Warburtons is the “most loved bakery brand” in the UK, and each week, they bake 2.3 million crumpets which equate to a whopping 124 million crumpets baked every year. With households looking to make small savings across their food shops, are supermarkets’ own versions of crumpets as good as the leading brand? Express.co.uk tried crumpets from seven different supermarkets and compared them to Warburtons crumpets.
Crumpets are incredibly popular, and if a crumpet-lover were to buy a pack of six Warburtons crumpets it would cost them 85p-95p depending on the supermarket. Whereas supermarket-own crumpets can cost as little as 42p, with some even offering sourdough varieties.
I was sent a pack of every supermarket’s crumpets to taste and compare, and it was interesting to note the cooking instructions varied from each packet; supermarkets suggested customers toast a crumpet anywhere from one minute to four minutes.
I cooked one crumpet from each brand in the toaster for two minutes before adding butter and letting the butter soak. Here’s how I got on.
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Sainsbury’s Crumpets – 6 pack for 42p
Recommended toasting time: two to three minutes
Despite Sainsbury’s suggesting a maximum of three minutes for toasting, these crumpets couldn’t handle the heat and after two minutes the crumpet emerged burnt around the edges. The butter also failed to melt through – 5/10.
Aldi Village Bakery Crumpets – 6 pack for 42p
Recommended toasting time: one to two minutes
Aldi’s crumpets might not be uniform in shape, but they were noticeably thicker than other brands. These crumpets lived up to their “fluffy and soft” tagline and were delicious – 9/10.
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M&S Ultimate Sourdough Crumpets – 6 pack £1.40
Recommended toasting time: one to two minutes
Similar to Waitrose, M&S’ sourdough crumpets were pale in colour and perfectly symmetrical and uniform. They handled the heat well and didn’t burn, with the top emerging perfectly toasted. With very few holes, the butter didn’t soak through, and there was little texture – the crumpet was almost mushy. Disappointed by the taste – 4/10.
Tesco 6 Crumpets – 6 pack for 42p
Recommended toasting time: one to two minutes
Tesco’s crumpets had lots of holes and the butter soaked right through. Unfortunately, the edges burnt slightly, but a good solid crumpet if you reduced cooking time – 8/10.
Lidl Rowan Hill Bakery – 6 pack for 42p
Recommended toasting time: one to two minutes
Lidl offered an appealing crumpet, but looks were deceiving as the bottom burnt after two minutes in the toaster whilst the topside was undercooked – 4/10.
Asda Bakery – 6 pack for 50p
Recommended toasting time: three to four minutes
Just when we thought Aldi was going to take the top spot, Asda’s crumpet won the taste test; it cooked evenly and emerged with a slightly golden crispy top. It was the closest to Warburtons in terms of texture, and personally, I think Asda’s Bakery crumpets were better than the leading crumpet brand – 10/10.
In summary, Asda’s crumpets were the best, with Aldi really close behind. M&S who offered the most expensive crumpets, scored the lowest, while Waitrose’s sourdough version were nice, but not worth £1.35 – you could buy two packs of crumpets from Asda or Aldi for the same price!