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I was surprised by the difference in quality, price and flavour.
Steak is a genuine treat in our home, reserved exclusively for special occasions and celebrations. So, in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, I decided to purchase sirloin steaks from seven supermarkets to determine whether they were all comparable.
I bought individual steaks from Asda, Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and I was surprised by the variation in quality, price, size and taste. I enlisted my family to help me sample the steaks and here’s what we discovered.
Tesco
Tesco Sirloin Steak costs £6.50 for 227g, which works out to £28.63 per kilo. It was 21-day matured British beef, had the Red Tractor logo for certified standards and was described as a ‘tender prime cut matured for extra flavour’.
Per 100g, it contained 21.6g of protein, had a 12-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. This appeared to be very red with a decent marbling of fat running through it when it was raw in the packet. However, once it was cooked, the texture was rather fatty and it was extremely chewy.
We gave it 2 out of 5 stars.
Morrisons
Morrisons Sirloin Steak costs £7 for 227g, which works out to £30.84 per kilo. Twenty-one day matured British beef, it also had the Red Tractor logo.
Per 100g, it contained 21.6g of protein, had a 16-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. This looked like a substantial chunky steak in the brown cardboard packaging. It had the smallest amount of fat along the length and none at the end. In fact, it appeared somewhat processed compared to the others, as it was a very smooth cut with little visible marbling of fat and minimal blood once opened. Upon cooking, it proved chewy and slightly dry, requiring mustard to enhance its taste.
We awarded it 2 out of 5 stars.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s Sirloin Steak is priced at £6.50 for 225g, equating to £28.89 per kilo. I couldn’t spot the Red Tractor logo on this one, just the union flag indicating it was slaughtered in Great Britain, but it claimed to be ‘expertly matured for 21 days for tenderness and reared by our trusted farmers. ‘.
It had a 12-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. Per 100g, it contained 27.6g of protein, had a 16-day shelf life and was freezable. This steak appeared to have a large chunk of fat on the end and all along the rim, meaning we had to trim a fair bit off once it was cooked. However, the remaining steak was succulent, tender and full of flavour.
We awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.
Lidl
Lidl’s Sirloin Steak costs £5.49 for 195g, which equates to £28.15 per kilo. Again, 21-day matured British beef, it bore the Red Tractor logo. Per 100g, it contained 23.5g of protein, had a 12-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing.
This steak was the most bloody of all upon opening the plastic packaging. To me, it looked the most appetising when raw, but I suppose that depends on your personal steak preference.
There was a small strip of fat running along the length and at the end with good marbling throughout. And it certainly didn’t disappoint. It was bursting with flavour and so tasty, adding mustard would have been sacrilege.
We awarded it 5 out of 5 stars.
Aldi
Aldi’s Ashfields Sirloin Steak is priced at £5.49 for 195g, which equates to £28.15 per kilo. It was 21-day matured British beef and bore the Red Tractor logo, indicating it was reared on ‘trusted British farms to assured welfare standards’.
Per 100g, it contained 23.5g of protein, had a 14-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. This steak was the most vibrant red of all once the white cardboard packaging was removed. It appeared the juiciest too, with a small amount of fat along the length and the end and excellent marbling throughout. And it tasted as good as it looked – succulent, juicy and brimming with flavour.
We awarded it 5 out of 5 stars.
M&S
M&S Sirloin Steak costs £7.75 for 227g, which works out to £34.14 per kilo. It was 21-day matured British beef and didn’t carry the Red Tractor logo but stated ‘MandS is the only national retailer who can trace all our beef back to every farm and animal. Always British’.
Per 100g, it contained 21.6g of protein, had a 13-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. This looked like a large, chunky steak in plastic, recyclable packaging. It had a strip of fat along the top and a lump of fat at the end.
Compared to the others, this piece of meat appeared pale and there wasn’t much blood upon opening. Once cooked, it was tender, not at all sinewy or chewy, but it wasn’t as flavoursome as some of the others.
We gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Asda
Asda Sirloin Steak costs £6.97 for 227g, although it says it costs £6.64 online, which works out to £29.25 per kilo. Described as ‘hand selected and matured for 21 days, a flavourful and tender cut’, this was British beef and carried the Red Tractor logo.
Per 100g, it contained 24g of protein, had a 10-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing. This steak appeared nicely marbled with fat when raw and it was tender and flavoursome once cooked. There was however a substantial chunk of meat that was inedible because it was pure fat, which was somewhat disappointing as the rest tasted good.
We gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Overall verdict
The steak with the highest protein content was the one from Sainsbury’s, which stated on the label ‘healthy choice, high in protein’ but it wasn’t the tastiest. The most expensive was M&S followed by Morrisons but, again, they weren’t our favourites.
For us, the best by far were the Aldi and Lidl sirloin steaks – and they were the cheapest per kilo too. The Lidl one was slightly more flavoursome so that was probably the best overall but we’d definitely purchase either of them again.
