around two million couples across the UK.

And, in even better news, the refund can be backdated up to four years – meaning families could be receiving a cheque of over £1,000.

Mr Lewis said: “Claiming tax allowances isn’t traditional Christmas fare, but it is a quick way for two million eligible couples not currently claiming to get an up to £1,260 tax refund.”

Government figures show that 2.28million couples applied for the benefit in 2022/23 year.

And HMRC estimates that a whopping 2.1 million may be missing out – despite being eligible.

Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP, told The Sun that the benefit is “well worth claiming”.

He added that with personal allowances frozen until 2026, couples should be sure to “access all the tax-free income that they can”.

How to apply for marriage allowance

You can apply for marriage allowance online by visiting the gov.uk website, and it is free to do so.

The person who earns the least should make the claim.

However, if either of you gets other income, such as dividends or savings, you may need to work out who should claim.

You can call the Income Tax helpline if you’re unsure.

Changes to your personal allowances will be backdated to the start of the tax year, which is April 6, if your application is successful.

To be eligible for the allowance the following must apply to your and your spouse:

• You’re married or in a civil partnership.
• You do not pay income tax or your income is below your personal allowance (usually £12,570)
• Your partner pays Income Tax at the basic rate, which usually means their income is between £12,571 and £50,270 before they receive Marriage Allowance

If you only pay income tax at the basic rate and believe you’ve been wrongly denied marriage tax allowance, you can appeal the decision directly to HMRC.

You and your partner will get new tax codes that reflect the transferred allowance.

Your tax code will end with ‘M’ if you are receiving the allowance and ‘N’ if you are transferring the allowance.

You can read more about tax codes and how they work here.

You’ll need to call the marriage allowance enquiries helpline to speak to an agent and explain the issue.

You must cancel your claim for marriage allowance if you and your partner divorce or your income changes. You can do this online.

Advisers need to be “really on it” with their clients on Budget day next Wednesday (30 October), Moran Wealth Management founder Nicola Crosbie has warned.

Speaking on a panel at the Money Marketing Interactive conference in Leeds today (24 October), Crosbie insisted advisers “must be proactive” on the day.

“If we’re not, some other adviser will be,” she warned. “And that’s where there is likely to be a breakdown in the relationship [you have with your clients] if you’ve not got your finger on the pulse.”

She said it is important for advisers to “put things into perspective” for clients.

“It’s about saying: ‘Let’s just calm down a little bit’,” she said. “Our job is to calm the situation.”

She emphasised the importance of “being informed” about what could come up in the Budget.

“Don’t fluff your way through it,” she said. “Because it becomes a bit apparent if you don’t know what you’re talking about. And that will unsettle your clients more.”

On the same panel, Triple Point regional business development manager Lucy Dolan said having an “agile plan” for clients is key.

She added there are “many different approaches” that advisers can take to delivering advice around the Budget, but “the key point is that things can change”.

“These unprecedented times demonstrate how quickly legislation can shift,” she said. “Therefore, it’s essential to remain agile.

“I’ve spent considerable time with advisers, accountants and solicitors. Even among solicitors, there’s some apprehension about trusts at the moment because, once a trust is in place, the client loses a degree of autonomy.

She said that, depending on how things progress, advice businesses will focus more on estate planning, which allows clients to maintain control and flexibility.

“This is particularly important because, if legislation changes, clients need to be able to adapt their plans accordingly,” she said.

“Adaptability will be crucial moving forward.”

Also on the panel, Syndaxi Financial Planning managing director Robert Reid said the ability to navigate changes as a result of the Budget is what “keeps advisers relevant, useful and profitable”.

“In fact,” he suggested, “I believe the complexity this budget might introduce could actually widen the appeal of advice.”

WITH the cost of everything rising, now more than ever are people looking for ways to cover the costs of the essentials.

Poundland Perks is a game-changing app designed to offer exclusive discounts and rewards, as well as the opportunity to earn prizes every week.

3

Sign up for Poundland Perks

After already successfully piloting the Poundland Perks app in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Wight, a wider rollout for the UK is set to take place on October 17.

Whether you’re a regular shopper or new to Poundland, the app is a must-have for anyone looking to stretch their budgets and snag fantastic offers on everyday needs.

Poundland’s digital loyalty scheme rewards users with discounts on promotional products, which can also be redeemed against purchases in-store by scanning a barcode in the app at checkout.

Wondering how it works and most importantly, how you can start saving today?

We’ve outlined everything you need to know ahead of the app’s launch.

What is the Poundland Perks App?

3

Sign up for Poundland Perks

Poundland Perks is the all-new loyalty and rewards programme from retailer Poundland.

The simple-to-use app is designed to give customers access to exclusive savings on selected products in stores nationwide.

Downloading the Poundland Perks app means you can unlock vouchers, earn points and enjoy weekly fun and prizes to win.

The app aims to ensure Poundland shoppers can “save more, earn more, and play more”, all while picking up the essentials and their favourite bargains.

Saving money while doing your weekly shopping has never been this rewarding, which is perfect now that the colder weather is starting to set in and the festive season draws nearer.

How does the Poundland app work?

The app offers special discounts on selected products, which means extra savings just for being part of the Perks members.

Every time you shop, you’ll be able to take advantage of lower prices on a wide range of products across the store.

When you buy certain products, you’ll earn Powered Up Points, which can be collected and redeemed for even more rewards.

For every £1 spent in-store, Poundland Perks members will get 100 points in the app, with 5,000 points earning them a £1 voucher for their next shop.

Poundland Perks also features ‘spin the wheel’ competitions.

Every Wednesday, you can log in to the app and spin a virtual wheel for a chance to win extra rewards, but these will be one-off promotions that Poundland will launch at its discretion according to its terms and conditions.

Are Poundland Perks available across the UK?

3

Sign up for Poundland Perks

A roll-out in the UK is expected on October 17, while it might not be all UK stores for now, we will hear announcements of what stores we can expect to be participating.

To start saving in the UK, head to the App Store or Google Play and search for Poundland Perks.

Download and install the app on your smartphone and create a Perks profile on the app.

Once logged in, customers can explore the Perks Pricing deals available in local stores, and the app will show you which products are eligible for discounts.

When you’re ready to pay at the checkout, you can simply scan your Poundland Perks app QR code to start accumulating points and savings at Poundland.

Sign up for Poundland Perks