Best cottage pies: Charlie Bigham's vs supermarket own labels

Cottage pie is a classic warming meal that combines minced beef with a creamy mashed potato and cheese topping, but which supermarket versions are worth buying?

To find out how ready-made cottage pies compare on taste, we asked a panel of more than 60 people to rate a selection of 10 premium big brand and supermarket options in a blind-taste test.

Charlie Bigham's cottage pie was pipped to the post by a supermarket own label, and several other cheaper options also impressed our tasters. 

Keep reading to see the full scores, and discover our Great Value pick if you're after a brilliant pie on a budget.

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Best cottage pies

Asda's Bistro cottage pie nabbed the top spot in our test, just edging ahead of pricier rivals, including Charlie Bigham's.

Best Buy: Bistro by Asda Cottage Pie, 77%

£4 for 400g (£1 per 100g)

This cottage pie proved a hit with our panel, scoring top marks for appearance, aroma, flavour and texture.

More than three quarters of our tasters were satisfied with the flavour of the mince and the potato, and most thought it had just the right ratio of potato to mince.

As well as impressing on taste, it's also one of the cheaper options we tested, showing you don't have to splash out for a top-notch pie.

Available from Asda.

Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Gastro Cottage Pie, 75%

£3.59 for 400g (90p per 100g)

As one of the cheapest cottage pies on test, Aldi is our top value pick if you're after a tasty, wallet-friendly option.

Coming in joint-second place with Cathedral City and Charlie Bigham's, it earned high marks for its flavoursome filling and creamy mashed potato topping.

While it's not quite as cheesy as the Cathedral City cottage pie, it does contain a slightly more generous amount of cheddar compared with other supermarket options we tested.

At less than half the price of Charlie Bigham's cottage pie per 100g, it's a great choice if you're after a hearty meal that won't blow your shopping budget.

Available from Aldi.

Cathedral City Our Cheesy Cottage Pie, 75%

£4 for 400g (£1 per 100g)

Cathedral City has branched out from just cheese and now offers a range of ready meals made with Cathedral City cheddar. 

Its cottage pie went down well with our tasters, scoring highly across the board. They were impressed by the pie's enticing appearance, and also its flavour and texture.

It does contain slightly less beef compared with others we tested – although, as you might expect, it doesn't hold back on the cheddar front with a generous cheesy topping. 

Available from Asda, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

Charlie Bigham's Cottage Pie, 75%

£6 for 325g (£1.85 per 100g)

This premium pie put in a decent showing in our taste test, finishing in joint-second place. It's the most expensive cottage pie we tested, but if you don't mind spending slightly more it shouldn't disappoint on the flavour front.

Our tasters gave its meaty filling the thumbs up, and more than three quarters of our panel thought it had the perfect balance of mince and potato.

It has a slightly higher beef content compared with other meals we tested, however the overall cottage pie is 75g smaller. You can buy a bigger version that serves two people (650g) and works out slightly cheaper per 100g.

Available from Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Cottage Pie, 74%

£4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g)

Sainsbury's is another good supermarket option if you're after a tasty cottage pie ready meal.

Our panel rated it one of the best for appearance, and gave it high marks for its well-balanced flavours and good mashed potato topping.

However, it's one of the highest on test for salt content, with one portion contributing to nearly half of your daily intake – something to be mindful of especially if you're watching your intake.

Available from Sainsbury's.

How cottage pies from Lidl, M&S and Tesco compare

Several other cottage pies we tested fared relatively well and are worth considering, although none of them were on par with our top-scorers. Lidl shoppers might want to try elsewhere.

• Morrisons The Best Cottage Pie, 71% Good flavour, but the texture and appearance didn't quite match up to others. £4.75 for 400g (£1.19 per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• Tesco Finest Cottage Pie, 70% Not bad overall, although it wasn't quite as flavoursome as others. £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Available from Tesco.
• M&S Gastropub Cottage Pie, 69% While the texture of the mash was liked, some of our panel thought the mince filling was a little on the bland side. £5.75 for 400g (£1.44 per 100g). Available from M&S.
• Co-op Irresistible Cottage Pie, 68% Among the lower-scorers, with around half of our tasters finding the mash too dry. £5.30 for 400g (£1.33 per 100g). Available from Co-op.
• Lidl Deluxe Cottage Pie, 65% One of the cheapest ready meals on test, but it fell behind overall, with most of the panel finding it lacked flavour. £3.45 for 400g (86p per 100g). Available from Lidl.

How we tested cottage pies

All the cottage pies were blind-tasted and rated by a panel of 66 people in December 2024 at our specialist test lab.

We recruited a panel of people who buy and eat cottage pies, 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 cottage pies in a fully rotated order to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance and texture of each cottage pie, and told us what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score was based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% aroma
• 20% appearance
• 10% texture

These weightings are based on what people ranked as the most important attributes when tasting cottage pie. All our results are checked and analysed by our in-house statistical team.

Find out more about our editorial independence policy and see behind the scenes of some of our recent festive taste tests to understand more about how we work

Is cottage pie healthy?

The cottage pies we tested all get a red traffic light for saturated fat, although levels vary depending on the amount of meat, cheese, butter and cream. The Cathedral City cottage pie ready meal has the highest saturated fat content, with one serving contributing a whopping 85% of your daily reference intake. 

The majority of cottage pies are also high in salt, with several containing almost half of your maximum 6g daily intake.

The table below shows the amount of saturated fat and salt per single-serving cottage pie. All cottage pies are 400g except Charlie Bigham's, which is 325g.

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Where to buy vegetarian cottage pie

Vegetarian cottage pies are ideal for those looking for meat-free alternatives. The minced beef filling is usually substituted for mushrooms, lentils and other vegetables, and some also have a sweet potato mash topping.

They also usually have less salt and saturated fat, and can make a good healthier alternative to a traditional version. 

There are options available from a wide variety of supermarkets including Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Some, such as Kirsty's Lentil Cottage Pie, are also vegan, gluten-free and and dairy-free.

Veggie cottage pies

We haven't taste tested this, but here's what's available:

• Kirsty's Lentil Cottage Pie, £3.50 for 400g (88p per 100g). Available from Asda, Co-op, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
• Morrisons Veggie Cottage Pie, £2 for 375g (53p per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• Plant Based by Asda Lentil Cottage Pie, £2.85 for 400g (71p per 100g). Available from Asda.
• Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers Lentil Cottage Pie, £3.50 for 400g (88p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury's.
• Sainbury's Taste the Difference Vegetable Cottage Pie, £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Available from Sainsbury's.
• Tesco Finest Root Vegetable Cottage Pie, £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Available from Tesco.

Plant-based meat alternatives – find out how vegan and vegetarian substitutes compare on health and environmental impact

How to cook cottage pie

The cottage pies we tested all need to be heated in the oven, typically for around 30-45 minutes. Most state they can be cooked from frozen with a longer cooking time. Morrisons cottage pie also has instructions for cooking in an air fryer.

It's worth noting that all the cottage pies we tested said they aren't suitable for microwaving.

Price and availability checked: 8 January 2025