A blind taste test has crowned Aldi and Lidl's own-brand Greek-style yoghurts as the best, beating out brand-name options like Yeo Valley. Both supermarket varieties scored 77% in the assessment by consumer experts Which? and cost a fraction of the price of the leading brand.
How the taste test worked
Which? organized a panel of 64 yoghurt fans who made their way through 100 tubs in order to determine the very best one. They were served one scoop in a pot, and had no idea where each individual one was from. As well as rating the overall flavour, texture, appearance and aroma, the tasters also scored the creaminess, thickness and sharpness of each yoghurt.
Winners: Aldi and Lidl tie for top
Lidl's Milbona Greek Style Yoghurt, costing £1.49 for a 1kg tub, scored 77%, with most of the tasters impressed with the creaminess and the strength of flavour. Aldi's Brooklea Greek Style Yoghurt also scored 77%, costing 95p for a smaller tub of 500g. However, it's also available in 1kg size for £1.49 (15p per 100g), which makes it the exact same price as Lidl. Fans said it had the 'perfect' thickness and creaminess, with its flavour and appearance also very popular.
Coming in third place was Yeo Valley's Organic Greek Style natural yoghurt. Being a brand name, it comes with the price tag to match, and is more than double the price of the Aldi and Lidl varieties at £2.25 for 450g. Another supermarket variety that did fairly well in the taste test was Sainsbury's Greek Style Natural Yogurt, scoring 74% and costing £1.15 for 500g.
Bottom of the list
However, Tesco, M&S and Co-Op all came in joint last place, each scoring 71%, with the tasters saying they lacked creaminess.
Difference between Greek and Greek-style yoghurt
As the name suggests, Greek yoghurt is a yogurt type originating in Greece. According to the dairy experts at Arla, it's made from Greek milk in Greece, but other countries make Greek-style yoghurt inspired by the original version. In order to be called Greek yoghurt, it has to have been made there using local ingredients. Greek-style yoghurt refers to a strained dairy product made using a process similar to the one used for Greek yoghurt and often involves removing whey from regular yogurt, resulting in a thicker texture. However, Greek-style variations may not undergo the same production methods or have the same nutrient profile as authentic Greek yoghurt. And crucially, it doesn't meet the requirements of the origin of ingredients and the location of production.
