I tried supermarket Fab lolly dupes – the winner tastes exactly like the real deal and costs just 24p
THE SUMMER holidays are nearly upon us and parents up and down the country will be stocking up their freezers with tasty treats to keep kids happy on sunny days.
The ‘Fab’ is a hit in many households, but now costs around £2.50 for a box of six – meaning it’s not the cheapest ice lolly to buy in bulk.
The classic treat’s popularity has prompted many supermarkets to bring out copycat or similar versions, which are often a fraction of the price.
But are they as good as the original?
We tried a range to find out, here’s the verdict…
Fab Ice Lolly
- £2.50 for six, from sainsburys.co.uk
- 41.6p each
- Per lolly: 75 calories, 2.5g fat, 10g sugar, 0.03g salt
The lollies are just as delicious as I remember from childhood.
I did wonder if the chocolate coating had been reduced a little but the colours of the lolly were very pretty and the pink and white sections tasted fresher and fruitier than some of the dupes.
I particularly liked the strawberry flavour and at just 75 calories per lolly, they are not too bad to give the kids as a holiday treat.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Iceland Sprinkle Lollies
- £1.20 for five
- 24p each
- Per lolly: 51 calories, 1g fat, 9.4g sugar, 0.0g salt
These looked and tasted exactly like the real deal.
The strawberry and vanilla flavoured part of the lolly were the same colour and size and tasted identical.
There was a decent amount of chocolate and sprinkles on the top. No one would ever know it wasn’t the branded lolly. The kids loved them.
As an added bonus, they were also the lowest in sugar, fat and calories out of all the lollies in our test.
But the best bit – they are 17.6p cheaper per ice lolly than the branded Fabs. You’d be mad not to buy these instead.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Asda Strawberry Sprinkle Ice Lollies
- £1.20 for five
- 24p each
- Per lolly: 65 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 14g sugar, 0.04g salt
These lovely lollies, had a fresh strawberry taste and lashings of chocolate and sprinkles on the top.
They are a little smaller than the Fab and have a sweeter taste, but they went down a treat with my children.
At just 24p a lolly, they are impressive in terms of value too. I’d buy these again.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Sainsbury’s Spotty Dotties
- £1.50 for four, sainsburys.co.uk
- 37.5p each
- Per lolly: 137 calories, 6.3g fat, 11.9g sugar, 0.06g salt
The closest thing I could find to a Fab in Sainsbury’s, these were covered head to toe in sprinkles.
Inside is strawberry and chocolate ice cream which my daughter Olive, seven, described as tasting like marshmallows.
Very sweet, but not too big and a reasonable price – still cheaper than a Fab despite the extra sprinkles. Loved them.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Morrisons Sprinkle Tastics
- £1.35 for four, morrisons.com
- 33.7p p each
- Per lolly: 142 calories, 6.8g fat, 13.2g sugar, 0.05g salt
Not quite a Fab but a generous amount of chocolate and strawberry ice cream covered in squillions of sprinkles.
The ‘sugar balls’ actually make up 26% of the ingredients so Morrisons haven’t scrimped with these. The ice cream was soft and creamy too.
They looked pretty and the kids loved them.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Aldi Ice Blitz
- £1.29 for six, aldi.co.uk
- 21.5p each
- Per lolly: 51 calories, 1g fat, 9.4g sugar, 0.02g salt
Aldi‘s lollies look smaller than the Fab, but if you check the packaging they are virtually the same volume. They are just shorter, but thicker, than the branded lolly.
The top layer covered in chocolate and sprinkles tastes very similar but the fruity part of the lolly tastes quite different.
The Fab was juicier and tasted more fruity than Aldi’s version, which definitely had less flavour to it. Aldi’s lollies are however lower in calories, fat and sugar and they are virtually half the price.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 6/10
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.