I tried sausages from 7 UK supermarkets – cheap pack beat M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury’s

I tried sausages from seven major UK supermarkets, and one of the cheapest ones was the winner. When it comes to ranking sausages, a number of things are important to consider. Of course, taste is high up there on the priority list. However, appearance and texture are also notable considerations. While some brands manage to market themselves as the best-tasting sausages available in the UK, some of the cheaper products scored surprisingly highly in my taste test.

Here is exactly how I did it: I bought the cheapest sausages I could find in Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Marks and Spencer, and Co-op. I cooked them all under the grill for the allotted time that each needed. I then went through them one by one, taking a bite of each and scoring them based on flavour, texture and appearance. I ranked flavour out of 10, as it is the most important factor to consider. I then scored texture and appearance out of 5, meaning each sausage was finally scored out of 20. Here are the results.

7. Lidl Borchwood 8 Pork Sausages

Price: £1.79 (454g)

Although Lidl tends to be my go-to supermarket, I was let down by the sausages I ate from this budget favourite. The flavour left much to be desired, and was very meaty without much else going on. A good sausage should taste like good-quality meat, but also with some other spices and herbs in there. The supermarket does have an impressive selection of sausages, with more appetising ones slightly higher in price. But when it comes to the supermarket's cheapest pork sausages, unfortunately, it's not a win.

• Appearance: 3/5
• Texture: 2.5/5
• Flavour: 5/10
• Final score: 10.5/20

6. JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA 8 Pork Sausages

Price: £1.69 (454g)

Unfortunately for Asda, it scored the second-lowest in my taste test. They were the least appetising to look at, leading me to give them a score of 2.5 out of 5 for appearance. Meanwhile, the texture left much to be desired, and the sausage fell apart too easily when I cut into it. When it came to flavour, the sausage just tasted a bit too bland for my liking. At £1.69 for eight sausages, it is certainly a bargain. But there is better out there for a similar price.

• Appearance: 2.5/5
• Texture: 2/5
• Flavour: 7/10
• Final score: 11.5/20

5. Co-op Outdoor Bred 8 Butcher's Choice Pork Sausages

Price: £2 (454g)

Co-op's cheapest sausages were not the worst thing in the world, but the taste test consisted of some better ones, for sure. The flavour was a bit overpowered by herbs, so there wasn't as much of a pork flavour as I would have liked. It was also slightly dry to the tongue, which brought the score down considerably for texture. Although they weren't the worst-looking sausages in the line-up, they weren't the best-looking either.

• Appearance: 3/5
• Texture: 3/5
• Flavour: 7/10
• Final score: 13/20

4. Tesco British Pork Sausages 8 Pack

Price: £1.79 (454g)

Tesco's sausages were pretty good, and I would buy them again, considering the price. The texture was good, but just not as good as the others that rank higher on this list. It was just slightly mushy in the middle, and the skin seemed tougher than the other sausages. The flavour was decent, which lands it in the middle of my ranking.

• Appearance: 4/5
• Texture: 3.5/5
• Flavour: 7/10
• Final score: 14.5/20

3. M&S British Outdoor Bred 8 Pork Sausages

Price: £1.90 (454g)

M&S always tends to rank high in taste tests. When it comes to its cheapest available sausages, that has not changed. As the supermarket positions itself as a more budget-friendly weekly shopping destination, its pork sausages, which are less than 20p more expensive than Lidl's and Aldi's, are certainly an excellent choice for shoppers. The appearance was more than appetising, so I gave ot a perfect score. Meanwhile, the texture is near perfect, but just slightly too soft. Additionally, the flavour was really nice, but slightly overpowered by herbs.

• Appearance: 5/5
• Texture: 4/5
• Flavour: 7/10
• Final score: 16/20

2. Sainsbury's Butcher's Choice British Pork Sausage x8

Price: £1.79 (454g)

Sainsbury's comes in second place on my list. In fact, it received the same final score as the winner in the final rankings, but its competitor's sausages were just slightly bigger in size after they were cooked, so it felt like more value for money. The flavour was perfectly balanced. The taste of pork hits you as soon as you bite it, followed by a lovely herby hint. The texture was also perfectly balanced, both meaty and smooth.

• Appearance: 4.5/5
• Texture: 5/5
• Flavour: 10/10
• Final score: 19.5/20

1. Aldi Ashfields Pork Sausages 8 Pack

Price: £1.79 (454g)

Aldi, the cheapest supermarket in the UK, is my winner! It is one of the cheapest on the list, but by far the tastiest, along with Sainsbury's. What pushed it to first place was the sausage's shape and size after it was cooked under the grill. The flavour is a perfect balance of meat and herbs, while the lovely meaty texture was easy to cut through and pleasant on the palate. Whatever Aldi does to make its food range tasty and affordable, we hope it continues for a long time.

• Appearance: 4.5/5
• Texture: 5/5
• Flavour: 10/10
• Final score: 19.5/20