Mina Holland 

Christmas taste test: trimmings

As rated by Richard Corrigan, chef patron of Bentley's Sea Grill, Harrods
  
  

Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan. Photograph: Mark Harrison Photograph: Mark Harrison

Bread sauce

Marks & Spencer
Fresh Bread Sauce

400g, £3
I love the consistency – it is perfectly balanced. It has a good flavour too but could be spiced up a little more.
★★★★★

Selfridges
Truefoods Bread Sauce

250g, £3.49
The consistency really lets this down because it has a great flavour, with the spiciness of nutmeg and clove. It would be fantastic with any class of fowl.
★★★★

Tesco
Finest Bread Sauce

300g, £1.50
Lovely consistency but doesn't pack its punch on flavour.They need to stop being mean with the spices.
★★★

Waitrose
Heston from Waitrose Bread Sauce

200g, £2.99
The poorest here – lacking attention to detail. The flavour is very poor. It's nice and bready, just not refined.
★★★★★

Stuffing

Copas
Stuffing

150g, £3.99
Very nice consistency – crumbly, bready – but lacks a bit of individuality. Some zest of orange, lemon and cranberries wouldn't go amiss!
★★★★

Ginger Pig
Pork and Prune Stuffing

£11.50 per kg
Really nice chestnut feel but it's a bit too firm – I like stuffing a little looser. I also miss the fragrance of parsley and thyme softened in butter.
★★★

Sainsbury's
Taste the Difference Pink Lady Apple Stuffing

110g, £1.39
Slightly damp in texture. Quite flavoursome but low on salt, which is unusual. A good one for the health conscious!
★★★

Harvey Nichols
Warm Spiced Apple Stuffing

125g, £2.95
Too strong on dried herbs. Stuffing just needs a fresh white loaf, country butter, zest, onions and herbs wrapped in a back rasher.
★★

Cranberry sauce

BEST BUY
Copas
Cranberry Sauce

227g, £4.49
Someone who cares made this. Very generous with fruit. Great with venison, mutton or guinea fowl. I wish all cranberry sauces were like this.
★★★★★

The Co-operative
Truly Irresistible Cranberry Sauce

190g, £1.49
Really nice texture, and hasn't gone into jam-like consistency. Could've done with more spice for Christmas flavour.
★★★★

Harrods
Cranberry and Orange Sauce

210g, £4.25
I like the sweet and sour. It would go well with fowl. The base recipe is good – it just needs less colouration.
★★★

Marks & Spencer
Cranberry and Port Sauce

400g, £3
I like the bitterness, but it's slightly too sharp. Cranberry sauce is the wrong name for this – it's more of a jam. I'm not getting enough fruit.
★★

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*