Where to buy the yummiest heat-and-eat baked chocolate pudding

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

IT'S FREE AND FAIR!

Chefs-in-training make excellent tasters. They clearly love food, especially if they haven't had to prepare it themselves; they're curious about food; they have a well -developed sense of taste; and when it comes to rating a product, they pull no punches.

For this reason, we asked Chef Charl Crause of FBI Chefs School in Joburg North to gather a group of students and their lecturers for a blind tasting of baked chocolate puddings from leading supermarkets.

All products were purchased, stripped of their packaging and numbered by a team of students (who didn't take part in the tasting) in the FBI Chef School kitchen, under the watchful eye of auditor Jade Craig, who checked that the dishes were prepared exactly to the package instructions. In some cases, the reheating time was insufficient.

THE RESULTS

FIRST PLACE: WOOLWORTHS

Chocolate Pudding

Price: R59.99 for 430g

What the judges said:

• Chante: The fact that it's real chocolate is what takes it to the next level.
• Shiratu: I smell chocolate, not cocoa powder. Not too sweet, which is good.
• Nadine: I would prefer more sauce because in some places it's a bit dry. Other than that it has a very good taste.

SECOND PLACE: CHECKERS

Decadent Chocolate Pudding

Price: R44.99 for 475g

What the judges said:

• Kristin: Moist sponge cake, perfect sweetness and very saucy.
• Nadine: Needs more of a chocolate smell, a little overly sweet.
• Boitumelo: Smooth and soft, I would eat it over and over again.

THIRD PLACE: SPAR

Freshline Chocolate Pudding

Price: R42.99 for 450g

What the judges said:

• David: Nice, dark colour. Smells like cocoa and not chocolate. Very dense.
• Kufanele: It's a bit too dry, they've tried to make it look like chocolate but it's like cocoa powder with lots of sugar.
• Morne: Very moist and dense. Got an interesting black look.

FOURTH PLACE: PICK N PAY

Chocolate Pudding

Price: R59.99 for 450g

What the judges said:

• Ferroudja: Patches of cooked egg visible in sponge. Very dry.
• Chante: Tastes okay. There is way too much cocoa in the sauce and the batter is not mixed through properly so there are traces of cooked egg in mixture.
• Shiratu: Looks beautiful and moist until you scoop it. It's dry and grainy.