Next weekend will mark one of the most significant times in British royal history, as we celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - marking the very first time that a British Monarch has reached a landmark 70 years of service.
The Jubilee brings with it an extended four-day weekend between June 2 and June 5, and it will see millions of us enjoy street parties filled with drinks and food that really capture the royal spirit.
And one of those foods is the humble scone, which the Queen herself is known to enjoy as part of a classic cream tea.
So to honour the upcoming Jubilee, Cambridgeshire Live reporter Amy Jones set out to compare scones from Aldi, Tesco, and Marks & Spencer to find out which ones would be most suitable for a royal-themed afternoon tea.
Find out all you need to know about the Queen's Platinum Jubilee here.
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Amy picked up plain buttery scones from both Aldi and M&S but had to cop some sultana scones from her local Tesco, as they had no more plain ones available.
She then compared them in packaging, price, and taste, before rendering her final verdict - and this is what she found.
First appearances and price
Amy noted that each of the scone packets were pretty similar in appearance, as they all featured clear plastic wrapping that allows customers to see exactly what it is they're purchasing.
However, the reporter stated that while Aldi and M&S supplied their scones in a pack of four, Tesco had opted for smaller treats that meant they could fit six in one packet.
When it came to the price, Amy said: "Each scone was reasonably priced, Aldi cost £1.09, Tesco £1.05 and of course, M&S were the most expensive at £1.95. Although at four scones for under £2 I still see that as a bargain for a cream tea."
Tesco
The reporter tried the sultana scones from Tesco first, and did her best to ignore the bits of dried fruit as much as possible so as not to let them sway her opinion on the scone itself.
And when it came to the texture of Tesco's baked treat, Amy praised the supermarket for not making things "too dry".
She said: "The Tesco scone was nice, it was sweet with an even texture throughout. It wasn't too dry and was enjoyable to eat. The size let it down slightly so for a portion I would definitely opt for two, but that could just be me."
Aldi
Although the Aldi scones were bigger than the Tesco ones, Amy was quick to point out that in this case, bigger definitely doesn't mean better.
The reporter found the scones from the discount supermarket to be far too dry for her liking, and said she "instantly disliked" the feel of it in her mouth.
She explained: "Aldi was next, larger than Tesco's but dry as dry can be. The moment I tried the Aldi one I instantly disliked it.
"Although they're cheap and often I am an Aldi advocate, these scones just didn't cut it for me. It felt far too dry for a scone, the texture was off and there wasn't much flavour to it, even with my heaped jam and cream on top."
M&S
Amy said she was "excited" to try the pricey M&S scones as soon as she opened the packet, as she stated their offering was the biggest of the three and looked "almost like a cake" from the outside.
And even though they were the most expensive, the extra price was definitely worth it - as the scones were by far the best of the bunch.
She said: "Biting in was like a little taste of heaven, soft, light, fluffy and b-utterly delicious. With the most flavour out of them all, I instantly knew who would be taking the crown today.
"The M&S scones are made with buttermilk different from the others which are made with standard milk. For me, this made a big difference when it came to taste and the lightness of the scones, so much so that I went back for more."
Final verdict
Overall, Amy insisted it was more than worth the price hike to buy the M&S scones over those offered by Tesco and Aldi.
However, if you want better value for money without compromising too much on taste, bagging six scones for a humble £1.05 from Tesco isn't a bad deal, especially at 90p cheaper than the four you get at M&S.
Amy noted: "So of course M&S takes the golden crown on this taste test. These scones are certainly fit for a Queen and I can only imagine Her Majesty herself tucking into some right now.
"But how does the Queen eat them, is it strawberry jam first or clotted cream first?"
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