Eleonora Galasso is a food writer and author of As The Romans Do. Here, she taste tests picnic classics. All products are blind-tested.
Vegetarian quiche
Taste the Difference Slow Roasted Tomato & Barrel Aged Feta Quiche
400g, £3.10, sainsburys.co.uk
This pastry tastes like butter. Tomatoes are extremely good, as if they’ve just been picked. This is the one I’d buy.
★★★★★
Waitrose Broccoli, Spinach & Ricotta Quiche
400g, £2.59, waitrose.com
The best crust, but pastry isn’t everything. It isn’t bad, just very mild.
★★★
Higgidy Spinach, Feta & Roasted Red Pepper Crustless Quiche
380g, £4.19, ocado.com
Very eggy; nice. Greens are the main flavour. If you like a cheesy quiche, don’t go for this. Some sogginess.
★★★
Asda Extra Special Baby Plum Tomato & Mozzarella Quiche
400g, £3, asda.com
Looks very sad. Pastry is extremely soggy, doesn’t even look like it’s cooked well. Not a great deal of love in this.
No stars
Scotch eggs
Fortnum & Mason Traditional Scotch Egg
160g, £3.50, fortnumandmason.com
You can see the herbs. Fresh and dried herbs work with the sausage. The egg stays attached. The only one I would buy.
★★★★★
Taste the Difference Scotch Egg
140g, £1.25, sainsburys.co.uk
The crumb is thick, but not bad. Nice peppery sausage. The egg comes out of the shell; not right.
★★★
Waitrose 1 Soft Poached Scotch Egg
120g, £2.09, waitrose.com
The yolk is like jelly. You can smell the pork. Quite good. The crust isn’t interesting, but it’s not unpleasant to eat.
★★★
Crestwood Scotch Eggs
227g (2), 62p, aldi.co.uk
As I cut it, the egg came out leaving the shell on its own … two different entities. Very unconvincing. A bit soulless.
★★
Hummus
Daylesford Organic Houmous
200g, £2.99, ocado.com
I love the look of this. It’s nice and oily, and that’s how it should be. And the quality of the oil is certainly of Mediterranean origin.
★★★★★
Waitrose Extra Virgin Olive Oil Houmous
200g, £1.65, waitrose.com
Looks like Greek yogurt – too thick. I can smell the oil. It’s got length in the mouth - which is a good thing.
★★
The Deli Classic Houmous
200g, 55p, aldi.co.uk
Some chopped chickpeas inside; I like that. A bit acidic. Not how a good hummus should taste.
★★
Marks & Spencer Velvet Houmous
170g, £2, marksandspencer.com
Almost sweet – dessert sweet. Too runny, especially if you’re having a picnic and don’t want to get it everywhere.
★
Grain salad
BEST BUY
Co-op Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Black Grains
225g, £2.50, coop.co.uk
I love that I can mix the dressing as I wish. What salad is about: green, fresh and vibrant. I love the colourfulness.
★★★★★
Marks & Spencer Freekeh, Couscous & Cauliflower
195g, £2.20, marksandspencer.com
Smells like Middle Eastern spice. It’s nice. The dressing is a bit sweet.
★★★★
Morrisons Roasted Peanut & Grain Salad
230g, £2.25, morrisons.com
Many of the elements that you would find in granola: sunflower seeds, peanuts. I wouldn’t go for it.
No stars
Aldi Specially Selected Quinoa & Edamame Grain Side Salad
220g, £1.39, aldi.co.uk
A lot of vinegar. The aftertaste is meant to be smoky? Overpowering. A sad salad.
No stars
Strawberry trifle
Perfect Puds Strawberry Trifle
600g, £1.49, aldi.co.uk
Nice and airy. A bit bland but the texture is right. Good layers. The strawberry is fresh and fragrant with a bit of texture.
★★★★
Marks & Spencer Strawberry Compote Trifle
450g, £3, marksandspencer.com
An actual dessert, very presentable. Jam here, not jelly. Not good jam; doesn’t taste like much.
★★★
Tesco Strawberry Trifle
600g, £2.50, tesco.com
I can taste the custard. Well layered. The problem is that the cream is too runny ... it’s a bit soupy.
★★★
Iceland Strawberry Trifle
500g, £1.50, iceland.co.uk
Very, very, very sweet. Tastes like strawberry bubblegum; the flavour is overwhelming. Little custard.
No stars
Ginger beer
John Crabbie’s Traditional Cloudy Ginger Beer
700ml, £2, johncrabbies.co.uk
There’s a floral smell to start with. Very fizzy. It’s a good balance between the zingy ginger and the other elements. All in all, the best choice.
★★★★★
Morrisons Jamaican Ginger
750ml, £1.44, morrisons.com
That’s quite refreshing. A bit too sweet for me. It’s got that ginger taste, but not enough fizz.
★★★★
Fentimans Ginger Beer
750ml, £2.79, ocado.com
That doesn’t taste like ginger. It’s almost orangey. A hint of cedar wood in the smell. Quite bubbly. Good length in the mouth.
★★
Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Beer
500ml, £1.69, fever-tree.com
More like tonic water. Refreshing but I can’t taste the ginger. Sparkly enough. Light rose perfume. If you want something gingery, this isn’t it.
★
