Best roast potatoes: Aunt Bessie's vs supermarket own labels

We've unearthed the best premium frozen spuds on offer at supermarkets this year, so you can save time without compromising on taste.

Roast potatoes from well-known brands Aunt Bessie’s and McCain were sampled by our 65-strong panel in a blind taste test, alongside eight supermarket offerings including Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.

Aldi and M&S topped the rankings – and Aldi's spectacular spuds are also the cheapest on test, making them a brilliant budget buy. 

Aunt Bessie’s also put in a good showing, ranking third, but McCain failed to impress, coming in last overall.

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Best premium roast potatoes

Aldi and M&S were the joint-highest scorers in our taste test, so we’ve made them both Best Buys. Aldi's cheap-as-chips offering also wins our Great Value award.

Best Buy & Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 74%

£2.59 for 1kg (26p per 100g)

Tying for top place, these good-looking potatoes had a flavour that impressed our testers. 

Three-quarters were fans of the fluffy interior, while two-thirds loved the crispy outsides.

An excellent crowd-pleasing choice, Aldi's budget roasties come in large 1kg bags.

Available from Aldi.

Best Buy: M&S Maris Piper Roast Potatoes – 74%

£3 for 800g (38p per 100g)

Nice-looking spuds that hit the spot texture-wise with most of the panel. Three-quarters loved the fluffy insides while a little under two-thirds liked the crispy outsides.

Flavour was generally praised, too, though a stronger taste would’ve made these potatoes even more popular.

These M&S spuds are more expensive than Aldi’s offering, but are around average price compared to the rest of the potatoes we tested.

Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado.

Aunt Bessie’s Duck Fat Roast Potatoes – 72%

£4.50 for 700g (64p per 100g)

An impressive 80% loved the appetising colour of these roast potatoes.

The crunchy outside and good consistency of the inside were also praised.

Flavour wasn't as highly rated as our top picks, though. Some felt it was too weak and others noted the insides were a bit on the dry side. 

Aunt Bessie’s potatoes use duck fat, whereas the rest of the potatoes tested use beef fat. They’re pricey, so look out for special offers to get the best value.

Watch out for smaller bags when comparing prices – these are just 700g whereas Aldi's come in a 1kg bag.

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

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How roast potatoes from McCain, Sainsbury's, Tesco and more compare

Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco scored just fractionally lower than Aunt Bessie’s. McCain comes in last overall in this year’s taste test, losing marks for looks and flavour. 

• Morrisons The Best Beef Fat Roast Potatoes – 71%. Two-thirds enjoyed the texture of the insides and half found the crispy outside just right. A crunchier bite and a stronger flavour would’ve upped the score of these potatoes. £2.75 for 800g (34p per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• Sainsbury’s Maris Piper Roast Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Taste the Difference – 71%. Nice-looking potatoes with a generally liked texture, inside and out. While a little under half felt the flavour was right, some wanted a stronger taste. £3.25 for 1kg (33p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s.
• Tesco Finest Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 71%. A good all-rounder. More than half enjoyed the flavour and crispy outsides, and around two-thirds liked the texture of the inside. The flavour was found a little lacking by some. £2.75 for 800g (34p per 100g). Available from Tesco.
• Co-op Irresistible Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 70%. Good-looking spuds that 60% of our panel rated well for flavour, while a similar proportion enjoyed the texture of the insides. While more than half approved of the crispy outsides, just over a third felt they could do with more of a crunch. £3.35 for 750g (45p per 100g). Available from Co-op (in store only).
• Waitrose Frozen Roast Potatoes in Beef Fat – 70%. Two-thirds liked the look of these spuds and the texture of the insides. But they fell down on strength of flavour and a less-than-crispy exterior. £2.75 for 800g (34p per 100g). Available from Waitrose.
• Asda Extra Special Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 68%. Lacklustre compared with other potatoes on test. Tasters felt the outsides lacked crispiness, and nearly half wanted a stronger flavour. £2.75 for 800g (34p per 100g). Available from Asda.
• McCain Triple Cooked Roasts – 60%. An unappetizingly pale exterior and weak flavour dragged these potatoes down. More than half liked the crunch levels, but 43% felt they weren’t crispy enough. £3 for 700g (43p per 100g). Available from Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

How to make roast potatoes: expert tips on how to make the crunchiest and fluffiest homemade roasties

Can you buy ready-made roast potatoes for vegetarians?

Ready-made roasties that use vegetable oil, making them suitable for vegetarians and vegans, are widely available in supermarkets.

The potatoes in our test were premium range roasties, which typically use beef fat or goose fat to boost their flavour, so these aren't suitable for veggies or vegans.

Can you cook roast potatoes in an air fryer?

Yes – an air fryer makes a great low-energy option for spuds, especially if your oven isn’t already on for cooking other food or you don't have space in there for everything. More brands are now including air fryer instructions on the packaging as it's become an increasingly popular way to cook.

Most still suggest the oven as the standard cooking method, and this tends to take 30 to 35 minutes for roast potatoes. Typically, you'll cook them from frozen in a hot oven – either 220°C (gas mark 7) or 200°C if the oven has a fan – but check individual pack instructions for the manufacturer's recommendations.

Whether you want a small air fryer or a large dual model, our air fryer reviews, based on independent lab tests, highlight the best products to buy

What's in a ready-made roast potato?

Potatoes are mostly carbs, but all the frozen roast potatoes on test get an amber traffic-light label for fat content. 

While most of the fat is the healthier, unsaturated kind, Co-op, M&S and McCain also get an amber light for saturated fat. Overconsumption of this can be a factor in high blood pressure and heart disease.

Most of the potatoes get the green light for salt content, with seven having around 0.2g per 100g. Two brands – McCain and Aunt Bessie’s – have more, which pushes them into the amber zone.

How we tested roast potatoes

All the potatoes on test were blind tasted and rated by a panel of 65 people in October 2024 at our specialist test lab.

We recruited a panel of people who regularly buy and eat roast potatoes, and who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age range, gender split and more). 

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

The tasters rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each roast potato, and told us what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score was based on:

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

These weightings are based on what people ranked as the most important attributes when tasting roast potatoes.

Price and availability checked: 31 Jan 2025