21 November 2007
Asda has come top in a test of premium range Christmas crackers carried out by a which.co.uk ‘family’, beating supermarket and high street rivals including Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
Christmas came early for the Eales family from Harlow as they pulled a selection of crackers and assessed their looks, content and value for money to find out which they preferred.
The family was impressed by the range of gifts in Asda’s Luxury Hand-Finished Crackers - including a charade and a fact as well as the usual joke. “These magic magnets cost £10 in the shops. They’re brilliant”, said James, aged 12.
Woolworths’ Large Premium Crackers were the cheapest on test and the family thought them good value, they were £12 cheaper but had similar contents to the £25 versions from Debenhams and Waitrose.
For Grandma Beryl, appearance, rather than the gifts inside, was the priority; she said: “It’s more important that the table looks good than we get a good gift”. Asda scored well again here for its rich colour scheme and flock effect, and Morrisons was also popular for the place cards - and gold rollerball pen to write them with - that came included.
Malcolm Coles, editor, which.co.uk, says:
“It’s hard to imagine Christmas dinner without crackers - the groan-inducing jokes, the flimsy paper hats and the little toys that will probably end up clogging the vacuum cleaner come Boxing Day.
“After pulling 60 crackers, our family of testers concluded that the more expensive luxury crackers aren’t always worth the extra cost. If you specifically want crackers that’ll be fun to play with instead of just looking good on the table, check the list of contents to see what you’re getting inside.
“There are ethical options on the high street too, so if that’s your priority check the box for details of charity donations and to find out whether the card is recycled or comes from a renewable source.”
- Ends –
A full article “It’s a cracker” appears in the December issue of Which? magazine. For further information, the full article, a photograph or an interview, contact Nicola Frame.
* The Eales family (Mum Tracey, her children Robert (18), Kathleen (17) and James (12) and her parents Steve and Beryl) tested ten boxes of premium crackers for which.co.uk.
which.co.uk contacted major high street supermarkets and department stores, as well as manufacturer Robin Reed, and asked them to nominate a luxury cracker for the family to assess. The crackers included in the trial came from manufacturers who had them ready in time for the test in September. The Eales family was told the cost of each, but not where they came from.
Asda Luxury Hand-Finished Crackers with Premium Gifts (£15 for six)
Boots Luxury Crackers (£20 for six)
Debenhams Exclusively from Designers at Debenhams (£25 for six)
John Lewis 12 Crackers (£20 for 12) – mid-range
Marks & Spencer Crackers (£19.50 for six)
Morrison’s The Best (£14.99 for eight)
Robin Reed Handmade Super Deluxe English Crackers (£24.99 for six)
Sainsbury’s Different by Design Crackers (£20 for six)
Waitrose Crackers (£25 for six) – also available at John Lewis
Woolworth’s Large Premium Crackers (£13 for eight)
