I tried ice creams from Aldi, Asda, M&S and more – one was best by far

July 11, 2025 4,534

With temperatures hitting record highs this weekend and kids gearing up for school holidays, it’s no surprise that supermarket freezers are likely to be raided for any ice cream they can find. Our house is no different, it seems.

Just as quickly as I can buy these treats, the box vanishes once everyone in our house has had theirs. With heatwaves becoming more common, I wanted to find a cheaper way to make sure we were never caught without.

Since the cost of living increased, and the price of food seems extortionate, I’ve been more open to trying own branded items to see if I’m really getting good value for money with brands.

I’ve ditched some brands along the way and shaved pounds off my shopping bill quite a bit. But, there are still some I refused to let go of – my childhood favourite ice cream.

But, with a box of six strawberry Cornettos costing me close to £3 in some places, I thought it was time to find a cheaper summer alternative. I was fine when mum and dad were footing the bill, but now I’m on my own, it’s time to look for a new favourite – and I think I’ve found it.

I picked up as many own-brand versions as I could carry when shopping lately and dedicated a whole shelf of the freezer to this journalistic experiment. I also roped in the help of my family to avoid eating six ice creams to myself (just thinking about it gives me a stomachache!)

I bought classic strawberry versions of Cornetto-like ice creams from Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, M&S and the Co-op. Sainsbury’s had nothing in the freezer section and Lidl wasn’t stocking a strawberry version (so it felt unfair to test them).

I’ll start with the worst and work up towards the best (in my opinion). Sadly, my least favourite had to be Asda as it didn’t have much flavour to it and quickly – it also lacked the Cornetto topping beyond just a bit of strawberry sauce that wasn’t the sweetest.

Unfortunately, the Co-op box wasn’t much better. At £1.90 for four, it was on the expensive end of the test. My mum tried one of these and said they were “a little bland” and her cone had very few meringue pieces.

Morrisons was slightly better. Just like Asda, it had no chocolate or topping of any kind – but this sauce was much tastier and the ice cream was a lit creamier too. It wasn’t an awful cone just nothing spectacular.

The top picks were tough. My mum tried the M&S and Tesco versions. M&S was the most expensive box and also skimped on any toppings. But what was there had my mum thrilled, she said it was very delicious and also had a much richer starwberry taste to it than any of the others.

Tesco’s new summer packaging instantly stood out on my shopping trip and it was one of the cheaper options too. It was the first box I got that swapped white chocolate for meringue pieces. My dad said his cone had plenty on it and was a great balance of sauce, topping and ice cream.

But, my ultimate find was the Aldi version. It can sometimes be a little hit and miss with the discount store if items that have been playfully inspired by big brands live up to the name they’re trying to match. In this case, it most definitley did.

My Aldi ice cream was the cheapest, without having to be price-matched. It was very light and creamy all the way through and absolutely loaded with strawberry sauce and the most meringue pieces of any other, making the absolute most of the 28p per box treat.

I doubt I’m a full convert just yet, but if I had to ditch my beloved Cornetto, I’m happy knowing that there’s a cheap and cheerful alternative out there.