‘Tis the season for picky bits, but who does them best? Mirror writer Niamh Kirk put her oven to work with a huge array of party food from Aldi, M&S and Tesco, to see which festive treats deserve to be on your spread this year
Turkey with lashings of gravy, roast potatoes with a glorious golden crunch and pigs in blankets piled high are all staples on a festive plate, but let’s face it: after scoffing a huge Christmas dinner, there’s nothing better than nibbles. And no picky tea is complete without a sea of beige party food.
With the pressures of hosting family and friends over the December period – and food costs still sky high – Brits across the country are filling up their freezers with tasty treats that are easy to chuck in the air fryer and serve. But which party foods will take your sad-looking spread to new heights?
Supermarkets across the board are in fierce competition this year to create the perfect bite. And it’s clear that viral food trends from 2025 have translated into their festive offerings, with the classic vol au vont being ditched for American style favourites like mac and cheese bites. But that doesn’t mean that all traditions have been lost – quiches and scones have had a modern re-vamp.
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On a mission to find the perfect party food for your festive platters, I tucked into an array of dishes from Aldi, M&S and Tesco to see who came out on top. To make testing fair, I judged three dishes from each supermarket – prawn tempura, cheese bites and mini burgers (or equivalent) – to judge taste, appearance, portion sizes and value for money.
M&S really stole the show earlier this summer with their viral dip collection and Japanese-inspired strawberries and cream sandwich – but have Tesco and budget powerhouse Aldi caught up this Christmas? Read on to find out…
M&S
Breaded Tiger Prawns – £5.75 for 10
You can instantly tell these succulent prawns are from M&S as soon as you take a bite. The light japanese-style panko crumb has a delicious crunch, with no soggy or greasy batter in sight.
The black tiger prawns themselves are juicy and generous in size. For nearly £6 for just 10 prawns, there’s no denying they are a luxury party food buy – so they might be more suited to a smaller gathering.
But you can’t go wrong with this fresh take on a classic – they were the best prawns of the bunch. Plus, they take just 10 minutes in the oven to cook – a win, win.
Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Tartlets – £8 for 12
Decadant and buttery puff pastry, rich goat’s cheese and sticky caramelised onions? Sign me up. When I rustle these up in the oven, the goats cheese melts well but some of the mini tartlets struggle to keep their shape.
It’s a slight let-down for such a premium price point, but the taste certainly makes up for it. The salty cheese has a slight ooze and golden layer on top, but still retains that crumbly bite inside. Another dish that takes just ten minutes to make, these are seriously moreish.
The glistening balsamic onions are sweet enough not to overpower the goats cheese, and provide that much-needed moisture. Your relatives will be fighting over these on your festive table.
Extra Mature Barber’s Cheddar and Ham Scones – £8 for 8
A wild-card from M&S this year – said goodbye to mini burgers and hello to mini scones.
A fun take on the British classic, these savoury bites boast buttery pastry layered with sweet honey and mustard pulled ham – and an extra mature cheese sauce for good measure.
There’s a hefty amount of meat here sandwiched between two cheesy scones, and the sauce just adds to the fancy feel. These are a real treat, and look just as impressive as they taste.
Aldi
Tempura King Prawns – £1.79 for 12
These are by far the biggest prawns out of the bunch. You get 12 in the box for under two quid – two more prawns than M&S and Aldi’s offerings at a cheaper price.
They are frozen, so take a bit longer to cook – 19 minutes to be exact – but bonus points for being able to stick them in the air fryer.
The shrimps themselves are large in size, but the prawn-to-batter ratio is slightly off here, so they lose their taste. But they are still a good option for a big crowd-pleasing portion.
Black Truffle and Barbers Mac and Cheese Bites – £3.29
These have a seriously strong truffle smell, but I like the creative take on the traditional cheese bite. Mac and cheese is a huge trend right now – especially in ball form – and Aldi has taken it up a notch with the fancy addition of black truffle. I’m a huge fan of the flavour, so to me they are very more-ish.
The breaded coating comes out the oven gloriously golden with a nice bite to it, and the balls are quite generous in size which means you get a good hearty mouthful of crispy mac and cheese.
The barbers cheese is rich and decadant too, making these my favourite out of all the cheesy dishes.
Mini Beef Burgers with Texas Style BBQ Sauce – £3.49
The obsession with American foods strikes again with this fun take on a classic bite-sized burger.
The sliders are indeed tiny in size but I liked how they stay nice and compact. Plus, the meat isn’t dry – a common issue with mini oven dishes. The brioche bun makes them feel that bit more high-end.
The BBQ sauce makes them quite messy to eat, but you do have the option of leaving that off if you prefer. They don’t look quite as appetising as the picture on the box when they come out of the oven, but they taste great.
Tesco
Crispy tail-on King Prawns – £3.50 for 10
These look pretty impressive from the off with a crunchy golden breadcrumb, but the prawns inside are really small and lack flavour.
They are more than £2 cheaper than M&S’ – for the same portion size – but sadly the quality just really isn’t there. I’d rather pay out more for a big juicy prawn. I’m really not a fan of these, sorry Tesco.
Crispy Bacon & Cheese bites – £3.50 for 205g
These gooey beige balls scream festive indulgence. The small chunks of salty bacon cut through the rich cheese perfectly and really set them apart from your bog-standard breaded bite.
They do have a slightly mushy consistency inside, which might not be your bag if you prefer the firm texture of mac and cheese, but they are super moreish. I can see these being snapped up by guests within seconds.
Bonus points for any relatives who are gluten intolerant as these actually come under Tesco’s Free From range. You wouldn’t be able to tell unless someone told you, however, as the golden crumb is packed with flavour and not at all soggy. They take just six minutes to cook.
Mini cheeseburgers – £3.50 for 8
Tesco says you can stick these in the microwave for ease, but I’d suggest avoiding that at all cost at is makes the buns rock hard and very dry.
Away from the cooking mishap, the burger patty has a rich meaty flavour with good quality ingredients and didn’t dry out while cooking. I suspect they’d be even juicier when thrown in the oven. The added cheese slice is also a nice extra touch.
This is my favourite mini burger that I tried – just stick to cooking them in the oven this Christmas and your guests will thank you for it.
The verdict
There was some pretty tough competition this year when it came to party food offerings. All three supermarkets had very impressive dishes and it was hard to decide who came out on top. However, M&S was the overall winner with the best tasting dishes, quality ingredients and fun takes on classic party favourites. But a special shout-out to Aldi’s truffle mac and cheese bites and Tesco’s mini cheeseburgers – add those to your shopping list pronto.
Winners
- Tesco’s Mini Cheeseburgers
- Aldi’s Truffle Mac and Cheese bites
- M&S Breaded Tiger prawns
