In the battle for the perfect festive nibble, supermarkets have gone all out this year, with viral food trends from 2025 influencing their offerings. Classic vol-au-vents have been replaced by American-style favourites like mac and cheese bites, while quiches and scones have received modern makeovers. With hosting pressures and high food costs, Brits are stocking up on freezer-friendly treats that can be quickly cooked in an air fryer.
To find the best party food for Christmas platters, a taste test was conducted comparing dishes from Aldi, M&S and Tesco. Three items from each supermarket—prawn tempura, cheese bites and mini burgers (or equivalents)—were judged on taste, appearance, portion size and value for money.
M&S impressed with its succulent black tiger prawns in a light Japanese-style panko crumb, which were juicy and generous in size. However, at nearly £6 for 10 prawns, they are a luxury buy. The supermarket's goat's cheese and caramelised onion tartlets were decadent and moreish, though some struggled to keep their shape. A savoury scone with honey and mustard pulled ham and cheese sauce was a showstopper, with a hefty amount of meat and impressive presentation.
Aldi offered the best value prawns: 12 large frozen shrimps for under £2, which can be cooked in an air fryer in 19 minutes. However, the prawn-to-batter ratio was slightly off. Tesco's offerings were not detailed in this test, but the overall winner for prawns was M&S, while Aldi provided the best bargain.
