Whole ham
The Real Meat Co, pineapple, mustard and honey boneless, 1kg, £21.08, www.realmeat.co.uk
Looks and tastes like it comes straight from the farmer's kitchen. It's got a great dry and mustardy flavour and it's well-seasoned. It's delicious.
5 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference, 1.1kg, £22.99
It's got a nice, dry texture and it smells piggy in a good way. It looks like a proper ham, too.
4 stars
Tesco finest with cloves and chestnut honey, 1kg, £12.50
It's a bit over-seasoned - it's too salty. But the texture is good.
3 stars
Asda extra special dry cure with red onions, 1kg, £13.00
It's far too sweet and it's very wet and very fibrous. Not my favourite.
1 star
Waitrose honey, rosemary and orange, 1kg, £16.20
It's very wet and quite rubbery, which I don't like. It tastes pretty standard.
No stars
Stilton
The Fine Cheese Co, Colston Bassett, 250g, £4.43, www.finecheese.co.uk
Gorgeous. It's creamy and sharp and it tastes like it's been looked after. It's great.
5 stars
Marks & Spencer Quenby, 196g, £1.99
It's a mild and creamy Stilton with a lovely flavour. I really like it.
4 stars
Lye Cross Farm organic, 1kg, £13.48, 01934 864 600
The flavour is very nice and well-balanced.
3 stars
Paxton & Whitfield in jar, 250g, £13.00, www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
Strange colour. Luckily it tastes better than it looks. It's quite nice actually.
2 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference, 1kg, £8.45
Nice and crumbly. It's not bad, but it hasn't really got any character.
2 stars
Stuffing
The Real Meat Co, pecan nut and orange, 500g, £.4.26
I can taste the pecan and I can taste the orange. The flavours are pretty apparent and it tastes like good pork.
5 stars
Heal Farm Persian fruit, 680g, £7.14, www.healfarm.co.uk
I quite like this for a sweet stuffing. It would be great with duck.
4 stars
Asda extra special pork, prunes and cognac, 400g, £2.08
It's nice. Quite boozy and a bit greasy, which helps keep the turkey moist.
4 stars
Forman & Field chestnut and sage, 340g, £2.50, www.formanandfield.com
It's OK, just a bit bland. Not enough sage and I can't taste the chestnut.
2 stars
Waitrose chestnut and Bramley apple, 450g, £2.49
It's so greasy it coats the tongue, but I can taste the chestnut.
1 star
Shortbread
Meg Rivers, £5.95 for 20, www.megrivers.co.uk
They almost crumble when you put them in your mouth. By far the best I've tasted.
5 stars
Betty's By Post, 200g, £3.10, www.bettysbypost.co.uk
Nice . Very light. These are good.
5 stars
M&S organic (Cranberry & Mulled Wine and Clementine), 420g, £3.99
The cranberry ones smell of cat pee. None of them are buttery enough.
2 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference slowbaked selection, 450g, £5.99
The normal ones are OK, but sugared ones are very sweet. These are average.
3 stars
Fortnum & Mason mocha, 200g, £4.75
They have a nice texture, but I can't really taste the coffee or chocolate..
2 stars
Cheese biscuits
M&S mini Scottish oatcakes, 400g, £2.99
Good, fine-textured, crispy, crumbly oatcake. Will go very well with.
4 stars
Fine Cheese Co. charcoal crackers, 150g, £2.15
They're black! I like these ones. They are nice: dry and very buttery at the same time.
4 stars
Dorset Knob, 300g, £8.95 per tin, available: www.formanandfield.com
It's a peculiar biscuit. It would be great with goat's cheese.
4 stars
Tesco finest selection, 300g, £2.65
All the biscuits are different, but they're either too sweet or too flavoured.
2 stars
Nairn's organic herb, 250g, £1.59, available: www.goodnessdirect.co.uk
Not bad, but they really don't do it for me. They just taste of dried herbs.
2 stars
Dried fruits
Sainsbury's taste the difference Medjool dates, 200g, £1.99
We always have dates at Christmas. I love them. These are rich and sweet. 5 stars
Fortnum and Mason fruit and nut tray, 500g, £17.95
The figs and dates are OK.
3 stars
Walnut Tree, 350g, £6.50, www.the-walnut-tree.co.uk
The cranberries aren't great, but the pears and apricots are nice.
3 stars
Waitrose, 650g, £5.99
The raisins are nice and juicy, but the figs have no flavour.
3 stars
Tesco finest fruit and nut selection, 400g, £4.99
The cranberries are nice and sweet, but the mango is flavourless.
2 stars
Christmas cake
Meg Rivers, 1.5kg, £20.95, www.megrivers.co.uk
Wow! The perfect Christmas cake, it's beautiful. Nice icing and it's full of fruit and nuts.
5 stars
Clam's handmade cakes, 100g, £4.95,
01873 812283
Great flavour, lots of cherries and marzipan. But the top lets it down.
4 stars
Fiona Cairns, 2.3kg, £30, available: Waitrose
Dense and cakey with a nice coating of marzipan. Very traditional and uninspiring design.
3 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference, 1.36kg, £14.99
It's moist, fruity and lovely to look at. I can smell the marzipan, but I can't see it.
3 stars
F&M, 908g, £18.75
It's not as generous and warm as a Christmas cake should be.
2 stars
Alternative puddings
M&S lemon soufflé, 850g, £10.99
Reminds me of the lemon soufflé my mum used to make. It's sweet, but still refreshing. I am impressed.
5 stars
GÜ chocolate puds with raspberry compote, 2x80g, £2.49, widely available
Rich, smooth mousse, but I don't like the fruit bits.
3 stars
Mrs Forman's baked cheesecake, 1.75kg, £24.95, www.formanandfield.com
The consistency on the top is good, but the base is too buttery.
2 stars
Sainsbury's white chocolate and rasberry cheesecake, 540g, £3.29
It's just a big sugar hit. Why put jam on a cheesecake? Use fresh berries.
1 star
Betty's imperial chocolate torte, 900g,£18.50, www.bettysbypost.co.uk
No flavour of chocolate and it's incredibly dry.
No stars
Chocolate liqueurs
Rococo chocolates with cherry liqueur, 100g, £6.30, www.rococochocolates.com
These are great. They're rich and lovely.
5 stars
F&M champagne truffles, 200g, £16
They are milk chocolate. I would have liked a dark chocolate to hold the rich filling.
3 stars
Kshocolât, 210g, £11.95 www.papadeli.co.uk
The actual chocolates are really nice, but they are just too big and overwhelming.
3 stars
Chocolate Society handmade selection, 225g, £18.80, 0845 230 8899
Could be any old chocs, look manufactured.
2 stars
Anthon Berg, 235g, £7.50, 01558 822800
Are these serious? The filling doesn't taste of alcohol, it's just a syrup.
No stars
Stollen
Betty's by post, 380g, £6.95, www.bettysbypost.co.uk
Has a roulade of marzipan so it is throughout the cake. Very nice.
4 stars
M&S, 685g, £7.49
Looks very Christmassy and impressive and it's moist and nutty. Needs a bit of spice, though.
4 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference, 610g, £4.99
The cake is dry, but I like the flavour and the marzipan core. You need a good cup of tea with this.
3 stars
Swaddles organic, 750g, £9.99, www.swaddles.co.uk
The marzipan is OK, but the cake is so dry.
2 stars
Tesco finest, 695g, £4.99
It's looks nice, but it's dry and a bit bready. Tastes like cheap brandy. Is it essence? Not good.
2 stars
Christmas pudding
The Carved Angel, 340g, £10, www.thecarvedangel.com
It tastes very homemade and it's dense and plum-puddingish. Great.
4 stars
The Authentic Bread Co., 450g, £6.50, 01531 828 181
Lovely. Nice spices and it turns out beautifully. Good quality ingredients.
4 stars
M&S vintage, 907g, £9.99
It's nice and moist with a good spicy flavour. There's a helluva lot of fruits in it. A bit too many.
3 stars
Village Bakery organic, 200g, £3.89, www.goodnessdirect.co.uk
A very traditional pudding. The flavour is good, but it's too cakey.
3 stars
Asda extra special, 907g, £5.92
It's all greasy and wet and it's too sweet. It looks a bit like jelly with fruit. I don't like it.
1 star
Mince pies
Swaddles Organic, 250g, £2.99, www.swaddles.co.uk
Look homemade and the pastry is nice and buttery. Not quite enough filling.
3 stars
Betty's By Post, 480g, £16, www.bettysbypost.co.uk
They look lovely, but the pastry tastes of margarine, though, and the filling is too sweet.
3 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference brandy rich, 6, £1.49
The pastry is bland and there's too much of it.
2 stars
The Authentic Bread Co. organic luxury, 230g, £2.63
The thin pastry makes them look promising, but they lack in flavour.
1 star
Waitrose selection, 330g, £3.49
The filling in all of them is not boozy enough. Why not just make one good type?
1 star
Sausages Harvey Nichols Sicilian with fennel, 1kg, £8.95, 020 7235 5000
This one is outstanding! Italian style with a coarse texture and quite strong flavours. It's delicious.
5 stars
Donald Russell pork, apple and chives, 6x420g, £24, www.donaldrussell.co.uk
Great texture and great pork, but too much apple.
3 stars
Sainsbury's, pancetta and parmesan, 350g, £2.19
The texture should be coarser, but the flavour is good. It's a good sausage.
3 stars
Well Hung Meat, 1kg, £9.49 www.wellhungmeat.com
They look pasty and I don't like the texture. But the pork is lovely and it's got a nice peppery flavour.
2 stars
Graig farm, 450g, £8.75, www.graigfarm.co.uk
Quite sweet. Too sweet for me. And slightly too fine. Sausages need to have texture.
2 stars
Brie
Harvey Nichols Brie de Meaux Ile de France, 200kg, £3.90
Looks like a stunner; it oozes under it's own weight and it has a lovely mature flavour and a slightly salty aftertaste. It's everything a Brie should be. Amazing.
5 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference Brie de Meaux, 1kg, £12.64
It's a bit elasticky, but it's got a good farmhousey smell and taste.
4 stars
Asda extra special, 190g, £1.38
It's tastes like a mass-produced cheese, but a good one. Would be great for deep-frying.
2 stars
M&S Channel Island, £11.49/kg
Very rich. People who don't like strong cheeses would like this one. I like them to be more mature.
2 stars
Tesco finest, 200g, £2.40
It doesn't smell ripe and it doesn't taste ripe at all. I'm not keen on this one.
1 star
Smoked salmon
Black Mountains Smokery premier Welsh, 220g, £9, www.smoked-foods.co.uk
It's got a light texture and is not oily. This is a very good smoked salmon.
5 stars
M&S Orkney Scottish, 135g, £5.99
It has a good flavour and a nice smoke to it, but it's quite oily.
4 stars
Graig farm, 100g, £5.54,
Pretty oily with a light smoke and a very pale colour. You would have to have lemon and pepper with this.
3 stars
F&M Irish, 200g, £24, www.fortnumandmason.com
It's OK, and it has a good colour. Maybe a bit too salty.
3 stars
Young's Spey Valley, 100g, £8.99, www.speyvalleysmokedsalmon.com
Too salty and very heavily smoked. OK for canapés.
2 stars
Pâté
F&M rillettes Françaises goose, 100g, £2.20
Rich but under-seasoned and very greasy. You need a glass of wine with this.
3 stars
Waitrose Highland game in kilner jar, 350g, £5.99,
This tastes of pork fat and there are too many cranberries.
2 stars
Harvey Nichols pheasant terrine with foie gras, 100g, £4.50
The foie gras is more like a mousse and I can't really taste the pheasant.
2 stars
Patchwork tequila and cranberry chicken liver, 230g, £6.20, www.patchwork-pate.co.uk
Tastes of something, but not tequila or cranberries.
2 stars
Sainsbury's taste the difference duck liver
150g, £1.99
It's very manufactured. Can't taste the individual ingredients.
No stars
Vegetable canapés
Donald Russell selection, 50x 25g, £22
Really lovely, short pastry with a great filling. It's a very fine canapé.
4 stars
Sainsbury's vegetarian party bites, 250g, £2.99
These are quite nice. The pastry is the best bit. The filling is OK, but nothing special.
3 stars
M&S mini tortilla, 270g, £4.99
Balance of ingredients is wrong; too many chillies, too much bread and too little cheese.
1 star
Tesco finest filo tartlet selection, 276g, £3.99
Delicate goat's cheese flavour, but it's too fatty and the red pepper flavour is naff.
1 star
Goodfellas mini pizzas, 250g, £2.09,
0500 100 055
The base is tough as old boots and I can't really taste the filling.
No stars
Forman and Son cocktail fishcakes, 12x25g, £10.95, www.formanandfield.com
They all taste of the fish they are made of and they look homemade.
4 stars
Fish canapés
M&S seafood spoons, 115g, £14.99
It's a luxury canapé with a decent amount of lobster and prawn.
3 stars
Asda extra special mini scallop shell, 248g, £3.48
They look good and the scallop is nice.
3 stars
Waitrose smoked salmon crescents, 360g, £4.49
They are quite stodgy. There's too much dough.
1 star
Tesco finest jumbo filo wrapped and breaded prawns, 210g, £3.99
They look quite good, but are dry and tasteless. I would never serve these.
No stars
