I compared Aldi’s premium range to M&S — there was one massive hit

There is an ongoing cost of living crisis but Aldi’s premium own-label Specially Selected range is seeing growth, a trend that mirrors the wider grocery market.

This could be due to easing pressures for some shoppers, or a shift in shopping habits, with some opting for less well-known brands.

Others may be choosing to dine at home more often. According to Aldi UK boss Giles Hurley, customers are more willing to splurge on pricier items and have been ‘trading up’ to premium own-label products like Wagyu steak, high-end cheese, ready meals, and brioche buns.

In fact, this year, Aldi’s Specially Selected range will make up over half of its overall Christmas offering for the first time. With this in mind, I decided to compare these products to those offered by Marks and Spencer, sampling some of Aldi’s most popular Specially Selected items.

M&S is renowned for its high-quality food and has recently been making waves with its own Remarksable range, which has impressed shoppers with its low prices. However, it remains one of the priciest options for many groceries outside of this range, so I wanted to see how the two compare in terms of price and taste.

Despite the unavailability of Wagyu steaks in the Aldi stores I visited, possibly due to their popularity, I chose fillet steaks from both retailers for comparison. At Aldi, a 28-day matured fillet steak weighing 170g is priced at £4.99, while M&S offers a 10-day matured fillet steak weighing 190g for £8, which equates to £7.16 for the same size as Aldi’s, reports the MEN.

Both were scrumptious, but it was Aldi’s steak that impressed me more with its flavour and texture, likely due to the extended maturing period.

Another popular premium product from Aldi is the Wagyu Beef Burgers, retailing at £3.49 for a pack of two, weighing 340g. The closest equivalent at M&S are the Fully Loaded Steak Burgers, costing £5 for a 380g pack, although they are available as part of a 3 for £12 deal.

Despite both being enjoyable, I found the 73% beef M&S burgers had chewy bits and preferred the overall taste and texture of Aldi’s 95% beef ones. I also favoured the sweeter taste of Aldi’s brioche burger buns, priced at £1.05 for a pack of four, compared to a hefty £3 for four from M&S.

Almost every product from Aldi tasted either just as good as M&S or better. I enjoyed the taste of Aldi’s Vintage Cheddar over the M&S West Country one, and the Specially Selected sausages – blended with herbs and a hint of ginger – were a massive hit.

Many of the items, including the Canadian Maple Syrup, extra virgin olive oil and Parma Ham tasted almost identical. It’s no surprise that Aldi’s Specially Selected Superseed Farmhouse loaf tastes just like the M&S Super Seeded loaf, both packed with sunflower, millet, linseed, poppy and pumpkin seeds. However, while the M&S one will cost you £1.60, Aldi’s version is a mere £1.09.

There were also significant price differences with some of the other products we sampled. Take the Manuka Honey, for instance, which costs £4.39 for a 225g jar at Aldi, compared to £10 for a slightly larger 250g jar from M&S.

Aldi’s Extra Fine Beans were priced at £1.29 for 200g, while M&S ones were £2.50 for the same size. Sales of premium ready meals have been increasing at Aldi and the ones we tried – Lasagne Al Forno and Mac and Cheese – were a big hit with the kids, as was Aldi’s Specially Selected Spicy Italian Salami and ‘Nduja pizza, Steak Pie and Pesto Alla Genovese, another top seller.

Even the products that weren’t part of Aldi’s premium range, such as the tenderstem broccoli, priced at £1.39 for 200g, were no different to the M&S version (the broccoli was £3 for a larger 350g bag, but still more expensive per kg).

The most challenging product to compare was the alcohol. One of Aldi’s most popular premium products is its Castellore Organic Prosecco Rose, priced at £7.99 a bottle.

M&S doesn’t stock a rose organic prosecco, so we opted for its white organic Colle Del Principe Prosecco, priced at £9. I’m not typically a fan of rose, but I must admit the Aldi version is particularly pleasant and certainly had a fresher taste compared to the pricier M&S bottle. My usual preference is Aldi’s top-selling £5.45 Costellore Prosecco, so I’m not overly picky and certainly no wine connoisseur.

There were a few products that we felt didn’t meet M&S standards.

We favoured the M&S Collection Potato Dauphinoise, costing £3.50 and straight from the fridge, over Aldi’s £2.75 freezer pack – primarily due to the flavour, but also the presentation.

The item that really couldn’t compete was the lemon drizzle cake. While Aldi’s is perfectly acceptable and a steal at £2.25, it’s the softer sponge and lemon juice icing that gives the £4 M&S one the advantage.

I might just be able to justify the additional cost for that one. But when so many of the other items were virtually on par in terms of taste and quality, it demonstrates that you don’t necessarily have to pay a premium to get the good stuff.