It's officially Burns Night tonight, which means quite a few of Scots will be tucking into a traditional supper of haggis, neeps and tatties.
Since we already indulged ourselves in a haggis supper the other night, we decided to tuck into another Scottish treat that might be making the rounds after dinner tonight - shortbread.
It may be but a simply biscuit, but we certainly have a fond place in our hearts for a good piece of shortbread.
While there are certainly hundreds of variations on supermarket shelves, we firmly believe that the best shortbread should be buttery and flaky with a dusting of sugar on-top.
In fact, we think any biscuit that doesn't meet those requirements shouldn't be allowed to call themselves shortbread - but, that's just us.
Because shortbread biscuits are so popular at this time of year, it can be tempting to pick up any store bought brand while you hope not to be disappointed.
That's why we set our reporter Rachel Williams to put four shortbread biscuits to a blind taste test to officially crown which was the ultimate shortbread biscuit.
We put four different supermarkets - Lidl, M&S, Farmfoods and Sainsbury's - up to the test to see how they fare and if they were worthy of being dunked into our cup of tea.
This is how Rachel got on...
What shortbread biscuits were tested?
There are so many popular shortbread biscuits out there these days which promise 'traditional Scottish shortbread', which ultimately made the amount of options a lot greater.
That's why I decided to make it fair by picking up four own-branded shortbread biscuits from the four selected retailers.
While brands such as Walkers are undoubtedly a staple in many Scots households, we decided to see if supermarkets own versions could hold their own against the bigger brands.
These were the shortbread biscuits sampled;
- M&S Scottish All Butter Shortbread Assortment - £3.15
- Sainsbury's Highland Shortbread - £0.80
- Lidl Deluxe All Butter Scottish Shortbread Fingers - £0.99
- Farmfoods Highland Speciality Shortbread Fingers - £0.99
Overall thoughts
M&S Scottish All Butter Shortbread Assortment
Off to a solid-start as M&S very rarely disappoint when it comes to the quality of their own-branded food and, while this is only the first sample, it's already a winner from the first bite.
For me, one of the defining features of a really good shortbread is the texture of the biscuit - it can't be rock solid, but it absolutely cannot be soggy as that is blasphemy.
If the buttery pastry is done right, then all the rest will usually fall right into place.
As soon as I took my first bite I was pleasantly surprised to find a buttery and crumbly biscuit that just melted in the mouth.
The only very slight negative I had was that there was not enough sugar to completely make this a solid full marks, but other than that it is a delightful biscuit and I am easily on to a winner.
I know they may be the more pricier option, but considering the quality and the amount you get in the assortment, you can't really go wrong.
One down, three more to go...
Sainsbury's Highland Shortbread
Still on to some good news, as Sainsbury's shortbread fingers lived up to my hopes of what makes a good piece of shortbread.
They didn't really falter at all with their biscuits and considering they are only 80p for a packet, I don't think you could really fault this choice.
In terms of taste, I was met with a crumbly, buttery taste and the biscuit itself was light and appetising.
I was then met with a delightful aftertaste of sugar that was never to overpowering and complimented the buttery biscuit quite well.
Kudos to Sainsbury's for keeping this on track...
Lidl Deluxe All Butter Scottish Shortbread Fingers
What can I say about Lidl, other than the fact that they are the supermarket that continues to be offer big on quality and taste with Lidl prices.
Honestly, I will say that I am usually happy with Lidl's own these All Butter Shortbread fingers have easily blown the other two very good biscuits out of the water.
I know I have said the last two options were buttery and melt in the mouth, but just imagine something ten times better and you have the Lidl shortbread.
One thing I will say as well, is that I never really got that dry aftertaste that occasionally happens even with the best shortbread biscuit.
For just 99p a packet, you absolutely cannot go wrong and should pick up more than one packet.
Farmfoods Highland Speciality Shortbread Fingers
Now, if you're reading this and wondering that it can't all be great, then you'd unfortunately be correct.
Last on the list was the Highland Speciality Shortbread Fingers that I picked up in Farmfoods for the bargain price off just 99p, which - at the end of the day - is a decent bargain.
I'm actually usually quite happy with Farmfoods, they definitely have their place on the high street, but they did fall just that bit short with these shortbread fingers.
In terms of the biscuit itself, it was done no favours by the fact that it was really thin and didn't have the crumbly layers that should come with shortbread.
It also wasn't as buttery as the other options, but it did have a light dusting of sugar on the top which I only really got with the aftertaste.
I mean, I have definitely had worse shortbread, and I feel like this may have been a delightful piece of shortbread had it not gone against other strong contenders.
The verdict
If - like me- you're looking for shortbread that is rich, crumbly, buttery sweet, then Lidl is definitely the supermarket to go to with their stellar Deluxe All Butter Scottish Shortbread Fingers.
Not only do they deliver on the taste, but it's a good shout for those of us who are a little more money conscious.
That being said, there are not many Shortbread fingers in the Lidl packet and you may end up having to pick up a couple of packets to satisfy the whole family.
That being said, they are easily my choice out off the whole selection.
M&S gives good competition - even if they are on the pricier side - with their all butter assortment and is definitely a worthy contender with their rich and buttery biscuit.
I also could not fault Sainsbury's either, as they definitely offered a similar experience with even less pennies spent.
Unfortunately, Farmfoods is the one that just manages to miss the mark, but it still deserves some recognition for going up against strong competition.
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