Iceland’s £1 chocolate bar beats M&S and Waitrose in blind taste test

Cheap chocolate is better than you think

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Iceland might not necessarily be your first port-of-call when it comes to sourcing good quality chocolate, but that could all be about to change.

The frozen food retailer’s bargain offering has beaten the likes of M&S and Waitrose in a blind taste test conducted by Cambridge Market Research, reports The Sun.

At just £1.29, the 100g chocolate bar is significantly cheaper than its competitors, with M&S charging £2 for a bar the same size and Waitrose pricing their version at £1.60.

Iceland’s luxury milk chocolate was rated better for quality, creaminess and taste, with 66 per cent of tasters choosing it as the winner.

The budget bar is part of the food chain’s new upmarket range which launches this week.

It includes a number of high quality frozen dishes such as enrobed profiteroles, filo pastry wrapped prawns and sushi, all of which cost £3.

“Our Luxury range has been carefully crafted, we have taken time to create delicious food for our customers, and the taste test results prove this,” said Neil Nugent, head chef at Iceland.

(Iceland (Iceland)

Waitrose and M&S were quick to jump to their chocolate’s defence, accusing Iceland of biased research.

“Our customers love this chocolate - and the vast majority of those who've reviewed it have given it five stars out of five.

"This seems to contradict this research which Iceland paid for,” a spokesperson for Waitrose told The Sun.

M&S were equally as defensive, explaining that their customers love their product and insisting that it’s one of the supermarket’s best sellers.