The Good Food Summer Taste Awards are back for 2026, bringing you the essential buys you should add to your shopping basket this summer.
Discover everything you need for those sun-soaked days when you’d rather be outdoors than in the kitchen, whether grilling up a feast or planning a picnic. From picnic essentials to best barbecue picks, our expert panel blind-tasted over 140 products to bring you the season’s best summer supermarket buys.
Good Food Summer Taste Awards 2026 winners
Best burger
Winner: Aldi Specially Selected Wagyu Smash Burger
Smash burgers have been trending in restaurants for a while now, and these Aldi burgers make it easy to recreate at home. The burgers caramelised nicely for tasty crispy edges, whilst the meat stayed juicy.
Available from:
Aldi (£3.99, available in store)
Highly commended: Tesco Finest Chuck, Brisket & Bone Marrow Beef Burgers
If you prefer a thick burger, these are our top supermarket choice. The patties are a good shape and size and browned evenly during cooking, with a strong meaty flavour.
Available from:
Tesco (£5.50)
Best veggie burger
Winner: Sainsbury’s Mediterranean Veg Burger
This looks like a homemade veggie burger, with lots of visible chunky veg (shredded carrots, sweetcorn and beans) – good for people who like a classic veggie burger rather than a meat-alternative. The outside browns nicely and it is well seasoned with salt and spices. It does fall apart slightly during eating due to the chunky veg, but would be perfect in a bun.
Available from:
Sainsbury’s (£2.20, coming soon)
Best vegan burger
Winner: Lidl Chef Select Moroccan Style Burger
This good-sized burger has a deep brown crust and appetising golden colour inside. There is a hint of chilli and lemon in the well-spiced burger that reminded judges of a falafel – layer up with plenty of sauces and crunchy salad for a great vegan burger.
Available from:
Lidl (£1.89)
Highly commended: Waitrose Plant Living Spicy Bean Burgers
This looks like a traditional veggie burger, with crisp golden edges and plenty of beans, softly cooked onions and veg packed inside, plus a hint of warm spicing to give the flavour a boost.
Available from:
Waitrose (coming soon)
Best sausages
Joint winner: Lidl Deluxe Ultimate Pork Sausage
These thoroughly enjoyable sausages are a generous size (perfect for a hot dog) with juicy, flavourful and well seasoned meat. A classic sausage.
Available from:
Lidl (£3.49, in-store)
Joint winner: Waitrose No.1 Extra Succulent British 4 Pork & Wagyu Beef Hot Links
For something a little bit different on your barbecue this year, these spiced sausages have a strong paprika flavour with a generous amount of herbs. They’re a good size and look attractive after grilling – great for a Mediterranean-inspired summer spread.
Available from:
Waitrose (£7)
Best vegan sausages
Winner: Sainsbury’s Green Supreme Sausages
If you’re not a fan of meat-alternatives, these Sainsbury’s vegan sausages are worth trying instead. They’re a compact, vibrant green with a herby, veg-filled filling that reminds our judges of pesto. Seeds add good texture too.
Available from:
Sainsbury’s (£2.30, coming soon)
Best hummus
Winner: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Extra Smooth Houmous
An attractive classic hummus finished with a drizzle of olive oil and some chickpeas. The hummus has a smooth, light texture with the flavours of olive oil and tahini coming through.
Available from:
Sainsbury’s (£3.25)
Highly commended: Waitrose No.1 Houmous with Roasted Butternut & Dukkah Sharing Dip
A fully loaded topped hummus that would easily fit into a meze spread. The generous sharing dip is topped with roasted butternut squash (tossed in fragrant cumin) and plenty of pine nuts and sunflower seeds for lots of texture. There isn’t a huge layer of hummus underneath, but it is well balanced and smooth.
Available from:
Waitrose (£5, in-store soon)
Best dip
Winner: M&S Flip & Dip Creamy Basil Dip Topped with a Herby Pesto Drizzle
The ‘flip and dip’ nature of this dip is unique and enjoyed by judges – tip the creamy dip (made from soft cheese and yogurt) out onto a plate and let the herby pesto drizzle throughout, ready for scooping up with crudités or crisps. It’s a mild crowd-pleaser.
Available from:
Ocado (£3)
Best sausage roll
Winner: M&S Our Best Ever Sausage Roll
Buttery pastry, well-seasoned sausage and a generous size – these sausage rolls have everything we’re looking for. The sausage has a nice loose meaty texture and the buttery golden pastry has a homemade quality – would be super with a dollop of mustard.
Available from:
Ocado (£3.10)
Best coleslaw
Winner: Morrisons The Best Barbers Mature Cheddar Coleslaw
A creamy, classic coleslaw we’ll be reaching for all summer. The rich dressing has a good edge of vinegar whilst chives add freshness. The cheese adds extra richness without being too strong.
Available from:
Morrisons (£2.25)
Best lunch salad
Winner: Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli King Prawn Green Goddess grain bowl
Pick up this colourful salad next time you need an office lunch. It’s a vibrant mix of salad leaves, grilled veg, grains and juicy prawns. The varied grains (including quinoa and giant couscous) provide interesting textures and the dressing has good flavour with strong (but not overpowering) dill notes, garlic and a touch of acidity.
Available from:
Sainsbury’s (£6.25, coming soon)
Runner up: Tesco Beetroot & Feta Grain Bowl
All the ingredients in this salad have bene treated with care – deseeded cucumber to stay crunchy, finely shredded spinach and tender grains that haven’t gone mushy or chalky. The beetroot hummus adds good extra texture and the pomegranate seeds bring sharp sweetness. We appreciate the generous amount of feta too!
Available from:
Tesco (£4.75)
Best picnic range
Winner: Tesco
The six products we tried from Tesco’s picnic range gave us an impressive al fresco feast. The salty focaccia (£3.50) is a highlight – crisp, perfect for sharing and dunking into dips. The savoury pastel de nata (£4.25) is a rich and creamy quiche with good pastry and a soft, well-seasoned filling. Fennel salami (£3.50) and burrata (£4.50) are crowd-pleasing summer staples. The tabbouleh with whipped feta (£3.50) is a nice lighter touch, with fresh, colourful grains on top of acidic feta.
How we tested
We invited nine supermarkets to submit their best summer products across 11 categories. Packaging was completely removed and judges tasted all items blind. Comments and scores (divided into weighted scores for taste, texture and appearance) were submitted for each product in the category via anonymous online judging forms. For picnic range, the supermarkets were allowed to enter up to six products. The entire judging process was overseen by an independent adjudicator. This year, the team tested over 140 products.