Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food during the colder months, but making them from scratch every night isn’t always practical. After long days balancing work and family, ready-made mash is a lifesaver, especially since it only takes minutes in the microwave. It pairs perfectly with dishes like fish pie, cottage pie, sausages, or steak bakes.
However, Aunt Bessie’s frozen mashed potato, a well-known staple, is pricey at £3 for a 650g bag—often requiring two bags to feed a family of four. Curious if a supermarket own-brand alternative could offer similar quality for less, I sampled mashed potatoes from Asda, Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons. I evaluated each on flavour, texture, convenience, and cost.
Aunt Bessie’s mashed potato is made with just five ingredients: 83% potatoes, whole milk, butter, salt, and white pepper. It costs 46p per 100g and microwaves in three minutes. The texture is fluffy and soft, making it ideal for classic comfort meals, earning it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.
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Tesco’s version offers great value at 20p per 100g for a generous 900g bag. Made from 88% potatoes alongside water, concentrated butter, dried milk, salt, emulsifiers, turmeric, and white pepper, it microwaves in 3.5 minutes. The mash is well-seasoned, smooth, and authentic in flavour, scoring 4.5 stars.
Morrisons packs 750g for £1.60 (21p per 100g) with simple ingredients similar to Aunt Bessie’s. It microwaves in three minutes but shrinks noticeably once cooked. The texture is a bit cloying, needing gravy to balance the taste, and rates only 2 stars.
The standout bargain was Aldi’s frozen mash, priced at just £1.19 for 700g or 17p per 100g—the cheapest in the test. Containing 82% potatoes with milk, butter, emulsifiers, turmeric, salt, and pepper, it takes about four minutes to microwave. The flavour is rich and the texture pleasantly firm, earning a top rating of 5 stars. The only downside is the bag size, which isn’t quite enough for a family of four, but two bags might be too much.
M&S didn’t have frozen mash available, but their fresh version sold for £1.25 per 450g (28p per 100g). Made from 93% potatoes, butter, milk, and salt, it microwaves in four to five minutes and has a lovely creamy taste with an attractive piped appearance. However, the flavour becomes a bit sickly after a while, resulting in 3 stars.
Asda’s 900g bag costs £2.05 (20p per 100g) and contains 82% potatoes plus whole milk, butter oil, salt, and black pepper extract. It microwaves in 3.5 minutes and produces a smooth, flavourful mash without being too rich. It scored a solid 4 stars.
Overall, while Aunt Bessie’s remains a reliable choice, Aldi’s frozen mashed potato impressed just as much at nearly half the price. Its balance of flavour and texture at such a great value makes it a superb choice for quick, comforting family dinners—just wish there was a slightly larger bag size for more convenience.