We tried 6 bakeries from Lidl to M&S: who serves the best £2 pastry and who wastes your cash?

The warm scent of fresh loaves tempts every shopper. Yet quality, range and price swing sharply between Britain’s busiest bakeries.

I spent a week tasting my way through in-store bakeries at Lidl, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons. I looked at freshness, range, value and seasonal ideas. I checked multi-buys, popular specials and whether shelves still felt worth a stop late in the day. One chain scored for nostalgia, another for price, and one surprised me with a pastry that rivals a French patisserie.

How we tested

• Freshness: texture, bake quality and same-day appeal.
• Range: everyday bread, indulgent pastries, doughnuts and seasonal lines.
• Value: unit prices, multi-buy deals and portion size.
• Availability: stock depth at off-peak times and convenience of pre-packed vs loose.

The best buys clustered around the £2 mark, but value varied wildly by portion size and flavour impact.

The rankings at a glance

Winners and losers

Morrisons: the flavour and value double act

Morrisons takes the crown. Its bakery aisles run deep with small bites, family puddings and handier two-packs. A chilled section lifts the offer beyond buns and loaves. A strawberry trifle at £2.25 stretches a dessert budget further than a single premium pastry elsewhere.

The clincher was a two-pack of raspberry croissants for £1.89. The pastry broke into crisp layers, the jam came through sharp and generous, and the portion felt satisfying without heaviness.

Two filled croissants for under £2 beat pricier rivals on flavour per pound and left zero buyer’s remorse.

Multi-buys often push unit prices down to pocket-money territory. That draws families and office treat-seekers who want a boxful without the bill shock.

Sainsbury’s: nostalgia, breadth and seasonal fun

Sainsbury’s nails the British classics. You find “school” tray bakes, teacakes, flapjacks, gingerbread and apple turnovers beside a solid bread wall of rolls, baguettes, sliced loaves and naan. Seasonal runs add colour, from spooky biscuits to early festive bites. A recent consumer poll put Sainsbury’s mid-table for in-store experience, yet the bakery counters feel consistent and well stocked.

Prices usually sit between £1 and £2.50. You pay a little more than deep-discounters, but you get breadth and reliable nostalgia that pleases mixed-age households.

Lidl: social-media hits, mixed freshness

Lidl’s bakery charms with sheen and price tags that invite unplanned grabs. Industry figures in 2024 suggested the chain shifts staggering volumes, with croissants and jam doughnuts flying out every minute. The innovation pipeline matters too: cronut-style hybrids spark hype and queues.

On my visits, some trays looked tired by evening. Reach to the back for the freshest pieces. The pre-packed section felt plain next to the loose counter’s sparkle.

Bag the eye-catchers early; later shoppers should check texture before committing to a box.

Asda: reliable but rarely remarkable

Asda delivered plenty of stock even after work hours, with a well-balanced mix of bread, buns and doughnuts. Caramel and pecan buns give a welcome twist on a classic cinnamon roll. Prices stay fair and family friendly. A recent Which? snapshot placed Asda at the wrong end of the in-store table, yet the bakery selection itself did the job. It simply lacked that one must-buy pastry that shapes a special trip.

M&S: polish at a price

M&S looks beautiful and reads like a treat emporium. Then the labels bite. Many fresh bakes ranged from £1.50 to £2.30, with a single almond croissant clocking in at £2.60. A 50p bread roll undercuts that, but most shoppers will eye the pastries. The Yumnut works for a once-a-week indulgence, and those all-butter biscuits earn a place in the tin. For regular bakery runs, value goes missing fast.

Aldi: light on fresh counters

Many Aldi branches still lack full in-store bakeries. My local offered loaves, a small pastry shelf and few seasonal touches. If you want true counter choice, you will likely look elsewhere. For the weekly basics, Aldi still wins on price, but the trip won’t thrill a pastry fan.

Price truths the labels won’t shout

• Weight matters: a £1.80 cronut at 95g can be poorer value than a £1.50 bun at 120g.
• Multi-buy maths: six-for-£2 deals can drop unit cost to about 33p, ideal for office boxes.
• Timing: late afternoons bring yellow-sticker reductions, but freshness can dip.
• Storage: most iced buns and doughnuts peak the day you buy them; freeze spare rolls the same evening.

Chase flavour per pound: filled pastries with real fruit or custard often beat plain items on satisfaction.

What this means for your next shop

If you want a one-stop bakery haul that stretches a budget, start with Morrisons. You gain variety for family tastes, roomy portions and headline bakes under £2. Sainsbury’s suits a comfort-craving list that reads British through and through. Lidl delivers ad-friendly stars and sharp pricing; shop early for best texture. Asda feels safe and serviceable for a mixed basket. M&S gives you quality touches when you fancy a treat, but watch the basket total. Aldi keeps the weekly bill down, yet choice stays thin where fresh counters are absent.

Allergens and labelling vary between loose and pre-packed lines, so check signs for milk, nuts, eggs and sesame. For sugar-conscious shoppers, target fruit-filled pastries over icing-heavy buns, share portions, or split two-packs over two days. Bread fans can improve value by choosing bakery loaves, slicing at home and freezing half. If you plan a party table, build a spread around low-cost staples—mini rolls, ring doughnuts—then add one or two hero items, like Morrisons’ raspberry croissants, to lift the line-up without lifting the spend.