There are plenty of staple British dishes that hold the nation’s heart and never fail as a weeknight meal – and one of those is cottage pies.
But if you don’t have the time to rustle up the dish from scratch, you can rely on a ready meal to save the day.
Undecided on which one to settle on? Which? has saved shoppers from trying them all themselves.
In a bid to determine the nation’s favourite cottage pie, they assembled a panel of 66 people who tried 10 different brands – from supermarket own brands to bigger brands.
These included Asda, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Charlie Bigham, and Cathedral City.
The cottage pies were tested in December 2024, and each brand was given a score based on flavour (50%), aroma (20%), appearance (20%) and texture (10%).
Surprisingly, it was Bistro by Asda Cottage pie (£4 for 400g) that came out victorious with an overall score of 77%.
The panel rated the pie highly for appearance, aroma and texture, with the dish earning top marks for all three.
More than three-quarters were impressed with the flavour of the mince, and most thought it had ‘just the right ratio of potato to mince’.
Which? notes: ‘As well as impressing on taste, it’s also one of the cheaper ready meals we tested, showing you don’t have to splash out for a top-notch pie.’
In joint second place were Aldi’s Specially Selected Gastro Cottage Pie, Cathedral City Cottage Pie and Charlie Bigham’s Cottage Pie – which all scored 75%.
At £3.59 for 400g, Which? noted Aldi’s cottage pie as a ‘wallet-friendly’ option. It earned high marks for a ‘flavoursome filling’ and ‘creamy mashed potato topping’.
Although the panel said it wasn’t ‘quite as cheesy’ as the Cathedral Cottage pie, voters said it contained a more ‘more generous amount of cheddar’ compared to other supermarket pies.
Cathedral City’s Cottage Pie £4 for 400g, ‘went down well with tasters’ who were impressed by the pie’s flavour, texture and ‘enticing appearance’, according to Which?.
While it contained slightly less beef, Which? notes: ‘It doesn’t hold back on the cheddar front.’
At £6 for 325g, Charlie Bigham’s cottage pie was the most expensive pie tasted, but ‘worth considering if you don’t mind spending’.
Three-quarters of the panel thought it had the perfect balance of mince and potato, and while it had a slightly higher beef content, the overall pie was 75g smaller compared to the other pies.
Tailing closely behind with an overall score of 74% was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Cottage Pie at £4.50 for 400g.
It ranked one of the best for appearance and earned high marks for its ‘well-balanced flavours and good mashed potato topping’.
The results of the cottage pie taste test
- Bistro by Asda Cottage Pie (£4 for 400g) – 77%
- Aldi Specially Selected Gastro Cottage Pie – (£3.59 for 400g) – 75%
- Cathedral City Cottage Pie (£4 for 400g) – 75%
- Charlie Bigham’s Cottage Pie (75% £6 for 325g) – 75%
- Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Cottage Pie – (£4.50 for 400g) 74%
- Morrisons The Best Cottage Pie (£4.75 for 400g) – 71%
- Tesco Finest Cottage Pie (£4.50 for 400g) – 70%.
- M&S Gastropub Cottage Pie (£5.75 for 400g) -69%
- Co-op Irresistible Cottage Pie (£5.30 for 400g) – 68%
- Lidl Deluxe Cottage Pie (£3.45 for 400g) – 65%.
However, Which? notes it’s one of the highest ready meals for salt, with one portion contributing to nearly half of your daily intake.
Further down the list was Morrison’s The Best Cottage Pie (£4.75 for 400g), with 71%, mainly for its flavour.
Close behind that was Tesco’s Finest Cottage Pie (£4.50 for 400g), with 70%. While shoppers claimed it was ‘not bad overall’, they claimed it wasn’t quite as flavoursome.
Next was the M&S Gastropub Cottage Pie, with 69% (£5.75 for 400g), followed by Co-op Irresistible Cottage Pie (£5.30 for 400g) with 68% and in last place was Lidl’s Deluxe Cottage Pie (£3.45 for 400g) with a score of 65%.
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