'We compared Aldi's £7 Christmas pudding to £14 M&S version - there was a clear winner'

Food experts have taste-tested rival Christmas puddings and shared their surprising verdict on the cheaper festive offering.

In a new Channel 5 show, 'Aldi vs M&S: Who Does Xmas Better?', Gavin Wren, a food policy content creator, and Philippa Davis, a private chef and food writer, were tasked with trying Christmas sweet treats from the two supermarket rivals.

As part of the challenge, the two experts compared a Christmas pudding from Aldi's Specially Selected range, a 24-month matured offering that serves eight people and a pricier 12-month matured M&S version.

Philippa said: "Okay, so what I'm expecting for a Christmas pudding that's been matured for 12 months longer, a whole year, I want more flavour, more character. It's had a lot more time to kind of get that little bit more interesting."

Gavin and Philippa tried the Aldi pudding first, with Philippa noting it was "pretty boozy" as she took a bite, adding that the festive favourite had fruit that was "really plump". She said: "It's got that nice kind of tang - full of flavour, really good balance of sweetness."

Afterwards, Gavin shared his thoughts, saying: "Immediately, I got a little bit of the booziness to it. It just came in straight away. Very fruity, I feel like. It's got a really lovely, yeah, plump fruit flavours. It's really nice."

Next up was the M&S pudding from the brand's Collection range, which also serves eight people. Gavin soon came in with a sharp criticism of the more costly version.

He said: "Okay, the flavours don't feel quite as complete, as confident as they did in the Aldi one. It feels...the taste, the flavours are there. It's got a nice taste, but it doesn't feel as punchy."

Philippa added that it was "interesting" what her co-host was