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Think of this as the cheat’s guide to perfect puds. Let’s fact it – for many of us, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to make puddings. For others, desserts just never seem to quite work. The mousse doesn’t set, the strawberries go soggy or the crumble doesn’t, well, crumble.
If any of this sounds familiar, take heart from the fact that while there are a lot of really bad desserts on the market, others taste just as good as anything home made. So, with options ranging from Betty's Passion Fruit Torte to Waitrose’s Seriously Sticky Toffee Sponge Pudding, dessert can be dinner’s happy ending once again.
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Show all 10 1 /1010 best ready-made puddings 10 best ready-made puddings Waitrose Seriously Sticky Toffee Sponge Pudding Sticky toffee pudding is an English staple. This one is consists of a very moist all-butter toffee sponge with finely chopped dates, topped with a rich caramel sauce. Serves four.
£3.59, waitrose.com
10 best ready-made puddings Gu-ey Chocolate Torte Gu are known for their velvety, rich chocolate puds and this melt-in-the-mouth torte is no exception. Not too sweet, it’s delicious heated up and served with raspberries and cream.
£4.39, ocado.com
10 best ready-made puddings M&S Lemon Tarte Au Citron Most supermarkets sell an own-brand lemon tart, but this one stands out from the pack. It has a buttery, crumbly pastry and a top-notch lemon curd-type filling, dusted with icing sugar. It serves six so ideal for a small dinner party or hungry family.
£4.49, marksandspencer.com
10 best ready-made puddings Hummingbird Key Lime Pie Hummingbird is best known for its American style cupcakes. They also do a mean US-style pudding, including this key lime pie that’s made up of tangy, lime-flavoured custard in a shortcrust pastry base topped with whipped cream. It’s pricey, but serves eight generously.
£33.95, hummingbirdbakery.com
10 best ready-made puddings Sainsbury’s Spiced Apple Strudel, Taste the Difference Apple strudel is a traditional Austrian pudding that has become a firm favourite across many European countries. This new version is a British Bramley apple and sultana compote encased in filo pastry and topped with cinnamon sugar and hazlenuts. Serves six.
£4.50, sainsburys.co.uk
10 best ready-made puddings Aldi Lemon and Marscapone Cheesecake You can go really wrong with shop- bought cheesecakes, many of which look and taste bland. But this one, has a nice and crunchy base, while the topping is pleasantly fluffy, and the zesty yet rich flavour is very moreish. No wonder it won a Great Taste Award last year.
£2.99, aldi.co.uk
10 best ready-made puddings Betty's Passion Fruit Torte Don’t leave this hanging around too long – it’s best eaten within two days of delivery, unless you want to freeze it. But that shouldn’t be a problem as the Genoese sponge, beautifully decorated with white chocolate and orange cocoa butter and filled with passion fruit buttercream and jam, is delicious. Serves 10-12.
£22.50, bettys.co.uk
10 best ready-made puddings Riverford Treacle Tart Made from organic ingredients, this tart with an all-butter pastry case with sticky breadcrumbs and golden sugar tastes so good that it scooped a gold award at the Soil Association Organic Food Awards last year.
£6.45, riverford.co.uk
10 best ready-made puddings Donald Russell Fondant Puddings Selection This elegant selection of hot puddings, which arrives frozen, is just right for dinner parties. Comprising of two milk chocolate and banana fondants, two white chocolate and strawberry and two dark chocolate and raspberry, they’re made with top-notch ingredients.
£16, donaldrussell.com
10 best ready-made puddings Marks and Spencer Ultimate Tiramisu It’s usually best to avoid buying this classic dessert from a supermarket. But there’s always an exception to the rule and this is made with lashings of mascarpone and amaretto cream, Savoiardi biscuits and is drenched in coffee. Even Italians would give it the thumbs up.
£3.49, marksandspencer.com
Verdict
M&S Lemon Tarte Au Citron is always a winner - and far superior to anything similar sold in other supermarkets. Gu’s torte will make chocoholics very happy. Meanwhile, for those with deep pockets, Hummingbird Key Lime Pie is worth splashing out on.
Buy now
1. Waitrose Seriously Sticky Toffee Sponge Pudding, £3.59
2. Gu-ey Chocolate Torte, £4.39
3. M&S Lemon Tarte Au Citron, £4.49
4. Hummingbird Key Lime Pie, £33.96
5. Sainsbury’s Spiced Apple Strudel, Taste the Difference, £4.50
6. Aldi Lemon and Marscapone Cheesecake, £2.99
7. Bettys Passion Fruit Torte, £22.50
8. Riverford Treacle Tart, £6.45
9. Donald Russell Fondant Puddings Selection, £16
10. Marks and Spencer Ultimate Tiramisu
