BBC Good Food Summer Taste Awards 2023 results

Chilli brings spicy heat to these juicy sausages, which are colourfully speckled with herbs.

Available from:
Sainsbury's (£3)

Joint winner: Lidl Deluxe honey & mustard sausages, £2.49 (400g)

Judges could clearly taste the mustard in these sausages, which provides punchy heat. The honey, meanwhile, brings a touch of sweetness.

Available from Lidl in-store

Best vegan sausages

Winner: Asda OMV! 6 no pork chilli sausages, £2.50 (300g)

Our judges hadn’t tried spicy vegan sausages before, but these work well. They have smoky flavour, good texture and crisp casings that are similar to those of meat sausages – they'd be great with good vegan mayo, too.

Available from:
Asda (£2.50)

Best burger buns

Winner: Aldi Specially Selected brioche burger buns, £1.05 (200g)

These are sweet, with a smart, glossy crust and soft texture that soaks up burger sauce well. They're also pre-sliced for ease.

Available from:
Aldi (£1.05)

Best burgers

Winner: M&S cheese and onion beef burgers, £4.50 (400g)

These become crisp and caramelised during cooking and look homemade. With good texture and flavour, there's a slight sweetness from the onion, while the cheese is an unusual but pleasant addition.

Available from M&S, in store soon

Best veggie burgers

Winner: Waitrose & Partners GoVeggie aubergine and feta burgers, £2.95 (210g)

While judges couldn't taste the feta in these burgers, they have good texture and a crisp, herby centre that make them pleasant to eat.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£2.95)

Best vegan burgers

Joint winner: M&S southern-fried vegan chicken burgers, £3.50 (227g)

These plant-based 'chicken' burgers look so much like the real thing, judges were impressed to discover they're vegan. The texture is even similar to that of chicken, pulling apart well, while the breading is crunchy and well-seasoned, with peppery flavour. Don't reserve these for barbecues alone – they'd make a great midweek meal with ketchup.

Available from M&S, in-store soon

Joint winner: Iceland No Meat 2 ultimate burgers, £2.50 (226g)

These burgers are smoky and look deceptively like a meaty patty. Judges enjoyed the meat-like texture, too.

Available from:
Iceland (£2.50)

Best barbecue sauce

Winner: M&S house BBQ sauce, £2.10 (300g)

This barbecue sauce is well-balanced, with a touch of smoke, dominant sweetness and some tang that isn't overwhelming. This is a great all-rounder.

Available from:
Ocado (£2.10)

Best meat kebab

Winner: M&S Asian chicken wing kebab

While slightly unusual, this chicken kebab is good-quality and remains juicy during cooking. These are handy for last-minute barbecues as they're already prepared, and the strong spice rub ensures a flavourful meal.

Available from M&S, in store soon

Best BBQ hero for entertaining (meat or fish)

Winner: M&S Master Grill porterhouse steak with wild garlic butter

This impressive centrepiece is generous enough to serve a barbecue crowd. The rub creates a nicely seasoned crust, and the steak is juicy throughout.

Available from M&S, in store soon

Best BBQ hero for entertaining (veggie)

Joint winner: Waitrose & Partners 4 harissa halloumi kebabs, £4.25 (240g)

While these kebabs aren't exactly showstopping in appearance, they're a guaranteed crowd-pleaser: the halloumi sticks are coated in a vibrant harissa dressing, making a moreish veggie option.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£4.25)

Joint winner: M&S vegan Asian-style kebabs

With complex depth of flavour and a good amount of herbs, these kebabs have obvious vegetable flavour and a nicely spiced dressing. They'd be a great partner to salads and slaw, or serve simply in a hot dog bun.

Available from M&S, in store soon

Best ice cream

Joint winner: M&S Collection layered caramel and peanut Italian gelato, £5.25 (450g)

Soft, velvety caramel-flavoured gelato is layered with caramelised peanuts for texture, caramel sauce and chocolate shavings.

Available from:
Ocado (£5.25)

Joint winner: Tesco Finest coconut and passion fruit ice cream, £3 (480ml)

This tropical ice cream is perfect for a sunny day: the coconut-flavoured ice cream has a coconut milk base and is mixed with shredded coconut for texture. It's also rippled with sweet, sharp passion fruit sauce.

Available from:
Tesco (£3)

Runner-up: SPAR white chocolate ice cream with mixed berry sauce, £3 (480ml)

Fruity ice cream lovers will enjoy this offering from SPAR. Rich white chocolate ice cream with a generous swirl of berry sauce – a must-try for fans of classic raspberry ripple.

Available from Spar, in store

BBC Good Food Summer Taste Awards 2023 winners: best picnic food

Best coleslaw

Winner: Aldi Specially Selected coleslaw, £1.19 (300g)

This coleslaw stood out to judges in the blind tasting, thanks to its tangy flavour that's balanced with a good level of sweetness, just the right amount of sauce and crunchy veg, plus some herbs for added interest.

Available from:
Aldi (£1.19)

Best dip

Winner: Co-op red pepper houmous, £1.85 (170g)

While this hummus isn’t anything ground-breaking, the simple addition of red pepper won over our judges. It's pretty, with deep red colour, and a solid new option for loyal classic hummus fans.

Available from Co-op, in store

Best sausage roll

Winner: Aldi Specially Selected hog roast sausage rolls, £1.99 (188g)

Generously sized and delicious warm, judges loved the addition of apple to these sausage rolls, which provides a full 'hog roast' taste and brings a touch of sweetness.

Available from:
Aldi (£1.99)

Runner up: Co-op n’duja sausage rolls, £3.40

These mini sausage roll slices are great for picnics, and have vivid orange colour and touch of paprika spice.

Available from Co-op, in store

Best vegetarian picnic pastry

Winner: Tesco Finest vintage cheddar and caramelised onion rolls, £2.60 (four pack)

The most classic sausage roll judges tasted, these have thick pastry, a nigella seed topping and cheesy, well-balanced filling.

Available from:
Tesco (£2.60)

Runner-up: Lidl Chef Select spinach and feta parcels

We'd recommend serving these warm, so they're best for picnics in the garden rather than transporting long distances. But, they're generously filled, well-flavoured and generously seasoned.

Available from Lidl, in store

Best picnic centrepiece

Joint winner: Asda Extra Special charcuterie antipasti platter, £7 (273g)

While this simple platter isn’t necessarily a showstopper, judges enjoyed the individual components – this is a handy addition to last-minute picnic or al fresco drinks. The manchego is good quality and the olives large and juicy, and the judges appreciated the choice of both chorizo and salami.

Available from:
Asda (£7)

Joint winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference mushroom, mascarpone & thyme tart, £5 (400g)

This does require cooking before serving, so you'll need to plan ahead if you want to take it on a picnic. However, it's a hearty centrepiece, with a rich and cheesy mushroom filling and thick pastry – wrap well to keep warm.

Available from:
Sainsbury's (£5)

How we tested

We invited 12 supermarkets to submit their best summer products across 16 categories. Packaging was completely removed and judges tasted all items blind. Comments and a score out of 10 were submitted for each product in the category via anonymous online judging forms. The entire judging process was overseen by an independent adjudicator. This year, the team tested over 140 products.

For full lists of winners, visit our hub pages for the best barbecue food and the best picnic food.

This review was last updated in April 2023. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.