The Christmas Taste Test

Get your knives and forks at the ready, Tom Read Wilson opens a very special restaurant which reveals what the nation really thinks of supermarket food: so you can discover which products to fill your trolley with this winter, and which to leave on the shop shelves.

From turkey joints to Christmas pudding; roast potatoes to pigs in blankets, we love to splash out on food and pile our plates high during the festive season. But which supermarket products really deliver on flavour and value for money?

Maitre d' Tom Read Wilson pits Britain's best-known brands - from budget to premium – head-to-head in his restaurant with a difference. Here diners get to try before they buy, then vote on their favourites, so you know exactly which festive foods to serve to friends and loved ones for Christmas dinner this year.

Diners in the restaurant all have a festive flavour themselves: hard-working posties and busy vicars who deliver Christmas to the nation, plus a gospel choir and hand-bell ringers who ding dong merrily on high at this time of year. But it's their honest opinions on supermarket foods that Tom needs to hear. There are plenty of laughs in the restaurant as they get stuck into tasting and voting for their favourite supermarket foods.

And in the kitchen, chef Mike Reid reveals the trade secrets that make these foods lip-smackingly good, and shares tips on how to prepare festive favourites to ensure you have a cracking Christmas dinner.

We all like to indulge when it comes to our Christmas feast. We spend months saving so we can afford ourselves a little bit of luxury. But ever wondered if it's worth getting a turkey from the butchers for over £100 or if a more affordable option from the supermarket will suffice? Well, we're going to find out.

Some of the packaging might look just like them. The names might be weirdly similar. But can we tell the difference between Aldi's Ballycastle Irish Country Cream Liqueur and Baileys or Fortnum and Mason's Pudding and a more affordable luxury supermarket pudding? Surely they don't taste the same as the brands with their secret recipes. Or do they and perhaps even better? Maybe we could save ourselves a few quid. We've set up a series of taste tests to see if the knock offs can knock out the heavyweight brands in this Christmas edition. From crackers to candles, we've got your Christmas table covered. We even see what festive sandwich you should be buying whilst on your lunchbreak. How do the supermarkets make these festive treats so cheap? We're back in the Good Food Studio with food scientist, Amir, who takes a look inside a few puddings to see how the supermarkets can compete with the likes of Fortnum and Mason. After watching, you might think twice about splashing out on the big brands this Christmas.