Cheap £2.49 own-brand sausages officially crowned better than M&S and Jolly Hog

Summer is officially here, which means barbecue season is in full swing.

If you’re planning to fire up the grill and enjoy hot dogs and burgers with your nearest and dearest, you might want to think twice before buying the most expensive bangers.

That’s because a recent taste test has revealed that cheap supermarket own-brand sausages are the UK’s best.

According to a blind taste test of 65 people, Lidl’s Deluxe Pork Sausages (£2.49 for 400g) are the cream of the crop, beating out competition from M&S, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons as well as brands like Heck, Jolly Hog and The Black Farmer. 

10 supermarket own-brand sausages were pitted against each other in the test and compared with two popular brands, and three were named the superior ‘best buys’ of the lot. 

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Lidl’s sausages topped the rankings with a score of 73 per cent as consumers loved their ‘delectable taste’, ‘moist consistency’, and ‘just right’ salt levels.

They were hailed as the best overall for ‘eating pleasure’, and also given a ‘best buy’ award as they were the cheapest of the bunch tried in the taste test.

However, it’s worth noting that Lidl’s sausages are pretty high in saturated fat. Two sausages contain 11.5g, which is more than half the recommended daily maximum for women and more than a third for men.

Following closely behind the bargain retailer, Aldi’s Specially Selected Pork Sausages (£2.49 for 400g) scored 72 per cent.

They matched Lidl on price, and were hailed as ‘impressive all-rounders’ by consumers.

They scored highly across the board for ‘aroma’, ‘meaty flavour’ and ‘looks’, but just missed out on the top spot because a few people felt they needed a ‘slightly stronger herbal kick’.

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Morrisons was in joint-second place, scoring 72 per cent for The Best Thick Pork Sausages (£3.25 for 400g). These bangers delivered a ‘classic’ flavour, but were described as having a ‘slightly coarser’ texture than others.

At the other end of the list, Waitrose’s No. 1 Free Range Pork Sausages (£5.25 for 400g) only scored 53 per cent, despite having the highest meat content of any of the products in the test (98 per cent).

People were disappointed by the lack of ‘herb and spice seasoning’, and only a quarter enjoyed the texture.

At 88p per sausage, these were the most expensive, and Which notes that shoppers could buy twice as many of Lidl’s sausages for the same price.

Two high-welfare branded products, The Jolly Hog Proper Porkers (£3.80 for 400g at Tesco) and Porky Whites Premium Traditional Pork sausages (£3.50 for 400g), were also featured in the mix, but ended up towards the bottom of the rankings, with a score of 65 per cent.

The Jolly Hog’s offering was said to ‘look and smell good’, but some were left disappointed by the taste.

Similarly, Porky Whites looked ‘excellent’ but were deemed ‘somewhat bland flavour-wise’.

All of the sausages were blind-tasted and rated by a panel of 65 people in April 2026. The panel was made up of people who buy and eat pork sausages, and who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age range, gender split and more). 

The sausages were cooked according to the pack instructions and served in a random order to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters then rated the flavour, aroma, appearance and texture of each sausage, and shared what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score given was based on 50 per cent flavour, 20 per cent appearance, 15 per cent aroma and 15 per cent texture. These weightings were what consumers ranked as the most important attributes when tasting pork sausages.

A version of this article was first published on April 26, 2026. All prices have been updated and are correct as of June 2026.

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