We try out a wide range of scones from Tesco, Aldi, Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, M&S and more, to help you make the right purchase
Scones are a food that have always seemed to provoke debate among people in the UK.
In homes and cafés up and down the country, you'll hear folk arguing about whether these baked treats are pronounced scones (as in rhymes with bones) or scones (as in rhymes with cons); whether plain or fruit ones taste nicer (hey, what's wrong with the savoury types?); and whether you should spread jam or cream on first when having scones as part of an afternoon tea.
In keeping with the spirit of contention, we decided to pose another important question: what are the best scones you can buy right now? To find out, we gathered together various flavours – both sweet and savoury – from some of the UK's top supermarkets. We then asked some of the Boundless team, and members of our Cooking & Baking Group, to put them to the test. There could only be one winner – read on to find out which scones took the crown...
Note: for this taste test, all the scones reviewed were spread with butter.
Aldi Everyday Essentials Sultana Scones (49p for ten)
Reviewed by Paul Dimery – Boundless digital editor
These are super-cheap but they're more like mini-scones – I can imagine that trying to spread them with clotted cream and jam would make an awful mess. The texture wasn't the best; I found it hard to get the knife in to cut them in half, and they were quite dry in the mouth. The flavour was pleasant enough, though, and their smell – like fresh rock cakes – was delicious.
Appearance: 5
Aroma: 8
Taste: 6
Texture: 3
Total score (out of 40): 22
Aldi Specially Selected Baked in Britain Sultana All Butter Scones (89p for four)
Reviewed by Paul Dimery – Boundless digital editor
The size of these scones was much more like it, and they were plump and round – though I did think they looked a little dull and artificial. Texture-wise, they were dense and doughy, which meant that eating them with butter alone was a bit of a chore – cream and jam are a must. That's not to say that they weren't quite tasty, though, and their sweet, buttery aroma brought a smile to my face.
Appearance: 6
Aroma: 7
Taste: 6
Texture: 5
Total score (out of 40): 24
Asda Sultana Scones (£1 for eight)
Reviewed by Rhona Morris – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
At 12.5p per scone, I really didn’t know what to expect from this pack. As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, they were quite small but they were packed with fruit, had a nice, moist texture, and held their shape when split. They were obviously a budget buy, and there’s not a hint of the homemade or special occasion about them, but nonetheless they would make an ideal accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea.
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 8
Taste: 8
Texture: 6
Total score (out of 40): 30
Asda Extra Special Clotted Cream & Strawberry Flavoured Scones (£1 for four)
Reviewed by Nicholas Hoath – Boundless Head of Member Communities
The texture of these square-shaped scones felt a bit dry in the mouth. I couldn’t taste the clotted cream at all, while the strawberry flavouring was a little synthetic. Interesting idea, poorly executed.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 4
Taste: 4
Texture: 3
Total score (out of 40): 15
Becky's Bakery Devon Scones (75p for four)
Reviewed by Kadie Crichton – Boundless Member Communities Marketing Manager
My first impressions of these Iceland-bought scones were that they looked very dense and lacked any aroma. However, cutting one open revealed a lovely fluffy texture. The scone had a very sweet taste to it, which I enjoyed as I have a sweet tooth. The rest of my household were less convinced, though.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 2
Taste: 6
Texture: 7
Total score (out of 40): 19
Co-op Irresistible Cornish Clotted Cream Sultana Scones (£1.60 for four)
Reviewed by Rhona Morris – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
The Co-op bakery produces some absolute delights and has rarely let me down. However, these were slightly disappointing. While packed with juicy sultanas, their overwhelming feature was dryness. As I cut one in half, it became a mass of crumbs and was reluctant to form itself back into any discernible shape. Nevertheless, the flavour was reasonable, the size generous, and a good dollop of clotted cream and some strawberries helped immeasurably.
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 6
Taste: 7
Texture: 4
Total score (out of 40): 24
M&S Plain Scones (£1.75 for four)
Reviewed by Nicholas Hoath – Boundless Head of Member Communities
Baked golden brown, these scones looked great, and they also had a lovely, light texture. I found them tasty on their own with butter, though they would also make a very good base for adding your own toppings. Recommended.
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 6
Taste: 8
Texture: 8
Total score (out of 40): 29
M&S Cheese Scones (£1.75 for four)
Reviewed by Nicholas Hoath – Boundless Head of Member Communities
With a nice shape and a dusting of grated cheese on top, these scones looked quite appetising. They lacked aroma, though, and also turned out to be quite plain-tasting, with only a hint of cheese. On the plus side, they had a lovely moist texture, making them a worthy foundation for putting toppings on.
Appearance: 5
Aroma: 3
Taste: 5
Texture: 6
Total score (out of 40): 19
Morrisons Cheese Scones (85p for four)
Reviewed by Neil Thrush – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
With an abundance of cheese melted on top, these gave off a powerful aroma. However, they lacked in flavour and didn't look especially appealing either.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 8
Taste: 4
Texture: 4
Total score (out of 40): 20
Morrisons The Best Belgian Chocolate Scones (£1 for four)
Reviewed by Neil Thrush – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
For a chocaholic, these were very disappointing scones. There was no discernable smell, and I expected more flavour – I couldn't taste the chocolate drops at all. To make things worse, the drops started to melt after the scone had been in my hand for a couple of minutes. Never again.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 4
Taste: 4
Texture: 4
Total score (out of 40): 16
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Cheese Scones (£1 for four)
Reviewed by Kadie Crichton – Boundless Member Communities Marketing Manager
On opening the packet, I was hit with a very cheesy aroma and could see a small amount of grated cheese baked on top of the scones. Sadly, once I'd sliced them open, the flavour was limited to the top half of the scone. The whole scone was also very dense and coated the mouth like cement. Would not recommend.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 8
Taste: 5
Texture: 2
Total score (out of 40): 19
Sainsbury's All Butter Scones (£1 for six)
Reviewed by Kadie Crichton – Boundless Member Communities Marketing Manager
These scones were a little small and flat, and lacked colour. However, they smelt nice and buttery once opened. The flavour was pleasant enough but not very strong. I would probably purchase them again at this price.
Appearance: 4
Aroma: 7
Taste: 7
Texture: 6
Total score (out of 40): 24
Tesco Finest All Butter Cheddar Scones (£1.50 for four)
Reviewed by Jean Perdix – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
These scones had an interesting hexagonal shape and were nicely browned with a sprinkling of cheese. They didn't have a particularly strong taste or aroma, though the hint of cheese and touch of heat from the cayenne were quite pleasant. Sadly, the texture was very claggy, damp and heavy.
Appearance: 6
Aroma: 6
Taste: 6
Texture: 4
Total score (out of 40): 22
Tesco Sultana Scones (£1.10 for four)
Reviewed by Jean Perdix – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
I thought my luck was in when I set eyes on these scones – with a 21% sultana content, they looked plump and fruity. Raising one to my face, I noticed that it didn't smell of much, and biting into it revealed a slightly stodgy texture – it would definitely benefit from some jam and mascarpone! The taste was pleasant, though, and I wouldn't complain about having to eat another.
Appearance: 6
Aroma: 4
Taste: 4
Texture: 6
Total score (out of 40): 20
Waitrose Rich & Fruity All Butter Sultana Scones (£1.75 for four)
Reviewed by Neil Thrush – Boundless Cooking & Baking Group member
With rich, plump sultanas and a high butter content, these large scones are very colourful and flavoursome. They're great to eat without toppings, but would also go nicely with jam and cream. A definite 'eat me'!
Appearance: 10
Aroma: 6
Taste: 10
Texture: 10
Total score (out of 40): 36
And the winner is...
Waitrose Rich & Fruity All Butter Sultana Scones
These were the joint most expensive scones in our test, but they're worth every penny, with a mouthwatering appearance and a deeply satisfying taste and texture. Whether you eat them with butter or with jam and cream – or should that be cream and jam? – you're in for an afternoon treat.
Do more with Boundless
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Main photo: Getty Images
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