I compared Aldi's premium range to M&S and there were surprises everywhere

You might not expect people to opt for a premium range amidst a cost of living crisis, but Aldi's luxury own-label Specially Selected range is outpacing other products.

While it could indicate easing financial pressures for some, it's also possible that shoppers are moving away from the traditional "bigger" brands, while others prefer to dine at home instead of eating out.

Aldi UK boss Giles Hurley suggests customers are again more inclined to indulge themselves with pricier items and have been 'trading up' to luxury own-label products including Wagyu steak, high-end cheese, ready meals and brioche buns.

In fact, with a shift towards home celebrations, this year Aldi's Specially Selected range will constitute over 50% of its overall Christmas offering for the first time, reports the MEN. With this in mind, I decided to see how their products stack up against Marks and Spencer, sampling some of Aldi's most popular Specially Selected items.

Now, M&S has a reputation for the superior quality of its food and has recently been causing a stir with its own Remarksable range, which has been winning over shoppers with its competitive prices.

But overall, it still ranks among the priciest for many groceries outside of that range, so I wanted to see how they compare in terms of price and taste.

Despite the unavailability of Wagyu steaks in the Aldi stores I visited, possibly due to their popularity, I decided to try fillet steaks from both retailers. At Aldi, a 28-day matured fillet steak weighing 170g costs £4.99, while at M&S, a 10-day matured fillet steak weighing 190g costs £8, which equates to £7.16 for the same size as Aldi's.

Both were scrumptious, but it was Aldi's that impressed me with its flavour and texture, likely due to the extra maturing time enhancing the beef flavour and tenderness.

Wagyu beef burgers, another popular item from Aldi's premium range, are priced at £3.49 for a pack of two, weighing 340g. The closest product I found at M&S were the Fully Loaded Steak Burgers costing £5 for a 380g pack, although they are available as part of a 3 for £12 offer.

While both burgers were enjoyable, I wasn't a fan of the chewy bits in the 73% beef M&S ones, and much preferred the overall taste and texture of Aldi's 95% beef ones. I also favoured the sweeter taste of Aldi's brioche burger buns, which cost £1.05 for a pack of four, compared to a whopping £3 for four from M&S.

Almost every product I sampled from Aldi tasted either just as good as M&S, or better. I preferred the taste of Aldi's Vintage cheddar over the M&S West Country one, and the Specially Selected sausages - blended with herbs and a hint of ginger - were a massive hit.

Many of the items, including the Canadian maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil and Parma ham tasted pretty much identical. It's no surprise that Aldi's Specially Selected Superseed farmhouse loaf tastes just like the M&S Super Seeded loaf, both of which contain sunflower, millet, linseed, poppy and pumpkin seeds. But while the M&S one will set you back £1.60, Aldi's version is £1.09.

There were plenty more big price differences with some of the other products I tried too. Like the manuka honey, costing £4.39 for a 225g jar at Aldi, and £10 for a slightly bigger 250g jar of it from M&S.

Aldi's extra fine beans were £1.29 for 200g, while M&S ones were £2.50 for the same size. Sales of premium ready meals have also been on the rise at Aldi and the ones we tried - Lasagne Al Forno and Mac and Cheese - were another big hit with the kids, as was Aldi's Specially Selected Spicy Italian Salami and 'Nduja pizza, Steak Pie and Pesto Alla Genovese, another of its best sellers.

Even the products that weren't part of Aldi's premium range, the tenderstem broccoli for example, at £1.39 for 200g, was no different to the M&S one, which was £3 for a larger 350g bag, but still working out more per kg.

The product that was hardest to compare was the alcohol. As among Aldi's most popular premium products is its Castellore Organic Prosecco Rose, priced £7.99 a bottle. M&S doesn't stock a rose organic prosecco, so we opted for its white organic Colle Del Principe Prosecco, priced at £9.

I'm not typically a rose enthusiast, but I must admit the Aldi version is particularly pleasant and certainly had a fresher taste compared to the pricier M&S bottle. My go-to choice is usually Aldi's top-selling £5.45 Costellore Prosecco, so I'm not overly picky and certainly no wine connoisseur.

However, there were a few items that didn't quite meet the M&S standard. I favoured the M&S Collection potato dauphinoise, costing £3.50 and fresh from the fridge, over Aldi's £2.75 freezer pack - largely due to the flavour, but also the presentation.

The real underperformer was the lemon drizzle cake. While Aldi's version is perfectly acceptable and a steal at £2.25, it's the softer sponge and lemon juice icing that gives the £4 M&S one an advantage.

I might be able to justify the additional cost for that one. But when so many of the other items were virtually on par in terms of taste and quality, it demonstrates that you don't necessarily have to shell out more to get the good stuff.