News

Pick n Pay’s intensified drive this year to bring customers an exceptional gourmet festive fest has reaped the rewards, as the retailer clinched an impressive total of 12 awards, including five 'Best Buys,' in the FAIRLADY Test House 2023 festive edition.

Every year, FAIRLADY hosts a panel that rates a selection of meat cuts, vegan dishes and sweet treats to help guide a festive season spread for South Africans.

Five Pick n Pay products collected the top ‘Best Buys’ accolade, leading their categories, namely the Crafted Collection’s Luxury Brandy Christmas Pudding, Bone-in Gammon and Gammon Sausages, as well as Santa’s Village Beef Festive Favourite and Cooked Rolled Pork Belly.

In the ever-competitive world of retail and grocery, it's not easy to stand out among the crowd but Pick n Pay has demonstrated its commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction for this year’s festive range.

“Christmas is a magical time, and shoppers want their shopping experience – and the products they put on their tables – to match this.

“Clinching one of the most ‘Best Buy’ accolades this year is a testament to our tireless efforts to provide customers with the most flavourful, high-quality products from local producers. These products are developed over months with our suppliers who are as dedicated to creating the most innovatively delicious range,” says Nicki Russell, Head of Product and Quality: Pick n Pay.

Every year Pick n Pay tweaks or adapts its recipes to suit the latest taste preferences and trends in the market. “This year, for example, our in-house Bakery facility collaborated with the proudly new up-and-coming local brandy experts, Buffelsfontein Brandewyn, to create the ultimate Luxury Brand Christmas Pudding.”
 
"This year's range has been crafted to offer customers a gourmet experience with effortless ease. It provides a blend of convenience and culinary delight, enabling hosts to serve impressive spreads while expending minimal effort," Russell concludes.

Pick n Pay accolades include:

• Bone-In Gammon: Five stars & ‘Best Buy’ for Crafted Collection Uncooked Bone-in Gammon
• Gammon Sausage: Five stars & ‘Best Buy’ for Crafted Collection Gammon Sausage
• Pork: Five stars & ‘Best Buy’ for Santa’s Village Cooked Rolled Pork Belly
• Beef: Five stars & ‘Best Buy’ for Santa’s Village Beef Christmas Favourites
• Christmas Puddings: Five stars & ‘Best Buy’ for Crafted Collection Luxury Brandy Christmas Pudding
• Desserts: Five Stars for Santa’s Village Festive Trifle
• Festive-Season Hampers: Five stars for Christmas Tradition Hamper
• Cooked Gammon: Four stars for Santa’s Village Cooked Gammon with Honey Mustard Glaze
• Lamb: Four stars for Santa’s Village Lamb Christmas Favourites
• Chocolates – two accolades in this category: Four stars for Crafted Collection Luxury Chocolate Selection and Four stars for Crafted Collection Dark Dusted Hazelnuts
• Iced Fruit Cakes: Three stars for Crafted Collection Iced Brandy Fruit Cake

The popular FAIRLADY Test House festive edition has been running for over a decade to help consumers save time and money by identifying the best products on the market.

Here is what the judges had to say about Pick n Pay’s “Best Buy” products:

The Santa’s Village Cooked Rolled Pork Belly was “an out and out favourite”, said the tasting panel. “The flavour was good; the meat was tender and succulent with deep layers of flavour.”

The Santa’s Village Trimmed Beef Fillet is “beautifully trimmed and cooked really well thanks to its even shape. The meat was flavourful, juicy and tender – so tender that it was difficult to slice uniformly”.

Of the Crafted Collection Gammon, tasters said “the meat was tender and flavourful, with a lovely hit of smoke and a good amount of salt”, and were impressed by its natural flavour and texture. The five-star Crafted Collection Gammon Sausage hit all the right notes “if you’re fancying something different, these sausages are absolutely delicious. They cooked beautifully…were meaty, firm-textured and burst with flavour”.

With “all the elements of a classic Christmas dessert”, tasters thought the Crafted Collection’s Luxury Brandy Pudding had well-balanced flavours with sweet cherry and brandy to add complexity, and citrus for freshness.

A number of Pick n Pay products also received four stars in the awards, including the Christmas Traditional Hamper of gammon, corned beef and picked tongue.