A blind taste test of 65 consumers has crowned Lidl's Deluxe Pork Sausages as the UK's best, beating out premium brands like M&S, Jolly Hog, and Waitrose. Priced at just £2.49 for a 400g pack, the Lidl sausages scored 73% overall, with tasters praising their 'delectable taste', 'moist consistency', and 'just right' salt levels. They were also awarded a 'best buy' for being the cheapest in the test.
Top performers in the taste test
Aldi's Specially Selected Pork Sausages, also £2.49 for 400g, scored 72%, earning praise as 'impressive all-rounders' for aroma, meaty flavour, and appearance. Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages (£3.25 for 400g) also scored 72%, delivering a 'classic' flavour but with a slightly coarser texture. Asda Exceptional Classic Pork Sausages, Co-op Irresistible Pork Sausages, and M&S Collection British Outdoor Bred Pork Sausages each scored 71%.
Full ranking of sausages
The full list: Lidl Deluxe Pork Sausages (73%), Aldi Specially Selected Pork Sausages (72%), Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages (72%), Asda Exceptional Classic Pork Sausages (71%), Co-op Irresistible Pork Sausages (71%), M&S Collection British Outdoor Bred Pork Sausages (71%), Sainsbury's Taste the Difference British Pork Sausages (70%), Tesco Finest (67%), The Jolly Hog Proper Porker Sausages (65%), Porky Whites Premium Traditional Pork Sausages (65%), Iceland Luxury The Ultimate Pork Sausages (56%), and Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages (53%).
Waitrose disappoints despite high meat content
Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages, costing £5.25 for 400g (88p per sausage), scored only 53% despite having 98% meat content. Tasters cited a lack of 'herb and spice seasoning' and only a quarter enjoyed the texture. According to Which?, shoppers could buy twice as many Lidl sausages for the same price.
Branded sausages falter
Two high-welfare branded products, The Jolly Hog Porkers and Porky Whites Premium Traditional Pork sausages, both at £3.50 for 400g, scored 65%. The Jolly Hog sausages were said to 'look and smell good' but disappointed on taste, while Porky Whites looked 'excellent' but were deemed 'somewhat bland flavour-wise'.
How the taste test was conducted
The blind test took place in April 2026 with a panel of 65 people who buy and eat pork sausages, broadly representative of UK adults by age and gender. Sausages were cooked per pack instructions and served in random order in private booths to avoid bias. Tasters rated flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture. The overall score was weighted: 50% flavour, 20% appearance, 15% aroma, and 15% texture, based on consumer preferences.
Health note on Lidl sausages
Lidl's winning sausages are high in saturated fat: two sausages contain 11.5g, which is more than half the recommended daily maximum for women and more than a third for men.
