Ice lollies are a delightful treat for children and adults alike during sunny weather. Keeping a box in your freezer can save significant money compared to buying from a corner shop or ice cream van. But which supermarket offers the best budget ice lollies? And how do they compare to the popular Walls Calippo?
To find out, I purchased budget ice lollies from seven supermarkets: Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, and Morrisons. My family helped me rate them on price, flavor, size, and sugar content. Here are the results.
Walls Calippo Minis
Walls Calippo Minis cost £2.90 for five from Tesco, equating to 58p each. They came in orange and lime flavors, with varying ingredients and sugar content. The 84g orange lollies contained 83 calories and 14g of sugar, while the lime ones had 75 calories and 12g of sugar. The orange lollies were made with 20% orange juice from concentrate, glucose syrup, sugar, 6% apple juice from concentrate, fructose, soluble fiber, citric acid, tara gum, locust bean gum (stabilizers), and colors (paprika extract, curcumin) and flavoring. The lime version replaced orange and apple with 10% lemon juice from concentrate and used curcumin and copper complexes of chlorophyllins for color. Both were refreshing, especially the lime, which had a zesty, fruit-juice-like flavor. The lack of a stick (cone-shaped) made hands cold, but it reduces mess for kids. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Tesco Ms Molly's Assorted Fruit Lollies
Tesco Ms Molly's Assorted Fruit Lollies cost £1.15 for eight, or 14p each. The box contained orange, strawberry, and lemon flavors. Ingredients included water, sugar, dextrose, flavoring, citric acid, and stabilizer (guar gum), with colors like beetroot red, curcumin, or carotenes. Sugar content varied: orange had 17.1g sugar and 74 calories per 100g, lemon had 16.5g sugar and 72 calories, and strawberry had 14.5g sugar and 69 calories. Each 35g lolly tasted like frozen water with minimal flavor. Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.
M&S Super Loop Lollies
M&S Super Loop Lollies cost £2.50 for five, or 50p each. They featured a swirly mix of concentrated strawberry juice (4%), orange juice (3%), fructose, and pineapple juice (2%), plus natural flavorings and colors from beetroot, B-carotenes, curcumin, and concentrated elderberry juice. Each 50g lolly had 49 calories and 9.5g of sugar. They felt luxurious with a creamy texture, satisfying and refreshing. The only criticism was the small sticks, which caused messiness as the lolly fell apart. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Morrisons Savers Fruit Flavoured Lollies
Morrisons Savers Fruit Flavoured Lollies cost £1.15 for eight, or 14p each. They came in lemon, orange, and strawberry flavors, made from water, sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, flavorings, stabilizer (guar gum), and colors (beetroot red, curcumin, or carotenes). Each 35g lolly contained 22 calories and 4.7g to 4.9g of sugar. My kids described them as 'rank,' and I agreed—they tasted like frozen sugar water with food coloring. The strawberry was like a red ice cube. Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.
Sainsbury's Stamford Street Co. Fruit Flavour Lollies
Sainsbury's Stamford Street Co. Fruit Flavour Lollies cost £1.25 for eight, or 14p each. They offered orange, strawberry, and lemon flavors, made with water, sugar, dextrose, citric acid, flavoring, stabilizer (guar gum), and color (curcumin). Each lolly had 29 calories and 5.4g of sugar. Among the saver ranges, these were the most flavorful—the strawberry was tangy and tasted of fruit juice. However, the box contained only one strawberry; the rest were orange and lemon, which were less popular. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Lidl Gelatelli Tropical Tornados
Lidl Gelatelli Tropical Tornados cost £1.55 for five, or 31p each. These twister-shaped lollies had zingy flavors from 14% concentrate pineapple, apple, passionfruit, orange, and lemon juices, sugar, glucose syrup, plus 4% mango puree and 2% strawberry puree. They were brightly colored with natural flavorings and colors from carotenes, riboflavins, spirulina, safflower, and concentrated beetroot juice. Each 85g lolly contained 75 calories and 17.9g of sugar. The stick was a good length, and they held their shape well. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Asda Just Essentials Fruit Flavour Lollies
Asda Just Essentials Fruit Flavour Lollies cost £1.14 for eight, or 14p per 35g lolly. They came in strawberry, lemon, and orange flavors, made with water, sugar, glucose syrup, color (beetroot red, curcumin), flavoring, citric acid, and stabilizer (guar gum). They contained 53 calories and 11g of sugar per 100g. They were refreshing, but the strawberry was too sweet and lacked strawberry taste. The lemon lolly was zesty and balanced. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Aldi Giannis Fruit Sticks Forest Fruits
Aldi Giannis Fruit Sticks Forest Fruits cost £2.29 for 12, or 19p each. These lollies were all one flavor (Forest Fruits), made with water, 15% blackcurrant juice from concentrate, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, 5% blackberry juice from concentrate, natural blackcurrant flavoring, and stabilizer guar gum. Each 50g lolly had 45 calories and 10g of sugar. They were bursting with flavor, a deep purple color, and a rich texture. They felt decadent despite costing less than 20p each. The lollies were larger than Tesco, Asda, and M&S ones, with a good-sized stick, and they stayed frozen without dripping. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Overall Verdict
The cheapest ice lollies came from Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, and Sainsbury's at around 14p each. The most expensive were Walls at 58p and M&S at 50p. Aldi and Lidl fell in between price-wise, with Lidl at 31p per lolly and Aldi at 19p. While M&S lollies were a treat, they won't be regular purchases. Our overall favorites were Lidl and Aldi lollies, which pleased the whole family. For value for money, Aldi lollies were the best—significantly larger than other saver ranges, more flavorful, and with more per box, making them ideal for kids' gatherings.
