A luxury retailer has finally made it to the top of a Christmas taste test after a string of wins by discounters and budget brands.

Harrods is selling this year's best mince pies, although the £8.95 pack of six only narrowly beat Lidl's top-rated offering costing just £1.49 for the same number, according to the annual Which? festive taste test.

Judges gave the Harrods Classic Mince Pies with Brandy a score of 72% but awarded Lidl's Snowy Lodge Mince Pies an overall score of 67%, noting the discounter's "beautifully crisp" pastry.

Joint second place went to Waitrose's Shortcrust Mince Pies at £1.70 for six, which drew praise for their handmade appearance and generous helping of mincemeat.

Judges blind-tasted 14 traditional-recipe luxury mince pies and pitted five bestselling Champagne brands against the supermarkets' own-brand or exclusive non-vintage Champagne priced at less than £35.

The Co-operative Les Pionniers NV Champagne costing £16.99 was labelled the best on offer this Christmas, scoring 85% and impressing judges with its "rich, complex flavour".

Lanson's Black Label Brut Champagne, which has a £30 price tag, was the highest ranked bestselling Champagne brand, coming in third with a score of 81%.

Which? editor Richard Headland said: "Our taste test has once again revealed that supermarket own-label products can more than match the big brands.

"Our experts rated many affordable products highly which shows that good quality products aren't always the most expensive."