For many, the festive season is a time for indulgent feasting, and often the most memorable meals begin with a simple, elegant platter of cured meats. Inspired by the culinary traditions of Spain and Italy, where antipasti and tapas reign supreme, we embarked on a mission to find the best supermarket charcuterie selections available in the UK.
A Taste of the Mediterranean on a Supermarket Shelf
The writer's own culinary education was shaped by Spanish and Italian flavours, learned while catering at major events and travelling through the regions in search of authentic ingredients. This passion highlights the enduring appeal of Mediterranean cuisine, built on heritage preservation methods that give us prosciutto, coppa, chorizo, and jamón serrano.
Supermarkets now offer a wide array of pre-assembled antipasti and tapas platters, promising a taste of this tradition without the fuss. We put ten of these selection packs to the test. The overall quality was found to be high, featuring wafer-thin slices of well-cured meat. However, detailed information on animal welfare was often scarce, and products free from nitrates and nitrites were difficult to find. It's worth noting that traditional prosciutto is typically cured with salt alone, making it a good choice for those looking to avoid additives.
The Top Picks for Your Festive Table
After thorough tasting, two selections stood out from the crowd. The award for Best Overall went to the Waitrose No 1 Antipasto Misto. Priced at £4.80 for 120g, this pack contains three quintessentially Italian meats: PDO Prosciutto di Parma, salame brianza, and coppa. All are made from Italian pork and sliced delicately thin. Waitrose's commitment to specific sourcing standards and traceability adds to its appeal, offering high quality at great value.
The title of Best Bargain was claimed by the Brindisa Iglesias Spanish Charcuterie Selection. Available for £8.50 for 200g at Ocado, it includes exquisite serrano ham, chorizo, salchichón, and lomo. Each type is individually packed, perfect for enjoying over several days. Produced by the heritage Salamanca brand Cárnicas Iglesias since 1928 using Spanish pork, it offers tender, mouth-melting slices and very good quality for the price.
Other Notable Contenders
The testing revealed several other strong contenders worthy of consideration:
The Duchy Organic Antipasto Misto from Waitrose (£5 for 90g) provides a trio from Lombardy—Milano salami, spianata Romana salami, and lonza. It features classic Italian flavours with a subtle sweetness and is a rare high-welfare option.
For a special occasion, the Trealy Farm Monmouthshire Sharing Box (£23.50 for 270g) proves that outstanding charcuterie can be made in the UK. This independent producer's box includes six snack salamis, award-winning air-dried ham, and beef bresaola, all with outstanding depth of flavour, though at a premium price.
M&S's Italian Antipasto Selection (£5.50 for 110g) offers a reliable trio of prosciutto di Parma, salami Milano, and bresaola, providing classic M&S quality and great value, though the ham is sliced extremely thin.
The Tesco Finest Italian Antipasto Platter (£6.95 for 188g) is a generous party pack. Its coppa, with marbling and notes of nutmeg, was a standout, offering good value and great taste.
Other tested packs included selections from Morrisons The Best, Sainsbury's, Co-op, and Asda Exceptional, all providing tasty, lower-cost options for assembling a festive meat platter.
Whether you're planning a sophisticated start to a Christmas meal or simple snacks for the limbo days between Christmas and New Year, a well-chosen charcuterie selection is a perfect, effortless centrepiece. The key is in the quality of the cure and the thinness of the slice—something these supermarket picks deliver with surprising consistency.
