PIZZA is one of Britain’s most-loved takeaways, but why spend more than you need to when supermarkets provide plenty of choice?
The average Brit eats around 731 pizzas in their lifetime – or a whopping 5,847 slices.
The Sun’s consumer reporter James Flanders put chilled own-brand supermarket pizzas to the test
I’ll admit my weekly medium Margherita from Domnio’s is costly and it sets me back £18.99 as a minimum.
Interestingly, Brits still blow £6,300 on supermarket pizzas in their lifetime, according to research carried out by VoucherCodes.co.uk.
But this is still substantially less than £9,725 spent on their takeaway counterparts in the same lifetime.
With my rent sky high and my utilities costing the earth, I figured it was worth seeing if I could save some cash by swapping out my takeaway pizza for a supermarket version.
The Sun put nine fresh own-brand supermarket Margarita pizzas head-to-head to see which one is the best.
We rated each pizza out of 10 on taste and value for money.
Almost all of the pizzas we tried were edible – but some were significantly tastier than others.
Two were so poor that we wouldn’t recommend you try them for yourselves, as they are best avoided.
We also learnt that it’s always wise to read the ingredients list on the back of your pizza to ensure that it suits your tastes.
Each supermarket has its own interpretation of a Margherita, which traditionally contains a tomato sauce base and only mozzarella cheese.
But many supermarkets sprinkle in cheddar cheese to add an extra bite to the classic meal.
My favourite pizza was super tasty and didn’t overcomplicate the recipe by adding unnecessary extras.
It would prove good for my wallet too because if I were to swap it out with my favourite takeaway it’d save me hundreds of pounds a year.
Aldi
Price: £2.59 (85p per 100g)Size: 305g
Aldi’s pizza scored just five out of 10
First up was Aldi’s stonebaked Margherita and it was meh…
It certainly tasted better than its rival Lidl’s offering.
But it was basic at best and you could tell the cheese wasn’t top quality – it was more rubbery and tasteless than you’d usually expect.
The most annoying part was the soggy dough – even after it was cooked to its precise timings.
TOTAL SCORE: 5/10
Asda
Price: £3 (£1.03 per 100g)Size: 290g
Asda’s pizza scored just three out of 10
Second up was Asda‘s take on a stonebaked Margarita – and what a total disappointment.
I usually like a thinner crust and this pizza delivered on that, but nothing else.
It tasted overly strong with the mixes of Mozzarella, Regato and cheddar cheese.
And while I love cheese this completely overrode any taste of tomato – which you’d expect and want in any pizza.
The cheese to me also tasted and had the texture of being overly processed and it didn’t generate those stretchy strings we all love to see when you pull a slice apart.
Instead, it had more of a play dough-like consistency.
TOTAL SCORE: 3/10
Co-op
Price: £4.20 (£1.31 per 100g)Size: 320g
Co-op’s pizza scored eight out of 10
Moving on to Co-op and well, this pizza went down a total treat.
It was a tremendous improvement to the first pizza we tested from Aldi and comes out joint second based of taste and price.
The pizza has a really well balanced ratio of cheese to tomato sauce and base has a decent thickness.
And unlike some of the others, the marinara sauce is extremely well seasoned – it’s a plus to be able to taste the basil and oregano through the creaminess of the cheese.
Unlike with other supermarket pizzas, the base of this one is thickly scored which is ideal as it ensures that the base cooks right through.
Really solid pizza and worth every penny.
TOTAL SCORE: 8/10
Lidl
Price: £2.59 (91p per 100g)Size: 285g
Lidl’s pizza scored just two out of ten
Lidl‘s pizza was the worst we tested which is a shame because it’s cheap and looked decent when we took it out the packet.
Yes, the discounter’s version of a Margherita isn’t that traditional at all.
The Margherita is meant to be topped with mozzarella, which this pizza claims to be with the added addition of cheddar.
But all we could taste was the harsh notes of a mature cheddar.
This meant you could barely taste the already bland tomato sauce coating the base.
The pizza base was also soggy in parts and dry in others when cooked for its allotted time.
This is definitely one pizza to avoid – it’s not worth the price.
TOTAL SCORE: 2/10
M&S
Price: £6 (£1.44 per 100g)Size: 418g
M&S’ pizza scored nine out of ten and came out top
If we’re judging on taste only, M&S tops the charts with its cheese and tomato stonebaked pizza.
It’s also one of the most traditional to a proper Margherita – which we loved.
Unlike most of the other pizzas tested, this one contains just mozzarella cheese – which allows the flavour within the tomato sauce to come through on the taste buds.
But what I love the most about this pizza is its base. For some reason, it always cooks through perfectly.
So if you’re not one for a soggy dough pizza – this is certainly the one for you.
While this pizza won our taste test, the only thing preventing it from getting a 10 is its price.
It is the most expensive, but totally worth it for the taste.
You also get a larger size compared to others, and when you look at its price per 100g, it’s more competitive than it first appears.
There’s only 13p and 14p difference between this and Co-op and Sainsbury’s pizzas, which both came runners up, and 6p compared to Tesco.
If like me, you’re contemplating swapping your takeaway pizza addiction for a cheaper supermarket offering, M&S is the only one I’d be happy to eat instead of Dominos.
Compared to a weekly order from the fast food chain, It could save £13, or £676 a year.
you’ll still save £100s in the long run with this tasty Margherita.
TOTAL SCORE: 9/10
Morrisons
Price: £3.49 (£1.32 per 100g)Size: 265g
Morrisons’ pizza scored six out of ten
Morrisons‘ pizza is a good take on a pleasant Margherita.
The tomato sauce is taste and overly harsh cheddar balanced out well by the melting mozzerella.
The base is of a decent thickness but overall nothing blew us away.
If you’re after an oven pizza, this one will suffice but that’s about it – it’s bang average.
TOTAL SCORE: 6/10
Sainsbury’s
Price: £3.50 (£2.50 Nectar Price) (£1.32 per 100g)Size: 265g
Sainsbury’s pizza scored eight out of ten
Another good contender from Sainsbury’s – so much so it came joint second place with Co-op for this taste test.
Sainsbury’s stonebaked Margherita ticks all the right boxes.
The medium thickness base is coated in lashings of tasty and herby tomato sauce.
This is then topped with stringy mozzarella cheese and just the slightest hint of cheddar.
We loved this pizza – especially for its Nectar Price.
The only thing letting the side down is its size – its one of the smallest we tested and we’d have loved at least another slice.
TOTAL SCORE: 8/10
Tesco
Price: £3.50 (£1.38 per 100g)Size: 252g
Tesco’s pizza scored six out of ten
Again, like Morrisons’ offering, Tesco‘s is decent but forgetable.
Nice base, nice tomato sauce and decent spread of cheese on this dough.
But overall it was kind of bland.
TOTAL SCORE: 6/10
Waitrose
Price: £3.30 (93p per 100g)Size: 356g
Waitrose’s pizza scored seven out of ten
Waitrose certainly delivers a tasty option for chilled pizza fans.
It’s a decent size and generously topped with mozzarella and cheddar.
The tomato sauce is well seasoned with a really fresh flavour.
Overall it’s great.
TOTAL SCORE: 7/10