Keeping it sweet

STILL ON THE LOOK OUT FOR A CHRISTMAS PUDDING? DIANNE BOURNE GIVES SUPERMARKET OPTIONS THEIR JUST DESSERTS IN OUR GUIDE

- DIANNE BOURNE

CHRISTMAS puddings are the traditional dessert for festive feasts, and you can get all sorts of different varieties on the nation's supermarket shelves.

But for those wanting the classic pudding style you're looking at a mix of dense stick sponge soaked with brandy and candied fruit.

This year, we tested them in the individual 100g size so as not to waste any more pudding than was necessary.

And I thought it's also good to test in this size as there will be a lot of people buying them in the small portion, particularly as not everyone likes a Christmas pud on the big day do they.

The ones we purchased are also really easy to microwave - all taking 50 seconds in an 800W oven so there's not much fuss in delivering these to the table on Christmas Day.

They ranged in price from the cheapest at 89p up to the most expensive at £2.50.

And it's worth noting that all of these puddings we tasted also come in larger sizes in stores too if you're wanting a four-portion pud or even larger.

Most puddings will say on the packaging how long they've been "aged" for from six months up to 18 months.

The idea being that a pudding, like a fruitcake, needs to age for a significant period to allow the juiciness of the fruit to come through and the compounds to break down.

But, as we discovered, that doesn't always make a difference when it comes to the overall taste.

Here's what we thought of the eight puddings we purchased from Aldi, Lidl, Morrison's, Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

LIDL FAVORINA 6 MONTH MATURED CHRISTMAS PUDDING, 89P