When you’re on the go and in need of breakfast, you might find yourself popping to the shop to grab a snack from the in-store bakery.
Croissants are an easy win, as flaky, buttery pastry always goes down a treat, and they don’t cost too much.
But which supermarket bakery makes the tastiest freshly baked croissant?
Lidl is often touted as being the ‘best’, with its bakery winning various awards this year, but how do the croissants stack up against those from the likes of M&S or Waitrose?
Is Tesco better than Sainsbury’s and where does Asda fit into the equation?
Well, you don’t have to wonder any more as the team at Metro sampled fresh bakery croissants from each supermarket to find out which is really worth buying.
Here are our honest thoughts on the classic pastries…
Co-op: ‘Doesn’t taste as good as it smells.’ 2/5
‘The 90p croissant was fine. In a pinch, it would fill a hole, especially if you were hungry AF. Because this bad boy is dense. I, however, like my croissants light, flaky and basically to be like I’ve spent £2 on slightly buttery air.
‘The hill I will die on is that perfect croissants are the one food that should taste as good as they smell, and sadly, this Co-op one failed the test.’
Reviewed by Ross McCafferty, Deputy First-Person and Opinion Editor
Morrisons: ‘A bargain but more like bread than pastry.’ 3/5
‘I think these looked the nicest of all the croissants we tried, with a glorious sheen on top and delicate shape, very traditional and at 38p each, they’re an absolute bargain. However, there were no perfect, flaky layers to be found here.
‘This was more of a bread than a pastry. Reminded me more of brioche than a croissant. Sweet and tasty, but maybe not quite doing what it’s meant to do.’
Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer
Asda: ‘Soft, buttery, and fluffy.’ 4/5
‘Surprisingly tasty and moreish. Asda’s 80p croissant was soft, buttery, and fluffy but could have been a little crispier on the outside. I demolished it in under a minute, nevertheless.’
Reviewed by Jessica Hamilton, lifestyle reporter
Waitrose: ‘It completely crumbles.’ 3/5
‘In football terms, this was a croissant of two halves. On the first few bites, you can see why Waitrose is seen as the more bougie option than its high street rivals. But halfway through, the £1.10 croissant completely crumbles.
‘Obviously it’s a croissant and you don’t expect it to be a clean eating experience, but I was drowning in flakes by the end.’
Reviewed by Ross McCafferty, deputy first-person and opinion editor
Lidl: ‘This didn’t quite hit the mark.’ 2.5/5
‘Lidl’s 69p croissant is a cult bakery item, with 122 selling every single minute, but if I’m being honest I’m struggling to see why it’s so popular. I love Lidl, but this croissant just didn’t hit the mark.
‘It looked a little dry (but thankfully it didn’t taste dry), it was then just lacking in flavour. That’s not to say it tastes overtly bad, more that it feels like something is missing from the experience. It’s a bit bland and stodgy, with only a slight sweetness to it.’
Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer
M&S: ‘It ticks all the boxes.’ 5/5
‘In terms of first impressions: it’s bloody massive. This M&S bakery behemoth is about the size of my head, which is decent given it costs £1.20.
‘It ticks all the boxes looks-wise too, with a golden brown colour and a crisp crust that invites you in to take a bite. But as us croissant fanatics know, the proof is in the pastry, so I reserved judgement until doing so — and thankfully wasn’t proven wrong.
‘From the moist yet flaky texture to the rich, buttery flavour, there were no complaints (aside from an ever-so-slightly doughy middle, although personally I’m not adverse to this). All in, solid.’
Reviewed by Jessica Lindsay, assistant lifestyle editor
How does the UK's best croissant compare?
If you follow foodie news, you might know that Chestnut Bakery, which has locations in Belgravia and Covent Garden, recently scooped an impressive accolade.
The team’s plain croissant was crowned the best in the UK, beating out competition from several other beloved London bakeries, including Aries Bakehouse, Philippe Conticini, Chez Maitre, Qima Cafe, La Panaderia de Leo, and Cafe Kitsune at Pantechnicon, as well as 13 others from across the country.
Croissant lovers from around the UK voted for their favourite bakeries to make the cut, before a team of experts gave the final verdict.
The panel, led by Cyrille Van Der Stuyft, Head Baker and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, meticulously evaluated each croissant, scoring it based on its shape, volume, colour, layering, texture and, most crucially, its taste.
Chestnut Bakery’s winning plain croissant, which has wowed judges two years in a row, is available at both of the company’s London bakeries and costs £3.45.
But how does it taste? Metro’s specialist food writer Courtney Pochin gave it a try. (It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it…)
She said: ‘It’s not difficult to see why this croissant is the UK’s best, it’s everything you’d want a croissant to be — it’s a great shape, smells divine, has a wonderful crunch to it when you break it apart and don’t even get me started on that lamination! Stunning.
‘What’s more is that it tastes as good as it looks, and honestly I’m just floored that it doesn’t cost more, especially given how expensive everything in London is.
‘It’s delicious on its own, but I can imagine it would be out of this world paired with some butter and strawberry/raspberry jam too.’
Sainsbury’s: ‘Not perfect, but not bad.’ 3.5/5
‘This croissant has a nice snap to the outside which makes it feel a little bit more like a proper croissant than the others.
‘It’s more buttery and sweet in taste, not too dense and it has a nice colour to the outside. Not the perfect croissant, but definitely not a bad option, especially considering it only costs £1.’
Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer
Tesco: ‘Perfectly flaky.’ 4/5
‘I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the £1.10 Tesco bakery croissant was. I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting too much, but it was perfectly flaky on the outside and soft and buttery inside.
‘My only faux-pas was not adding a spoon of jam to maximise the taste!’
Review by Eleanor Noyce, lifestyle reporter
Aldi: ‘Perfectly fine.’ 3/5
‘Aldi’s plain croissant tastes perfectly fine, it’s not very crispy on the outside, but it’s buttery and soft.
‘The size is good, it’s generous. It’s not the best croissant I’ve ever had, it’s pretty average, but I’d buy one again.’
Reviewed by acting lifestyle editor, Kristina Beanland
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