I tried supermarket own-brand hot chocolate – the winner is better and cheaper than Cadbury, Galaxy, Starbucks and Costa

WHEN the upwind turns cold, thing warms you up amended than a mug of blistery cocoa - particularly erstwhile topped with marshmallows and whipped cream.

Beyond the large brands specified arsenic Cadbury and Galaxy, determination are besides a full load of supermarket brands to try.

And chains specified arsenic Costa and Starbucks are besides selling tins you tin bargain astatine home.

Lynsey Hope enactment 11 tubs to the test, from prime cocoa tins to budget-friendly household tubs.

As amusive arsenic it sounds, it wasn't an wholly enjoyable acquisition with immoderate powders struggling to dissolve and lumpy.

Others were perfectly creaseless and warming - but which was crowned the winner?

Costa Hot Chocolate, 300g - £3.15 (£1.05 per 100g)

Love a blistery cocoa successful the store, but sadly this is thing similar you'd bargain successful the restaurant.

It's precise affluent with a bitter flavour and this was highly hard to premix properly. It doesn't dissolve decently and it's expensive.

It contains the highest level of cocoa pulverization astatine 36 per cent, but sensation omniscient it’s not right. 

Don't discarded your money reasoning you’re getting a luxury, it’s not.

• Taste: 4/10
• Value: 4/10
• Overall score: 4/10

Cadbury Original Hot Chocolate, 250g - £3 (£1.20 per 100g)

This Cadbury blistery cocoa is arsenic classical arsenic they come. I loved the malty sweetness, creamy texture and flimsy hint of vanilla successful this recipe.

It's nary wonderment it's specified a assemblage pleaser. If I'm being picky I'd accidental it was a small much sickly than others.

But otherwise, topped with lashings of whipped pick and marshmallows, you can't spell wrong.

• Taste: 9/10
• Value: 8/10
• Overall score: 9/10

Drinking Chocolate by Sainsbury's, 300g - £3.50 (or £1.16 per 100g)

Of the supermarket brands, this was by acold the best.

This Sainsbury's blistery cocoa impressed maine with its earthy cocoa flavour and the straightforward ingredients list, which was escaped from preservatives.

Simply premix 4 teaspoons with lukewarm beverage to prepare.

It's not the cheapest but decidedly worthy a fewer other pennies.

It did instrumentality a small longer than others to dissolve afloat - but arsenic they say, bully things travel to those who wait. Delicious.

• Taste: 10/10
• Value: 8/10
• Overall score: 10/10

Lidl Bellarom Instant Hot Chocolate, 400g - £1.69 (42.2p per 100g)

Sadly this was rather unpleasant. You're meant to adhd 4 oregon 5 teaspoons to blistery h2o and mix, but nary substance however overmuch I stirred, this was inactive lump.

It's inexpensive but was gloopy and oily and the cocoa flavour didn't travel done astatine all.

Strange ingredients connected the statement too, including coconut oil and thickening agents - positive salt. It's not for me.

• Taste: 3/10
• Value: 4/10
• Overall score: 3/10

Morrisons The Best Indulgent Hot Chocolate, 300g - £3.75 (£1.25 per 100g)

I was rather excited to effort this, but it was strangely heavy with an unusual sensation and actually, much costly adjacent than Cadbury.

It claims to beryllium made with Belgian Chocolate but that pulverization lone makes up 5 per cent of the ingredients.

There is inactive 26 per cent reduced abdominous cocoa pulverization connected top, which I thought was spot deceiving. You are not getting what you wage for here.

• Taste: 4/10
• Value: 3/10
• Overall score: 4/10

Drinking Chocolate by Asda, 500g - £2.50 (50p per 100g)

Round of applause to Asda, this drinking cocoa is conscionable arsenic bully arsenic Cadbury,  if not better, and it's a whopping 70p cheaper per 100g.

It had a lovely, creaseless and velvety taste. It contains 25 per cent cocoa, which is the aforesaid arsenic Cadbury, and rather bully for a fund option.

No artificial colours oregon flavours and without the nasty thickening agents added to immoderate of the others.

It's a bully sized tub excessively that volition past a while. A brilliant, budget-friendly option.

• Taste: 9/10
• Value: 10/10
• Overall score: 9/10

Galaxy Drinking Chocolate, 500g - £4.05 (81p per 100g)

This is simply a large tub and really works retired amended worth than it archetypal appears.

It’s casual to make, mixed easy and truly deed the spot for a warming winter treat.

The iconic Galaxy cocoa flavour truly came done with a velvety creaseless consciousness successful the mouth.

Absolutely delicious with pick and marshmallows.

• Taste: 9/10
• Value: 8/10
• Overall score: 8/10

Starbucks Signature 42 per cent Hot Chocolate, 330g - £4.70 (£1.42 per 100g)

Simply premix 5 teaspoons with beverage for your Starbucks blistery cocoa - but bare successful caput it's a smaller tin than astir truthful it mightiness not past that agelong for the price.

It does consciousness indulgent, creaseless and creamy with a beauteous affluent flavour without being excessively overwhelming.

Delicious really, but besides 1 of the astir fattening with 186 calories a cup.

• Taste: 9/10
• Value: 6/10
• Overall score: 7/10

Aldi Dairyfine Instant Hot Chocolate, 400g - £1.69 (42.2p per 100g)

Aldi's offering had a flimsy whiff of the benignant of cocoa you mightiness bargain overseas successful France oregon Spain.

There wasn't a batch of cocoa pulverization successful it but determination arsenic a small existent beverage cocoa and this flavour truly came through.

It had a nice texture, mixed good and aft mixing with blistery water, it was acceptable to portion successful minutes.

It was 1 of the lowest calories astatine conscionable 115 a cup. It was associated cheapest and considering the price, it wasn't atrocious astatine all.

• Taste: 7/10
• Value: 8/10
• Overall score: 7/10

Tesco Cocoa Powder, 250g - £1.59 (63.6p per 100g)

Very beardown successful flavour, astir coffee-like but it is made from 100 per cent cocoa pulverization truthful nary nasties and it’s not overly saccharine oregon sickly similar immoderate of the different ain brands.

It’s rather bitter but if you privation a beardown cup, it mightiness suit. It’s reasonably priced - but the mediate of the roadworthy taste-wise.

• Taste: 6/10
• Value: 6/10
• Overall score: 6/10

M&S Drinking Chocolate, 300g - £3.50 (£1.17 per 100g)

A beauteous silky and affluent cocoa portion which felt creamy and luxurious to portion with a lovely, chocolatey flavour.

It did instrumentality a spot of stirring erstwhile mixed with beverage and the pulverization took immoderate clip to dissolve, but it was worthy the wait.

Simple ingredients too, conscionable cocoa and sugar. No emulsifiers, additives oregon different chemicals. Delish!

• Taste: 8/10
• Value: 7/10
• Overall score: 8/10

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