How we test food and drink

To uncover the best-tasting food and drink – from coffee and baked beans to champagne and wine – we spend months planning and testing. 

We test more than 250 food and drink products each year, uncovering brilliant Best Buys – and some top cheaper picks, too.

Our recommendations are based on hundreds of hours spent researching, planning and running tests before analysing and writing up the results. But have you ever wondered exactly how we do it? And what really happens during a blind taste test?

Here you can find out the lengths we go to discover the best food and drink, and why you can trust our expert recommendations. 

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Video: How we test food and drink

Why you can trust our taste tests

First, the important stuff. We are editorially independent. We're not influenced by third parties, and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. We buy everything we test, and where possible, we buy it from the shops – just as you would.

Sometimes we have to buy in some things direct from the supermarkets if they aren't on the shelves yet, but we'll always pay for the products we test.

You might not know that Which? is a not-for-profit organisation. The money we make goes directly back into our testing and our efforts to protect consumers and to make everyone's life simpler, fairer and safer. 

Our charitable arm, the Consumers' Association, works tirelessly to champion the interests of consumers to government, industry and beyond. You can find out more in our guide to how Which? works.

Second, we take testing seriously, whether it's a £1,000 gadget or a tin of baked beans. We're always looking to identify the most important things people will want to know, and how we can test in a fair and rigorous way to uncover the best products.

Which? taste tests on TV

You can see some of our taste tests in action in the Channel 5 series 'The Big Taste Test' – our olive oil taste test featured in summer 2024, and our mince pie taste test was featured in December 2024 on the Christmas Special 'Supermarket Own Brands: The Big Taste Test'.

Plus, look out for our champagne truffle taste test in 'Cakes and Bakes' airing at 8pm on Channel 5 on Wednesday 19 February 2025.

How we choose what to test

We start planning taste tests months in advance, gathering insights on wider market trends as well as feedback from our regular member surveys where Which? members can tell us what tests they're most keen to read about.

Once we've narrowed down the list, we start buying product samples for testing. For our Christmas taste tests, we often order direct from the supermarkets so that we can test products before they hit supermarket shelves. Some tests require lots of samples – last Christmas we needed 40kg worth of Christmas puddings!  

Things don't always go to plan. Whether it's receiving products already past their expiry date (the gone-off brie was memorable for all the wrong reasons), or having to dash out in search of samples that didn't turn up in time, we've learned it pays to be prepared for anything.

Lauren Temple, food & drink principal market analyst: 

'My job is to ensure we are covering the products of most interest to our members and that any test line-up is a fair comparison. 

'I check with supermarkets and brands to confirm that the products are due to remain available and unchanged at the time of publication, so that you don't have any issues tracking down our Best Buys in the shops.'

Want to have your say on future taste tests? Which? members can sign up to our Connect research panel

How our taste tests work

All our taste tests are run as 'blind' tests, meaning people don't know which product or brand they're trying. 

Tasters are given set criteria to rate each product on, as well as a standardised rating scale. Products are served without any identifying packaging or branding for the tasters to try in a rotated order (which is different for each person).

Expert panel taste tests

For some products, we'll ask an expert judging panel for their expertise. This is an approach we tend to use for more premium products where additional expert insight is useful to determine the best ones. 

We source a selection of leading experts relevant to the product in question, from pastry chefs and chocolatiers to Masters of Wine.

Sam Caporn MW (Master of Wine), Which? wine expert, says: 

'The only way to rigorously and fairly judge wine is to taste it blind. I love tasting like this as it is so fascinating. You have no idea what the wines are and the results are always really exciting to see – the Which? tastings are up there as my very favourite tastings, especially as they are also so commercially relevant.'

On the day, each expert tries the products in a different order to avoid any bias, and they don't know which brand they're trying. 

If a product has any recognisable branding on the portion being tasted, the experts wear a blindfold to prevent any influence on their scores. 

After all the products have been tasted, the panel discuss any discrepancies in score for each product and agree on the final scores and which deserve to be Best Buys. Only then do we reveal the brands involved.

Nathan Rave, pastry chef and baking expert, says: 

'I really enjoyed being part of Which? taste tests and helping people find the best treats for the Christmas season. It's all about finding the mince pie that captures Christmas in a bite – a rich, spiced filling wrapped in beautifully crisp pastry.'

Consumer taste tests

For more 'everyday' products where the most widely acceptable option is the name of the game, we run taste tests with large panels of consumers consisting of at least 60 people. 

Like our expert tests, the products are all tasted blind and in a rotated order to avoid any bias. Each tester has a private tasting booth so that they can’t discuss what they're tasting or be influenced by others. 

Once results are in, our in-house statistics team calculate scores and carry out statistical analysis to identify significant differences in ratings between products. Only the highest-scoring products are awarded our Best Buy rating.

Rebecca Marcus, food & drink lead researcher: 

'All of our independent food and drink recommendations are based on blind taste tests that follow robust methodology, so Which? members can be confident they’re getting the best products. 

'It's always great to hear what members want us to test – giving people the opportunity to have their say with our regular surveys helps us make sure our content is as relevant and interesting as possible.'

Best food and drink – see the full list of supermarket food and drink that's topped our taste tests

How our reviews can help with your shopping

You can find all our taste tests in our guide to the best food and drink. 

The top-rated products get our Best Buy seal of approval. But we know value is important too, so we're always on the lookout for products that taste great and cost less – we highlight these with our Great Value badge. 

We've found lots of great supermarket picks that will help your money go further without compromising on taste, whether you're stocking up on everyday essentials or want to get your money's worth on more premium products. 

We also do the maths to uncover how much you can save over time – we've found that switching from brands to supermarket own labels can save you hundreds of pounds a year. See our round-up of the best cheap supermarket food and drink to discover brilliant budget alternatives to popular big brands.

Jessica Carson, Which? food & health editor, says: 

'It's really interesting seeing which products impress and why in our taste tests.

'My favourite part is probably trying the leftovers once the experts are finished (we couldn't possibly let them go to waste!). It's good to have first-hand experience of what the experts have found so that we can really bring the results to life when we write them up.' 

If you’re not yet a member, you can join Which? today to get instant access to our taste test results and all our other product reviews.

For more food and drink recommendations, check out the best premium gin, best champagne truffles and best olive oil