Taste test: Which supermarket has the most scrumptious Christmas cakes?

Supermarket giants have less shame each year it seems, as they plough millions into advertising campaigns to pull on our heartstrings and make us rush out to snap up their fanciest treats. And who can blame them? The nation spent about £20bn last year on gifts, food and drink as people tried desperately to one-up their friends and neighbours and create the perfect Christmas.

But at Star we waited until December to begin the festivities.

All the big chains have selections of popular goodies including mince pies, Christmas puddings, festive sandwiches, panettone and stollen. But whose offerings are best?

We scoured the land for some of the most refined palettes to make a judgement on Christmas food from Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Tesco.

Unfortunately Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood were busy watering their cucumbers, so we had to make do with an intrepid gang of tasters from Wrekin Housing Trust.

Full of willing and bang up for a two-and-a-half hour scoff and skive were group head of marketing Ed Thomas, 36, from Waters Upton, housing executive Craig Booth, 23, from Telford, 25-year-old carpenter Shaun Pickering from Dawley, housing assistant Sara-Jayne Sidwell, 23, from Telford and senior IT specialist Andrew Anthony, 36, from Codsall.

The quintet chanelled their inner Prue Leith to nibble and gnaw their way through some of the most and least delectable offerings from some of the country's biggest supermarkets.

The tasters were each asked to give the products a score out of five, which are then combined to give a grand total out of 25.

In terms of price, there were huge variations. Waitrose, as one would expect, was the dearest – shockingly a basket of Waitrose's festive fare was £8.50 more expensive than its nearest rival Asda, despite there being one item less.

Slightly more unexpectedly was Tesco coming in cheapest, 25p less than traditional budget brand Lidl, thanks in no small part to its two cakes for £3 deal. Sainsbury's also offered good value, coming in a touch more expensive than Lidl. But would the prices match the quality when the tasters put the festive nosh to the test?

Christmas comes just once a year, so some may be keen to push the boat out. But when it came to mince pies, our tasters would advise you to save your pennies.

Waitrose's mini mince pies, which come in a variation of flavours, face withering criticism from the team, who rate them the second-worst of any product they tasted.

Three are almond topped, three are orange & juniper flavoured and three are caramelised hazelnut topped, but despite the fancy names and flavours, they are harshly judged for dry pastry, poor filling to pastry ratios and a lack of flavour.

"They're very crumbly and really dry," grimaces Sarah-Jayne as she tries in vain to keep it from falling down her festive frock. Ed, meanwhile, enjoys the taste of the hazelnut filling, but the pastry is, to quote, "dross".

Asda's Extra Special Luxury mince pies live up to their flowery and boastful name, coming out comfortably on top and being the highest-rated item of all, despite costing a bargain £1.39, less than half the price of Waitrose's offering.

"They're very tasty, not too sweet," smiles Andrew, smacking his lips. All the our fantastic five give them the thumbs up, and collectively give them 23 out of 25.

Lidl, Sainsbury's and Tesco all score average marks, failing to wow the group.

Christmas puddings prove a more competitive category, with just a couple of points separating the top three. Sainsbury's £4 mini orange and cranberry Christmas puddings, which also feature edible sprinkling glitter, emerge victorious, earning an impressive 22 out of 25. "It's the sparkle and the taste," says Ed, approvingly.

"It's quite a different taste to a normal Christmas pudding," adds Andrew.

Waitrose and Asda also score well in this category too, and surprisingly the former is the cheaper, costing just £3.15.

Lidl scores a pitiful 13 out of 25. "This one's too sweet," says Sarah-Jayne. Craig agrees: "You can't really taste the nuts."

Though at £2.69, what does one expect?

Stollen, a festive fruit bread which has risen in popularity along with German-style Christmas markets, is met with a mixed reaction by the team.

Waitrose and Tesco are the joint top-scorers, netting 20 points out of a possible 25. Of Waitrose's, Craig says : "This is a good one, it's got a lot of flavour."

It may not have been presented particularly elegantly, but the taste of the £6 stollen earns rave reviews with the testers. Tesco's stollen bites earn the same score, but are half the price.

Lidl scores a creditable 19 and Asda scores 14, but Sainsbury's picks up a lowly nine points.

"It's like dry bread with sugar on top," says Andrew, turning up his nose in derision. He offers a token one point.

It was all sweetness and light at the beginning of proceedings, as our gaggle of hungry troops snaffled up the treats. But as their palettes grow weary and their bellies full, generous comments begin to turn to acid. But our brave warriors soldier on through the mountain of cake.

The Christmas sandwich is another product to bring a big contrast in feedback. Our team turn their collective noses up at Lidl and Tesco's offerings, which score a pathetic 10 points apiece.

"The taste just isn't as good as the others," says Shaun of the Lidl brand. Craig is even more critical of the Tesco version, saying: "It's almost a little bit burnt."

Browsing the various supermarkets, panettone seems to be more prominent on the shelves than ever before. Have retailers been prompted by Paddy McGuiness' annoying M&S advert where he salivates over the fruity bread while moseying round a picturesque market? Maybe it's just flavour of the month...

The most popular way of consuming it is in the form of bread and butter pudding, but the group samples it in simple slices straight from the packet. Even so, it is one of the best-enjoyed treats.

Asda again nets a top spot, scoring 20 out of 25. "This is really fruity and light," says Ed. "It's nice and fluffy, you can really taste the orange," adds Craig. Waitrose is just behind, scoring 19 out of 20, but costing £7.50 more, you've got to question the value for money.

Lidl again brings up the rear, scoring just 11 out of 25. Even carpenter Shaun has a tough time sawing through it with the bread knife. "It almost tastes stale, there's not much flavour to it," said Andrew.

Overall Asda's cakes are rated the tastiest, scoring 92, with Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose all scoring similar ratings. Lidl is a lowly fifth, bottom-scoring in three of the five cake categories.

They'll have to try a Lidl harder next year.