A blind taste test by Which? has crowned Aldi and Lidl's Greek-style yoghurts as joint winners, with both scoring 77% and costing less than half the price of Yeo Valley's branded product.
A panel of 64 yoghurt enthusiasts sampled nearly 100 tubs for the consumer group. Each taster received a single portion in an unmarked container, with no indication of which brand they were trying. Beyond scoring overall taste, consistency, look and smell, participants also evaluated the creaminess, density and tanginess of every yoghurt.
Budget brands take top spots
Lidl's Milbona Greek Style Yoghurt, available at £1.49 for a 1kg tub, secured a 77% score, with most tasters commending its creaminess and richness of flavour. Aldi's Brooklea Greek Style Yoghurt also achieved 77%, retailing at 95p for a 500g pot. It is also stocked in a 1kg format for £1.49 (15p per 100g), matching the price of the Lidl alternative.
Enthusiasts commended the Aldi product for possessing the 'perfect' consistency and creaminess, while its flavour and presentation proved highly popular. Taking third spot was Yeo Valley's Organic Greek Style natural yoghurt, a branded product costing £2.25 for 450g — over twice the price of the Aldi and Lidl alternatives.
Other supermarket results
Sainsbury's Greek Style Natural Yoghurt fared well in the tasting, receiving a score of 74% and costing £1.15 for 500g. In contrast, Tesco, M&S and Co-op all jointly finished in the bottom position, each recording 71%, with assessors noting they were deficient in creaminess.
Greek vs Greek-style yoghurt
Greek yoghurt is a variety of yoghurt originating from Greece. According to dairy experts at Arla, it is manufactured from Greek milk within Greece itself, while other nations produce Greek-style yoghurt based on the original. For a product to carry the label Greek yoghurt, it must have been produced there utilising locally sourced ingredients.
Greek-style yoghurt refers to a strained dairy product made through a procedure comparable to that employed for Greek yoghurt, usually involving the extraction of whey from standard yoghurt to attain a thicker texture. However, Greek-style alternatives may not adhere to the same production methods or possess an equivalent nutritional profile to authentic Greek yoghurt, and they fail to meet the requirements regarding ingredient provenance and place of manufacture.
