I tried supermarket sausage rolls and the winner tastes better than Greggs and M&S and it’s cheaper too
SAUSAGE rolls with flaky pastry are a must-have on any buffet or picnic spread.
And with Greggs selling around 2.5 million a week, it seems they are a big hit for retailers too.
But how do supermarket options compare to the bakery chain in terms of taste and exactly how much meat is in your favourite one?
The truth may gross you out.
Here, Lynsey Hope investigates and shares her verdict.
The winner contains double the amount of pork in its ingredients when compared to Greggs, producer of the nation’s favourite sausage rolls.
Greggs Sausage Rolls – Lowest pork content
- £1.45, greggs.co.uk
- £1.45 per sausage roll
- Pork content: 22 per cent
- Nutrition: 330 calories, 22g fat, 0g sugar, 1.5g salt
Greggs is definitely the most recognisable sausage roll you can buy, I’d be able to pick this one out blindfolded.
I loved the smoky pork aroma, the sausage flavour and the lightly seasoned meat and flaky, buttery pastry.
But I have to admit I was shocked by the low pork content, five per cent lower than the worst supermarket.
- Taste: 3/5
- Price: 5/5
- Overall score: 8/10
Morrisons The Best Pork Sausage Rolls
- £2.79 for 4, £1.48 per 100g
- 69.7p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 36 per cent
- Nutrition: 189 calories, 13.2g fat, 0.8g sugar, 0.35g salt
Small but mighty sausage rolls.
Even though they are not huge, they looked really appetising with a lovely golden colour.
Not only did they taste delicious, but the pastry was perfectly cooked and they were one of the highest in terms of pork content.
Also, these were one of just two packs we tried that didn’t list palm oil in the ingredients.
Pricey, but a lovely treat.
- Taste: 4/5
- Price: 3/5
- Overall score: 7/10
Tesco Pork Sausage Rolls
- £2 for 6, 56p per 100g
- 33.3p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 27 per cent
- Nutrition: 182 calories, 9.8g fat, 1.7g sugar, 0.44g salt
The meat in these was quite gristly and overall I found them quite dry and a bit tough going to eat.
High in calories, salty and yet bland with not enough flavour or seasoning.
They were joint lowest on pork content and also contain palm oil.
- Taste: 1/5
- Price: 2/5
- Overall score: 3/10
Aldi Crestwood Sausage Rolls
- £1.59 for 6, aldi.co.uk (44.1p per 100g)
- 26.5p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 29 per cent
- Nutrition: 199 calories, 11g fat, 1.1g sugar, 0.51g salt
The great price makes these sausage rolls a good bet if you are looking for value.
The pastry treats tasted good and contained a really good distribution of sausage meat in each one.
They contain 29 per cent pork, so not the lowest, thought admittedly could be higher.
Nicely seasoned.
- Taste: 4/5
- Price: 4/5
- Overall score: 8/10
Asda Pork Sausage Rolls
- 85p for 2, groceries.asda.com (70.8p per 100g)
- 42.5p pers sausage roll
- Pork content: 28 per cent
- Nutrition: 217 calories, 15g fat, 1.1g sugar, 0.82g salt
Overpriced for what they are, and overly salty.
The pasty was nice and they tasted quite good but still a pretty low pork content and I felt they were quite basic for the price.
Nothing to shout home about.
- Taste: 3/5
- Price: 2/5
- Overall score: 5/10
M&S Collection Classic Pork Sausage Rolls – Highest meat content
- £3.25 for 2, ocado.com (£2.03 per 100g)
- £1.62 per sausage roll
- Pork content: 43 per cent
- Nutrition: 322 calories, 21.5g fat, 2.5g sugar, 0.79g salt
Wow, these are real whoppers and the highest in terms of meat content at 43 per cent.
They tasted good with delicious flaky pastry that was a lovely golden colour and the meat was beautifully seasoned with a delicate texture.
At 322 calories though and containing 21.5g fat these will have to stay in the realm of an occasional treat.
- Taste: 5/5
- Price: 3/5
- Overall score: 8/10
Lidl Chef Select Snack Sausage Rolls (360g)
- £1.19 for 9, lidl.co.uk (33p per 100g)
- 13.2p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 29 per cent
- Nutrition: 101 calories, 6g fat, 0.7g sugar, 0.23g salt
All in all, a great sausage roll.
The puff pastry treat had a higher meat content than I’d expected for the price with 29 per cent British pork.
The pastry was a little pale looking but it was flaky and buttery.
A good size too and there seemed to be a good balance between the amount of sausage and pastry.
A great budget choice for families.
For this price, pretty darn good.
- Taste: 4/5
- Price: 5/5
- Overall score: 9/10
Sainsbury’s Pork Sausage Rolls
- £2 for 6, sainsburys.co.uk (56p per 100g)
- 33.3p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 27 per cent
- Nutrition: 188 calories, 10.7g fat, 1.4g sugar, 0.45g salt
The pastry here was too thin and dry, a bit like eating paper.
They were over seasoned and too salty with a sad-looking grey meat inside.
The joint lowest pork content in this test – alongside Tesco – and high in fat and calories even though they are not the largest.
Better warmed up, but that’s not what you’re looking for in a ready-to-go picnic snack.
- Taste: 2/5
- Price: 4/5
- Overall score: 6/10
Waitrose Sausage Rolls
- £3.50 for 12, waitrose.com (97.2p per 100g)
- 29.1p per sausage roll
- Pork content: 36 per cent
- Nutrition: 93 calories, 5.8g fat, less than 0.5g sugar, 0.25g salt
Loved these, small and moreish, you’ll definitely eat more than one.
Loved these flaky, golden pastry and they had a respectable meat content at 36 per cent – the second highest.
The flavours of thyme, sage and pepper really come through when you take a bite and though they contain palm oil, it is sustainable.
Fairly priced – less than half the price of the M&S rolls per 100g.
Delicious and good quality.
- Taste: 5/5
- Price: 5/5
- Overall score: 10/10