Don’t waste time in the supermarket when you could be having a picnic in the sunshine

Don’t miss out on the sunshine by wasting time in the aisles – Mandy Francis has tested every bite.

Asda

Extra Special Freshly Squeezed Cloudy Lemonade, 1 litre, £2

There’s only 20 per cent lemon juice here, which accounts for the watery flavour. It’s quite sharp, too. 2/5

2 Banoffee Bombs, 250g, £2

Tasty banana-flavoured mousse, fudge, sponge, cream and toffee pieces. Extremely sweet — but rather yummy. 4/5

Lentil Dhal Dip, 170g, £1

This mix of beans, lentils and mango chutney is similar to hummus in texture, with a curry flavour and lemon notes. 4/5

Halkidiki Olives With Chilli Cheese, 150g, £2

Fat, green pitted olives tossed with batons of chilli-flavoured cheddar. Good quality — but HOT! 3/5

German Salami And Cheese Selection, 145g, £2

Eight to ten circular slices each of salami, peppered salami and smoked cheese. A good value staple. 3/5

Petit Pois, Courgette & Ricotta Quiche, 400g, £2.28

A robust case filled with cheese, peas, courgette and onion. A decent rustic quiche. 4/5

2 Ploughman’s Scotch Eggs, 226g, £1.10

The sausage meat has been flavoured with Cheddar cheese and pickle — which is nice. But the egg is small and rubbery. 2/5

9 Pork, Chilli And Bean Sausage Rolls, 279g, £1.50

neat rolls of pastry wrapped around meat mixed with beans, chilli and tomatoes. Sweet and nicely seasoned. 5/5

Supergreen Quinoa And Kale Salad, 270g, £1.65

An amazing price for this generous bowl of grain salad. Great texture — great taste. 5/5

Asda’s picnic highlights are pictured above

Lidl

Deluxe 4 Smoked Bacon & West Country Cheddar Sausage Rolls, 188g, £1.79

Chunky rolls with flaky pastry. There’s a little paprika heat, too. 4/5

Chef Select 2 Scotch Eggs, 227g, 75p

These look tasty and hand-made, but the sausage meat is barely a centimetre thick. The egg is rubbery with a pale yolk. Disappointing. 2/5

Caramelised Onion and Vintage Cheddar Quiche, 420g, £2.19

There’s a lot of pastry and less than a centimetre of filling. The chutney is slimy. 1/5

Deluxe Mexican Style Grain Salad, 240g, £1.29

This looks impressive — but the barley is bland. 3/5

Deluxe Spanish Meat Platter, 200g, £2.99

Generous portions of wafer-thin ham and smoky chorizo. A quality platter. 4/5

Meadow Fresh Lemon & Herb Olives, 150g, £1.49

The olives are fleshy and the lemon comes through, but you can barely taste the herbs. 2/5

Meadow Fresh Sour Cream and Chive Dip, 200g, 69p

The texture is good, but the vinegary mayonnaise makes this dip taste like salad dressing. 1/5

Milbona 3 Salted Caramel Trifles, 3x90g, 99p

Chocolate mousse layered with a cookie, salted caramel and cream. Yummy for the price. 5/5

Deluxe Sparkling Sicilian Lemonade, 750ml, £1.69

This cloudy lemonade in a glass bottle has visible bits of lemon floating in it. Refreshing, with just the right amount of sweetness. 5/5

Lidl’s picnic highlights are pictured above

M&S

4 Smokehouse Pulled Pork Sausage Rolls, 180g, £3

These have a posh quality about them. The meat has a slightly sweet flavour. 4/5

Chicken and Chorizo Soft Poached Scotch Egg, £2.20

The sausage is blended with chicken and chorizo. Looks better than it tastes. 2/5

Our Best Ever Quiche Lorraine, 400g, £4

A neat layer of crisp pastry, filled with bacon in a cheesy custard. Extremely rich and filling. 4/5

Apple, Celery & walnut salad, 400g, £3

A generous family-sized bowl. Stir and serve for a crunchy, fresh-tasting treat — perfect for summer. 4/5

Fruits de Mer Seafood Platter, 540g, £15

A rich selection of classic seafood — with a pot of garlic and lemon mayonnaise. Delicious. 5/5

Pitted Mild Spanish Manzanilla & Full Flavoured Cuquillo Olives, 252g, £2.80

A huge pot of mixed olives in oil. Good-quality, basic olives, but no wow factor. 3/5

Spiced Sweet Potato Houmous Swirl, 200g, £2

Houmous with a ribbon of sweet potato running through it. The swirl adds spicy, smokey flavour. 4/5

Passion Fruit Swiss Roll, 275g, £2.75

looks more exciting than it tastes. Too much sponge and not enough fruit. 2/5

Sparkling Lemon, Lime & Mint French Soda, 750ml, £2.70

Made in France, this soda is sweet and refreshing with a gentle fizz and no acidity. Divine. 5/5

M&S picnic highlights are pictured above

Tesco

Finest 4 Hog Roast And Braeburn Apple Sauce Sausage Rolls, 188g, £2

A lovely combination. Shame there are only four! 5/5

Finest 2 Scotch Eggs, 240g, £2

This is a good-quality Scotch egg — with an overriding sage flavour. 3/5

Scotch Egg Quiche, 180g, £1.50

A pastry base filled with an egg encased in meat. Good idea, but it needs seasoning. 2/5

Finest Waldorf Salad, 300g, £2.25

This is fresh tasting with a natural sweetness and plenty of crunch, and just the right amount of dressing. 5/5

Finest Spanish Tapas, 175g, £4

Manchego slices, olives, Serrano ham and piquant flame peppers. This platter looks authentic and appetising. 4/5

Smoky Olives With Red Pepper, 220g, £2.50

These are labelled as ‘medium hot’ but they are spicy rather than fiery, and should have popular appeal. 4/5

Sweetcorn & Chilli Dip, 182g, £1.20

This textured dip, blended with sour cream and chilli, is fresh with a spicy kick. 4/5

Triple Chocolate Trifle, 500g, £2.50

The different chocolate layers look appealing, but all taste the same. Bland — and not very chocolatey. 1/5

Sparkling Raspberry & Rose Lemonade, 1 litre, 50p

You can really taste the raspberry in this, while the rose gives a Turkish Delight flavour. Refreshing and unusual. 4½/5

Tesco’s picnic highlights are pictured above

Aldi

Specially Selected 4 Hog Roast Sausage Rolls, 188g, £1.79

These look upmarket but there’s too much pastry. And the filling is oddly sweet. 3/5

Crestwood 2 Scotch Eggs, 227g, 75p

The egg rolls around inside a very thin, grey layer of meat. The orange breadcrumb coating is gritty. 2/5

Crimp & Pring Cheese And Onion Quiche, 400g, £1.19

The filling, a mix of cheese, onion and chives is bland. It’s basic but you could perk it up with chutney. 2/5

Specially Selected Giant Couscous & Feta, 220g, £1.29

Beige couscous and white feta are not appetising, but the dressing perks the whole thing up. 4/5

Specially Selected Antipasto Selection, 120g, £1.99

A generous combination of parma ham, aromatic coppa and spicy salami. Perfection. 5/5

The Deli Greek Olives With Feta, 150g, £1.49

Fresh, crisp olives and a generous helping of feta cubes. The dressing adds citrusy flavours. 3/5

The Deli Pea & Mint Dip, 200g, 85p

A clean-tasting dip made with peas, sour cream, and mint. Summer in a tub. 5/5

Specially Selected 2 Fruit Possets (Lemon), 220g, £1.99

The posset is grainy and doesn’t have the powerful flavour you might expect. 2/5

Vive Lemonade With Real Fruit, 2 litres, 30p

A big bottle of basic lemonade for 30p — also available in a diet version. Does what it says on the tin. 3/5

Aldi’s picnic highlights are pictured above

Sainsbury’s

Taste The Difference 12 Hog Roast Sausage Rolls, 180g, £2.50

Sweet with a richer flavour than regular sausage rolls. A tasty talking point. 4/5

Taste The Difference Scotch Egg, 140g, £1.30

This has an appealing artisan look. As close as you’ll get to a handmade Scotch egg. 5/5

Crustless Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Quiche, 340g, £1.80

The rustic base is topped with cheese and flavoured with tasty basil and oregano. 5/5

Summer Edition Beetroot & Pomegranate Slaw, 120g, £1

Garlicky, with a powerful punch of mint. Best eaten as a pickle. 2/5

German Salami Selection, 100g, £1.50

Ten slices each of German salami, black pepper coated salami and green pepper salami in this pack. It’s great value. 4/5

Mammoth Gordal Olives With Piri Piri Chili, 160g, £2.50

The biggest olives I’ve ever seen, dressed with a hint of chilli. A real talking point. 4½/5

Smoked Salmon Taramasalata, 200g, £1.55

This is milder than the regular stuff. I could eat the whole tub in one sitting. 5/5

2 Limoncello Desserts, 190g, £1.60

There is real limoncello in these, so they aren’t for everyone. They would benefit from a sharper lemon sauce. 2/5

Taste The Difference Sparkling Sicilian Lemonade, 750ml, £2

This lemonade isn’t too sweet — but it’s not particularly lemony, either. A refreshing soft drink for grown-ups. 3/5

Sainsbury’s picnic highlights are pictured above

Morrisons

The Best 4 Pork & Caramelised Onion Sausage Rolls, 188g, £2.20

The sausage meat is well seasoned and peppery, and mixed with sweet chutney. 5/5

4 Scotch Eggs, 452g, £1.70

The coating is the only nice thing about these. The meat feels processed, and the eggs are similar. 1/5

Chorizo, Red Pepper & Tomato Quiche, 400g, £2

The filling tastes fresh, but the chorizo appears as a meagre scatter of flavourless cubes. 3/5

Salsa Verde Bean Salad, 250g, £2

A classy looking salad. Too much dressing — but the combination of ingredients is really tasty. 5/5

Large Seafood Platter, 270g, £4.20

This is a basic platter of traditional seafood favourites. 3/5

Basil & Garlic Halkidiki Olives, 150g, £2

The big olives are fleshy and mild, and the seasoning is just right — as long as you are a garlic fan. 4/5

Houmous Topped With Roast Garlic And Artichoke, 170g, £2

The houmous is rich and works well with the topping. Tastes like holidays. 4/5

3 Rhubarb And Custard Trifles, 405g, £1

Pots containing rhubarb compote, topped with sponge, custard and cream. Cheap, basic nursery desserts. 2/5

The Best Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade, 750ml, £1.50

Fruity and refreshing, the raspberry definitely comes through — but there’s a perfumey aftertaste. 2/5

Morrisons’ picnic highlights are pictured above

Waitrose

12 Flaky Mini Pork Sausage Rolls, 264g, £2.59

There’s too much dry pastry in these rolls, and the filling that’s there is flavourless. 3/5

Pork, Beetroot & Cheese Scotch Egg, 140g, £1.59

Eat this with your eyes closed — the beetroot turns the meat and egg pink. 1/5

Salmon & Watercress Quiche, 400g, £2.99

There’s too much stodgy pastry in this quiche — and not enough salmon. 3/5

Charred Corn Salad, 225g, £2.20

A pretty bright yellow rice salad. Stir everything together to produce a spicy, smoky treat. 4½/5

Sweet And Smoky Spanish Tapas Platter, 120g, £2.69

Serrano ham, chorizo and pepper-salchichon. Excellent meats that look as good as they taste. 5/5

Waitrose Orange Infused Green Olives, 180g, £3.69

Big green Halkidiki olives in an orange-infused marinade. There’s a lovely citrus flavour. 5/5

Pecorino & Basil Dip, 200g, £1.89

The basil and garlic flavours are lovely — but the Pecorino gives this a powerful, edge. Nice in moderation. 3/5

Eton Msess, 410g, £3.50

A generous layer of raspberry compote topped with cream — and four separate meringues. 5/5

Sparkling Cucumber Lemonade Refresher, 750ml, £1.99

This lightly carbonated spring water drink has tiny ‘bits’ of cucumber floating in it. It’s light and refreshing. 4/5

Picnic highlights at Waitrose are pictured above

Co-op

6 Sausage Rolls, 360g, £1.90

These chunky rolls have a rustic look. The puff pastry is flaky but the meat is an unappetising grey. 2/5

Irresistible Hand Finished Pork Scotch Egg, 140g, £1.55

At the centre of this is a beautifully cooked egg — a good-quality basic. 3/5

Irresistible Hand Finished Vintage Cheddar & Balsamic Onion Quiche, 400g, £3.50

The filling in the buttery pastry is not very deep, but it’s lovely. 4/5

Orzo And Slow Roasted Tomato Pasta, 210g, £1.95

A tasty, delicate pasta salad, but the meaty tomato pieces don’t work with the small pasta shape. 3/5

15 Slice Continental Antipasti Platter, 200g, £4

Mixed olives, chorizo, half-slices of prosciutto, French salami, Provolone cubes and fried broad beans. 3/5

Irresistible Greek Olive Medley, 130g, £2.75

Black and green olives stuffed with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and dressed. Top-notch. 5/5

Red Pepper Houmous, 170g, £1.20

This is a sweeter and more delicious version of regular houmous. 5/5

White Chocolate And Salted Caramel Tart, 530g, £4.25

This, with its salted caramel top, would make an impressive centrepiece. 4/5

Irresistible Sparkling Lime & Mint Presse, 750ml, £1.95

This has real depth of flavour. The lime has a tropical note, while the hint of mint finishes it off perfectly. Lovely. 5/5

Picnic highlights at the Co-op are pictured above