Best sausages: supermarket bangers top our taste tests

If you're after some crowd-pleasing bangers for your next barbecue, we can reveal which ones hit the spot for taste and value.

Our consumer panel of 70 people blind-tasted and rated premium pork sausages from supermarkets such as Aldi, Sainsbury's and Tesco, as well as brands including The Jolly Hog, Heck and The Black Farmer.

We found that a higher pork content didn't necessarily boost a banger's popularity, and some pricey options proved disappointing.

Eat well, live better and stay healthy: sign up for our free monthly Food & Health newsletter for the latest insights delivered straight to your inbox

Best pork sausages

Morrisons' sausages came top overall this year, followed closely by The Black Farmer.

Budget options from Lidl and Aldi were also well-liked. Both cost less than the top scorers (and other rivals) and are our Great Value picks.

Best Buy: Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages– 73%

£3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g)

These Morrisons sausages impressed tasters with their meaty flavour, juicy texture and well-balanced seasoning. 

They're an excellent choice if you're after a succulent sausage.

Note that the pack says the casings may be made from either beef or pork.

Available from Morrisons

Best Buy: The Black Farmer Premium Pork Sausages – 72%

£3.50 for 400g (88p per 100g)

Another favourite with our tasting panel. People loved the appealing look and meaty flavour of these sausages.

They were rated highly by most for salt levels, texture and juiciness.

More than half felt the seasoning levels were just right too, though some wanted them to be a bit punchier.

Available from Amazon, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Tesco

Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Pork Sausages – 71%

£2.49 for 400g (62p per 100g)

Aldi’s bargain bangers are great all-rounders, coming in joint third. 

Around two-thirds of tasters thought the texture and meaty flavour were just right.

A similar proportion also thought they were an appealing colour and had the right salt levels, though a third found them a bit too salty.

Aldi’s sausages make an excellent budget choice, but bear in mind they're the joint highest in saturated fat.

 Available from Aldi

Great Value: Lidl Deluxe Pork Sausages – 71%

£2.49 for 400g (62p per 100g)

Lidl’s succulent sausages didn’t look as appetising as the top scorers but an impressive 83% of tasters felt their moisture levels were spot on, while 80% loved the pork flavour.

Texture and saltiness were also rated highly and just under two thirds thought the seasoning levels were good.

They match Aldi for price and enjoyment factor, but they also have the same high saturated fat levels. 

Available from Lidl (in-store only)

Best tomato ketchup - should it be Heinz or are you better off with a cheaper supermarket own-brand?

How Heck, Finnebrogue, The Jolly Hog and other supermarket sausages compare

You can't go too far wrong with a supermarket sausage. Asda and Sainsbury’s sausages are also good choices. They match Lidl and Aldi for overall score, but they're a little pricier. 

Most of the rest were considered decent by our tasters apart from Waitrose, which came second last overall - just above Heck.

• Asda Extra Special 6 Pork Sausages – 71%. Well-liked all-rounders with a good meaty flavour and pleasing texture. More seasoning and less moisture would’ve given them a higher score. £2.95 for 400g (74p per 100g). Available from Asda
• Sainsbury’s British Pork Sausages, Taste the Difference – 71%. Juicy with a good texture, pork flavour and salt level. 31% would’ve enjoyed more herb and spice seasoning. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s
• Jolly Hog 6 British Pork Sausages – 70%. Good pork flavour, salt levels and texture helped these sausages score well. 61% felt the herb and spice seasoning was right, though 40% found them too moist. £3.75 for 400g (94p per 100g). Available from Available from  Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose
• M&S Select Farms British 6 Free Range Pork Sausages – 70%. Most of our tasters praised the appearance, pork flavour and salt levels of these sausages, which were the joint priciest on test. More than half felt the herb and spice seasoning was right, but 41% found the texture too coarse. £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado
• Tesco Finest 6 Pork Sausages – 70%. Tasty-looking, juicy sausages, with a pleasing texture and good salt levels. 41% would’ve enjoyed more herb and spice seasoning. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). Available from Tesco
• Finnebrogue Naked Ultimate Pork Sausage – 69%. Most tasters loved the juicy texture of these appealing-looking sausages. More than a third found the herb and spice seasoning overpowering, though. £3.40 for 400g (88p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose
• Waitrose No.1 Free Range 6 Pork Sausages – 63%. Having the highest pork content didn’t help these pricey yet pale sausages win over our panel. They lost marks for a weak flavour and overly coarse texture. Two thirds wanted more seasoning while 43% felt they weren’t juicy enough. £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Available from Waitrose
• Heck 97% British Pork Sausages – 62%. Least liked. Less than half of our panel rated the colour, pork flavour and texture of these sausages highly. More than half also wanted a stronger herb and spice flavour. The sausage casings are made from beef collagen. £3.20 for 400g (80p per 100g). Available from Available from Amazon, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose

What's in a sausage?

You'd think pork sausages are a relatively simple affair, but they serve up a few surprises when you take a closer look.

If you only eat certain meats, it's worth checking the packaging carefully as we found the origin of the casings can vary. Heck's are made from beef collagen, while Morrisons state theirs are made from beef or pork. The remainder use either pork or a seaweed derivative (calcium alginate).

Other more unusual ingredients can include rice, corn or chickpea flour and bamboo fibre. These are a replacement for traditional bread crumbs and help to improve the texture of the sausages while also being gluten-free.

Are sausages healthy?

Pork sausages include a decent portion of protein, as well as useful vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc and B12. But be wary of saturated fat levels, as well as salt.

Aldi and Lidl's sausages have the highest saturated fat content, while Best Buy Morrisons have less than average.

Heck's sausages contain the most salt, but this didn't help them to impress our tasters.

Can you cook sausages in an air fryer?

Grilling is the standard recommended option for preparing sausages, but an air fryer will also do a quick and effective job.

Air fryers work in a similar way to ovens, but the quick air circulation in a smaller space means they crisp up food nicely while using only tiny amounts of oil.

Most sausages take between 15 and 20 minutes to cook from chilled, depending on the method. Cook until the juices run clear and there is no pink meat.

Pork sausages: animal welfare labels compared

None of the sausages tested display Soil Association Organic, Organic or Pasture for Life logos, which are the top three awards for animal welfare.

The standard welfare logos we spotted were mostly Red Tractor and RSPCA-assured.

The Red Tractor logo rarely demands animal welfare to be any better than the UK legal minimum. Sows may be kept in small farrowing crates when pregnant and giving birth.

The RSPCA-assured badge guarantees that sows have not been kept in crates. Outdoor grazing is encouraged but not mandatory.

M&S and Waitrose both state free-range, which covers a broad spectrum of conditions. M&S regularly tops the Compassion in World Farming business benchmark for farm animal welfare.

Best red wine - see our top picks based on our independent taste tests of supermarket bottles

How we tested pork sausages 

The pork sausages were tested in March 2024 by a large panel of consumers who like sausages. The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. 

Each brand of sausage was assessed by 70 people. The tasters rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. 

The taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they tasted the sausages was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each person had a private booth, so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The overall score was based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% appearance
• 15% aroma
• 15% texture

These weightings are based on how consumers rank the importance of different attributes of pork sausages.

Price and availability checked 24 April 2024.