IT SEEMS like summer was just last week but whether you like it or not, Christmas day is just a couple of weeks away. Snuck up on us, right? 

Christmas affects people differently. Some love the lead-up, some love the presents, some love the splurging on winter pints and some love the big day itself. 

What we can all agree on, however, is the importance of the Christmas dinner.

An extremely small minority of the population may ask, "Seriously?". Wars were started over less, believe me.

If you mess with a Christmas dinner you risk life and death in some households. Stumbling home on Christmas Eve, merrily, shall we say, and eyeing up the next day's trimmings can land you in a whole heap of trouble. 

Why? Well, whoever's head chef on the big day will be apoplectic with rage, honestly.

I've made the mistake, I won't lie, and thankfully my mother let me keep my life after I'd helped myself to Christmas Day's pigs in blankets. However, for my cardinal sin, she took both my hands.

But why did I do it? Because those goddamn pigs snuggled in their goddamn blankets looked too goddamn appetising, I couldn't help myself.

The best part of the Christmas dinner is preference and is usually one of the trimmings. Potatoes? Parsnips? Yorkshire Puddings? Well for me, it's the pigs in blankets.

You can of course make your own by scratch and this will go down as an absolute treat with guests, but for most, you get them from the shop.

Which shop though? Well, to find out I bought a standard pack of pigs in blankets from Tesco, Asda, Aldi and M&S to find out the answer. 

Note, my nearest Co-Op explained they are not selling pigs in blankets yet.

Asda - 12 for £2.40

Whenever I review Asda I feel like I'm just digging at them by this point. But yet again, I was not a fan.

The bacon tasted somewhat strange and fell off whilst the sausage was cooking. The pig, perhaps in anger, had thrown his quilt off.

I cooked for the recommended time and the sausage looked - and tasted - a little underdone.

However, it wasn't terrible by any means. It'll definitely 'do' if you need to stock up last minute.

Tesco - 12 for £2.50

10p more and tasted the exact same as Asda.

These were the standard pigs in blankets, not the more expensive finest range, but were still a letdown.

Tesco usually holds itself to a decent standard with produce but these didn't justify the price. No seasoning and again, tasted underdone despite cooking for the recommended time.

Last-minute panic buy.

Aldi - 12 for £1.99

The cheapest range of pigs in blankets I tried.

Aldi is my favourite store due to its cost and standard of food and drink. Once again it didn't let me down. 

It was their Ashfield range which is their meat supplier I guess? They had taste, the right amount of salt and the bacon held onto the sausage. 

A good pig.

M&S - 12 for £3.70

That's right, £3.70 for "outdoor bred pigs in blankets".

"12 British outdoor bred cocktail sausages wrapped in oak smoked streaky bacon. Cooks from frozen in 25 to 30 minutes. Gluten-free. Serves 12," they say.

Bang average and miles away from Tesco or Asda. I didn't get the oak smoke taste to come through and was pretty disappointed because M&S sometimes justifies their prices.

Here they didn't.

If you're looking for last minute, look elsewhere to save money.

2023's pigs in blanket game is severely lacking, make your own or go to Aldi.