We carried out a one-off Christmas taste test of Christmas cake bars sold in Jersey supermarkets.

In recent years, Christmas cake bars have become a popular choice for households looking for a smaller or more affordable alternative to a traditional Christmas cake. With several options available in the Island, we wanted to see how they compared for taste, quality and value for money.

Eight volunteers took part in a blind taste test of five Christmas cake bars, each weighing 400g, purchased from five different supermarkets in Jersey. All packaging was removed so that branding did not influence the results.

Each volunteer scored the cakes independently in four categories:

• Taste
• Texture
• Fruit content
• Topping

Each category was marked out of five, with five being the highest possible score. The results were then combined to give an overall score for each cake bar.

We also recorded the price at the time of purchase to help consumers compare value for money alongside quality.

The results

Waitrose – £3.66 in Waitrose, £5 in Alliance

Waitrose received the highest overall score from our volunteers. Tasters praised its rich, traditional Christmas flavour and generous fruit content. It performed consistently well across all categories and was the most popular cake overall.

Marks and Spencer – £5.20
Marks and Spencer scored particularly highly for texture and topping. Volunteers described it as moist and well finished, although some felt the flavour was slightly less intense than the top-scoring cake.

Morrisons – £4.79
Morrisons’ cake bar achieved a mid-range result. It was generally liked but scored lower for fruit content compared with the top two cakes.

Iceland – £4.40
Iceland offered one of the cheaper options. While some volunteers felt it represented reasonable value, others found it less festive in flavour and topping.

Coop – £4.20
The Coop cake bar was the lowest-priced product in the test but also received the lowest overall score. Volunteers noted issues with texture and topping when compared with the other cakes.

The scores

Each of the four categories was marked out of five, with five being the highest possible score. We then took an average across the four categories.

The cakes received the following average scores out of five:

• Waitrose – 3.84
• Marks and Spencer – 3.69
• Morrisons – 3.06
• Iceland – 2.78
• Coop – 2.63

Our findings

Best overall: Waitrose No 1
The highest-scoring cake in the test, combining strong flavours, good fruit content and consistent quality. Volunteers felt it offered good value for money despite not being the cheapest.

Best for texture and presentation: Marks and Spencer
A good choice for consumers who prioritise a moist cake and an attractive topping.

Budget options:
Iceland and Coop were cheaper but scored lower overall, suggesting that spending a little more may result in a better-quality product.

Check out the current prices of a variety of Christmas products at Prices.je