Sponge Pudding – Tried and Tasted

Within your daily calorie quota you can make adjustments and allow yourself some "treats". Sponge puddings are a definite treat and can make you feel truly satisfied after your lunch or dinner. Having a pudding doesn't necessarily mean lots of calories. Read on to find out more… 

Product	Double Chocolate Sponge Pudding, Be Good to Yourself, Sainsbury's*	Chocolate Pudding, Perfectly Balanced, Waitrose*	Blackberry & Apple Sponge Pudding, Healthy Eating, Tesco*
Ranking	1	2	3
Conclusion	A very appetizing looking pudding with a thick, tempting chocolate sauce. A noticeably larger portion than the others. The sponge was sticky and chocolatey - just like a homemade favourite - and made this the unanimous winner! A delight - try it.	Like its Be Good to Yourself equivalent, this one looked good (are the panel possibly chocoholics?) It had a rich chocolate sauce and a substantial sized sponge. The sponge was dry and compared to its Be Good to Yourself equivalent. Overall, much better than the others - worth a try.	A golden sponge with a fruity blackberry and apple topping. The fruit was real, chunky pieces which both looked and tasted good. The sponge, however, was dry and tasted like they'd left something out! Ok, but not recommended.
Calories (per pot)	292 (per 110g pot)	197 (per 105g pot)	159 (per 102.5g pot)

Product	Lemon & Sultana Sponge Desserts, COU, M&S*	Low Fat Raspberry Sponge & Custard, Shape*
Ranking	4	5
Conclusion	A very light sponge with sultanas, lemon sauce and lemon custard. It had a nice sharp, lemony taste, but the panel were disappointed with the size of the portion, and the lack of substance to the sponge.	The portion size was tiny. The sponge looked very pale and unappetizing and - like the raspberry sauce and custard - had a manufactured, artificial taste.
Calories (per pot)	170 (per 130g pot)	136 (per 120g pot)

Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself was the clear winner in the taste test. However, it is worth noting that a single dessert would cost you nearly 100kcal more than the Waitrose, Perfectly Balanced counterpart - which may be a wiser choice if you have less calories to spare. Do not be tempted to try the Shape Sponge & Custard - it may have only 136kcal, but it won't leave you feeling satisfied.