The best Christmas puddings

It is supposedly a seasonal treat fit for the Queen. But Fortnum & Mason's Christmas pudding has been put firmly in its place by Tesco's rival offering.

And Harrods, said to be the top people's store, has been beaten by the Co-op in the pudding stakes.

Fortnum's traditional pudding came bottom of the pile after being assessed by taste testers assembled by the Consumers' Association.

Tesco came top of the table with its Finest Vintage variety. It was a particularly sweet victory - because Fortnum & Mason wrested away the Buckingham Palace pudding contract from Tesco last year, a great coup for the luxury London store.

The festive slogan of the Queen's supplier boasts: 'Home to the world's most exquisite Christmas gifts.'

However, the three testers found that Fortnum's pudding - based on a Victorian recipe and costing £6.25 - had an 'unpleasant, chemical smell'. The judges gave it just two out of ten.

In contrast, Tesco's pudding - £7.99 for 907g - scored eight out of ten. The judges said: 'It was luxurious and well-balanced, containing a variety of ingredients, including well-marinated fruit.'

The Harrods Super Luxury Christmas Pudding - at £17.95 the most expensive of the 13 sampled for the CA's Which? magazine - scored just three out of ten. Testers complained that it had a 'funny, rather bitter' aroma.

A 'luxury' pudding from Sainsbury's and a Waitrose offering were both considered 'bitter'.

A lavish mix of ingredients was no guarantee of success. 'Matthew Walker's pudding, for instance, contains three varieties of nut and four types of alcohol, but our experts thought the overall effect was lost in a sticky texture,' said Which? The pudding was placed in 10th.

Praise was lavished on the Co-op's premium pudding, costing a modest £4.29 but scoring seven out of ten.

Judges said: 'It was dark, yet had a light crumbly and moist texture with a very fruity and alcoholic flavour.'

The same score was given to products from Safeway, Somerfield and Prince Charles's

Duchy of Cornwall range. Yesterday, Fortnum & Mason defended its product. A spokesman said: 'Our Christmas pudding recipe has been in use since Victorian times.

'Although we could change to meet modern tastes and techniques we remain loyal to our customers' requirements.'

Harrods was equally robust. A spokesman said: ' We sell tens of thousands of Christmas puddings each year and have a very happy and loyal customer base.'

A Tesco spokesman said: 'We hope the Queen sees the Which? report.'