Sausages are a staple of British cuisine – delicious in breakfast rolls, with mash or chips, stuffed in Yorkshire puddings, drizzled with gravy, or grilled on a BBQ. A good pork sausage should be flavoursome and not too fatty, containing high-quality meat, a tasty seasoning blend, and a natural casing.
One popular brand is Richmond, with its sausages considered to be the leading label on supermarket shelves. In a bid to see whether supermarket sausages live up to the branded version, I tried five different sausages from major retailers. With the help of five members of my family, I conducted a blind taste test comparing sausages from Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, and Sainsbury’s with the popular Richmond brand.
The sausages were all cooked in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 200C, and each person ranked the sausages from one to five. The final scores were then added up to determine the winner.
Here are the sausages ranked from worst to best based on the blind taste test:
Richmond
Richmond 12 Thick Pork Sausages 615g – £2.50
In last place of our taste test was the big brand version: Richmond. Despite being the leading brand of pork sausages, we weren’t impressed by the flavour or texture.
In the blind taste test, the sausages were described as having “no taste or texture,” being “very soft and salty,” and “taseless and very rusky.”
Score: 12 out of 30
Aldi
Aldi Specially Selected Pork Sausages 6 Pack 400g – £2.49
With the second lowest score, Aldi’s sausages were described as having “less flavour” and “not as much taste” compared to the rest of the offerings.
Despite this, they are the cheapest of the bunch at £2.49 for a pack of six at 400g.
Score: 17 out of 30
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s British Pork Sausages, Taste the Difference x6 400g – £3
In joint third place is Sainsbury’s pork sausages from its Taste the Difference range. We thought these were tasty and a good size, however, they did turn out very pale in colour compared the the rest.
At £3 for a pack of six, it works out as 50p per sausage.
Score: 19 out of 30
M&S
M&S Collection British 6 Pork Sausages 400g – £4.25
M&S’ sausages came in joint third with Sainsbury’s, and while they were much better in colour, they didn’t fare well for texture.
The sausages were described as being “chewy,” and “quite fatty”, with an “odd taste”.
At £4.25 for a 400g pack, this was the most expensive option in the taste test.
Score: 19 out of 30
Lidl
Deluxe 12 British Chipolata Sausages 375g – £2.49
Coming in at second place was Lidl’s pork chipolata sausages. These sausages won points for its “good colouring” once cooked and scored well for its “herby” flavour.
While these chipolatas are thinner in size, they ranked highly for their flavour profile and texture. Coming in at £2.49 for 12 sausages (375g a pack), they are also good value.
Score: 23 out of 30
Tesco
Tesco Finest 4 Signature Pork Sausages 440g – £4
Last but certainly not least was our winner: Tesco’s finest pork sausages. These sausages were described as “salty, juicy and meaty” with a good taste and size.
In terms of price, they are a little more expensive at £4 for a pack of four sausages, but it also has the most meat: coming in at 440g in total. The sausages themselves are also large in size and perfect for hot dogs. What’s more, they tasted high-quality with a delicious blend of seasoning – not too fatty or salty.
Score: 25 out of 30