Blind Tasting Festive BUDGET vs PREMIUM Ingredients | Sorted Food

[@jingizu149]

Barry tossing down the brandy butter, then being told that's what they are comparing, was pure gold. Made my day 100%.

[@WhatKindOfNameNow]

Honestly, that was the best moment of the video. Just Barry being an absolute doofus. lol

[@deborahdieter4978]

I was watching on my tablet with earbuds and laughed out loud. My husband looked at me like I was nuts! Barry was hilarious!

[@leephillips2837]

this. they should have had Mike watch it before they moved on to the results

[@pyrogenetix]

"One tastes like I made it, the other tastes like Kush made it." I swear Mike is effortlessly the funniest of the gang.

[@edgardiaz9975]

Just as an idea, I think you guys should add a low category. Since you guys usually do premium and then something in the middle, it’d be nice to have low/medium/high so it’s not just a 50/50 chance of getting the premium. It’d be interesting to see what the differences are between every price point as well.

[@acroman56]

Totally agree, everytime they say the non premium one is from Waitrose or Marks and Spencers I die a little, try doing some from places like Aldi or Lidl as well.

[@littleaphrodite8973]

I think they don't like doing lower end because its not sourced in the correct way, but I could be wrong

[@adamrobinson6951]

​@@littleaphrodite8973I think you're right, but they're what most people can afford. I'm more interested in knowing what's worth buying from M&S instead of Lidl. The stuff in pretentious or not videos is indistinguishable from the premium here as far as my budget is concerned, and I'm frequently horrified how bad the versions they consider "normal" sound.

[@stetoin49]

Wish me, my family and a lot of my friends had the option of worrying where stuff was sourced from. A lot of the time just happy to have stuff on the plate.

[@omegashinra7672]

Couldn't agree more. What they present as budget is definitely closer to my premium level so these videos aren't really too informative.

[@kaarinalevanen7180]

As a Finn just getting food for the Christmas table, Ben saying "Nobody buys a kilo of salmon" made me smile :D

[@Timmycoo]

Mike being confused by the serving vessel with the tea cup was hilarious.

[@GreasyGrecian-p3b]

Years ago they had pigs in blankets flavoured teabags, think its a nod to that

[@Timmycoo]

@@GreasyGrecian-p3b Lol things I didn't know about but now have a urge to try.

[@leephillips2837]

this would have been the best part of the video, if Barry hadn't thrown down the butter the way he did.

[@kitherit]

It was today that I realized, as an American, I had absolutely no idea just how much work went into making a Christmas Pudding! I've heard of it, I've seen pictures of them with flames and all that, but never gave them much thought. When Ben started talking about "feeding" a Christmas Pudding, I got so confused! 😂

[@TracyKMainwaring]

it's similar to American fruit cake. They need to be re-wetted with the alcohol several times. They're very expensive to make

[@jenjones8903]

The way Barry took the butter off the pie had me rolling 😂😂 Ben’s reaction was priceless too 😂😂😂

[@struebz]

Barry not convinced it’s the salmon that’s the difference, then saying the difference is very noticeable when Mike said they’re similar 😂

[@glockenrein]

He makes it very clear he’s not talking about the difference in taste but in sourcing.

[@thriftingcowboy]

Of course he ate all of both of them 😮

[@helenbirch5719]

A special Christmas memory: So Calif native, studying at Edinburgh U for a year, invited for Christmas by a Welsh dorm-mate and her family. Walking to church arm-in-arm in the snow (first time living in snow tho I'd seen it before) and Christmas pud with brandy butter, homemade, my first time seeing let alone eating. Wonderful warm family, kept me from being homesick when I expected to be. Great fun to experience things I'd only read about.

[@Shelsight]

Ah, that’s wonderful. I had a similar, reverse, experience as a Welsh Brit, when living in the USA. My first Thanksgiving, which was also my birthday week, knowing no-one and unable to go home to the UK - and my wonderful Chicago co-worker’s family invited me round for a traditional Thanksgiving… :)

[@helenbirch5719]

@Shelsight So glad you had this! And a late Happy Birthday!

[@motaboy8120]

oh no, theres snow

[@SpaceBearEngineer]

TIL "pud" can mean PUDding...in addition to being a slang term for vulva or foreskin (when used in the phrase "pulling [one's] pud" i.e. masturbating). I previously only knew the latter two uses so you could imagine my confusion at reading "Christmas pud".

[@kevinvaldez5163]

Barry: I think the only difference is the cream cheese, not the salmon. Also Barry: Premium Salmon totally makes a difference.

[@Irrax92]

been a while since we had a classic barry moment like that

[@jenoc3541]

It's pretty clear that he was referring to sourcing the entire time, not just taste.

[@serebix3685]

@@jenoc3541 Its pretty clear that he only talked about it at the end. In the beginning he had no idea.

[@daphnea5447]

I think he said the opposite. He admitted that taste may not be the biggest difference and you may even get more delicious salmon elsewhere, but he values the source.

[@Tusuratopia]

I fully believe that Barry was trying to "outsmart" the chefs. Thinking the premium ingredient is not the major ingredient at play. Since they tend to do that kind of switcheroo often. He is second guessing himself because "Why would it be the salmon?" Barry is playing the game, and got bamboozled by the ingredient being the base food rather than something to go with it.

[@margowsky]

This video was "so smooth, like a Ken doll." 🤣🤣🤣

[@coal.sparks]

Mike nailed it - can't buy premium everything, even if it's just at Xmas.

[@clusterbungle]

It was nice to hear him point this out. Totally understand and support that Sorted prioritises ethical/sustainable food so don't showcase the dirt cheap options, but sadly most of this video felt unrealistic for me (if that makes sense)

[@LLKJH2501]

I love the Pigs in Blankets that are served in tea cups. Barry's and Mike's reactions to it made me laugh.

[@mammamiia08]

Ha! I didn't even taste the pigs in blankets but I guessed right from Baz's description. You often prefer the ones you remember from childhood or usually have. I guessed that Baz probably had the cheaper ones as a child, and then he confirmed it - nostalgia! 😅

[@FullaJoules]

I always enjoy the contrast between Brit and American “pig in blanket”. Can’t believe the bacon wrapped one isn’t the American one! Also thanks for the vid a day guys, looking forward to spending the weekend with you live as well ❤

[@jacksmith-vs4ct]

I've seen them made both ways in america yet still called the same thing lol

[@FullaJoules]

I’ve seen other comments that say that pigs in blanket here in the US are breakfast sausage wrapped in pancakes. I’ve never seen those as anything other than tiny hot dogs wrapped in like…biscuit dough, like the ones out of the refrigerated roll.

[@MrVovansim]

​​@@FullaJoules in pancakes? No no no, it has to be croissant dough or puff pastry. If it ain't puffy or crunchy it's not a blanket... That sounds strange. 😂 And yes, they gotta be lil smokies or such.

[@evanbernstein3813]

I was wondering same thing. Pastry seems more like a blanket then bacon. But together sounds great

[@neil2796]

@@MrVovansim Growing up, they were Vienna sausages wrapped in biscuit blanket. We had them as breakfast food.

[@toni_go96]

I can't decide what I love more about these episodes... the entertainment of watching the normals struggle to eat the food served in the most impractical way... or the really important conversations around sourcing, ethics, values, budgets and priorities y'all shoehorn into these vids... Either way, I love these videos. It's been a while since we've had one of these. Thank you for making this!

[@tlhod3409]

Cranberry sauce...I know a lot of people who think cranberry sauce (jelly) comes from a can but it can be so beautiful. Pops of cranberry, citrus, brandy, sugar...so perfect.

[@JaydeKI]

I'm one of those nutters who make my own dark Christmas fruit cake and have been feeding it for weeks now. Quite expensive to make, but here on Ontario, Canada it is hard to find good quality ones for any cheaper. A favorite of my mothers, she got me on to having it with a nice old cheddar, and it really wouldn't be the Christmas season without it.

[@TracyKMainwaring]

I was shocked when I went to Bulk Barn a few years ago to make my grandmother's recipe from the 40s. It did make a lot though

[@georgieroberts8697]

My mum has always made a Christmas pudding from scratch! Now my sister has adopted the tradition with hers kids, and I will with mine in the future ❤️

[@Branwhin]

1:00. Awwwwww. You lads are adorable. I love these episodes for the awesome food, tips and tricks, shenanigans and all - but the thing I love most is your enduring friendship. It gives me the warm fuzzies. Hello from Winterpeg, Manitoba ... where we are actually living up to our fearsome reputation this week! -43C this morning. Brr! And here I've got to go shovel the walk.

[@ilyatabarovskiy7583]

Is it just me or ever sense Barry got his red apron the boys haven't really gone head to head in cooking challenges? Love the channel. Long time fan! Ya guys are killin' it! Love the new studio!

[@fabe61]

Not sure how sensible it was to do a ‘pick the premium’ round where both options are premium. I know Sainsbury’s TTD isn’t off the charts impressive or anything, but it’s often a damn sight better than really cheap options and, as in this video, a fair bit more expensive too

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

YES! LOVE this series! My favorite was when barry got them all wrong😂😂😂😂

[@PokhrajRoy.]

On the tenth day of Sortedmas, my true love gave to me: 4 Budget Ingredients, 4 Premium Ingredients and 2 Normals (The sleep masks with contrasting colours is so Hallmark coded)

[@GCOSBenbow]

One thing to comment about salmon farms. First atlantic salmon is an extremely endangered species from over fishing so getting wild caught is basically impossible; farming is basically your only option. Farming, clearly, isn't a 'natural' process. But obviously there are better and worse practices. If you want to avoid the worst practices then just don't buy chilean farmed salmon, they use large amounts of antibiotics and have much lower standards in regards to pollution of an area and density of fish in the 'farms' which are basically just massive nets floating in the sea. In general farmed salmon from anywhere in the UK or Europe are going to have almost identical living conditions no matter the standards or claims from the producer. 'What gets pumped into the fish' is their food, which is of a similar quality to any other nutritionally controlled animal feed you will find in any farm anywhere. Farms in Scotland, Ireland, Norway etc. have not used antibiotics in their farms since 2012. The largest issues with farmed salmon is the impact to the immediate area (i.e. the build up of waste and concentration of parasites like sea lice) and the potential genetic issues they cause in the wild populations when they occasionally escape. Due to their constant proximity to the shore they will also usually have higher concentrations of forever chemicals and microplastics. But still no more than are found in any meat you will find anywhere (no matter the quality) and certainly less than in any processed foods (yes even cheese). I'm not going to tell you not to spend your money on the expensive salmon, you should almost always buy the best product you can afford to when it comes to food which is generally reflected in the price. But I think its super hypocritical to say 'I won't eat this salmon because of x reason' but continue to eat lower standards of meat (i.e. anything you haven't brought directly from a local farmer that doesn't use a nutritionally controlled diet).

[@Southpaw535]

I don't disagree, but Barry very openly acknowledged this in the pigs in blankets round and literally said that he recognises he's being a hypocrite. Which is fair, eating ethically across the board is hard. But he does literally acknowledge your point

[@scott0518]

Good comment.

[@GCOSBenbow]

@@Southpaw535 To be fair to him he does highlight that hypocrisy. But he also spread some minor misinformation, in that the farms used for the daylesford premium salmon has a different welfare standard than the farms used for ocados own brand which is just flat out incorrect. The only potential difference would be the food used by daylesford farms but I haven't been able to find any specifics about the feed they use for their salmon. Presumably because its just a combination of fish meal and fish oil as is the standard in the industry. This is the main reason I wrote the comment. If you watch this video and are thinking about stopping eating salmon altogether due to the welfare 'issues' barry highlighted and are instead going to eat more meat instead. Don't. The nutrition in salmon is really good, and the welfare of farmed fish in Europe is no worse than the vast majority of meat you could buy (even high quality meat) and is way better environmentally.

[@Hybris51129]

Yeah I took it as Barry being pretentious himself and more of Sorted's tendency to look down upon economic food production.

[@rtdugan04]

I would also add that Non-GMO food isn’t nutritionally different for the salmon, you are paying for the label.

[@Nocare89]

Well I grew pumpkins for my pies this year. Was a good decision. 1 little pumpkin gets you 1.5 pies and 1 seed gets you a couple pumpkins. And now I have enough seeds to sow the entire neighborhood if I wanted lol.

[@GhostsOfThings]

As someone who lives on the coast of BC (Canada) where the majority of salmon sold is wild (you can find farmed but it's the **cheap** stuff), to see both the "medium" and "premium" options in this video be farmed was an interesting difference to me. If you guys ever find your way to BC (or Alaska too I suppose) you should really try our salmon! Thanks for always making such fun and interesting videos~ ❤

[@FreedomsRealm]

Oh yes the boys should go salmon fishing in Haida Gwaii, BC. It would be culturally interesting with the Haida people and I would love to see them taste the salmon and other unique foods there.

[@Chris-Huntley]

Or your neighbor in Washington.

[@KateS1980]

Waving from Victoria!

[@lizchesser1914]

I had the same thought - is wild smoked salmon not available there? I'm a native Oregonian now living in TX, and i can get wild smoked salmon at Costco here.

[@tissot233]

@@lizchesser1914 I have no idea about UK but here in Nordics where we eat salmon and smoked salmon a lot. Both farmed and wild are readily available in any supermarket, but I imagine more people will buy farmed as it is noticeably cheaper for everyday use. Good to remember that Norway essentially invented the current salmon farming method 50 years ago and they produce over 50% of all the the salmon sold in the world. It is absolutely inhuman but neither would there be enough salmon for consumption without it. Cheapest stuff available is salmon farmed in Norway, sent to Thailand where it is filleted and packed, then send back example here in the Nordics.

[@charitysterry6141]

I love that Barry shared he practices at home what is preached on the channel - sustainable, responsible food sourcing. 🎉

[@kelqueen9998]

But then beating himself up for not considering the sausages. Showing how difficult it can be to eat in a sustainable way.

[@howzat654321]

No way are sorted using M&S and Waitrose as their "budget" ingredient what on earth??? This was just premium vs more premium

[@OliviaaaMaaay]

They did acknowledge that there are cheaper options too and I think they explained themselves quite well!

[@shorttimer874]

I'm a Boomer, and remember that there was always a big bowl of mixed nuts out for the holidays along with a nutcracker. I miss that, haven't seen it since. Also while my older sisters were more involved with the cooking my job was to chop the nuts, so I developed some knife skills early. I have yet to earn my revenge on them for the time they sent me outside to catch the Waldorf for the salad yet...

[@jeannine1739]

Did your family also get ribbon candy at Christmas? Each year we got some store-bought fancy candy, often ribbon candy, sometimes pure maple sugar candy, sometimes raspberry jelly sticks coated in chocolate. Such lovely memories!

[@Huff-and-Puff]

Yes! I’m a 90s kid from America and growing up we did Christmas eves at my grandparents and the nut dish was the highlight. So as an adult I wanted to do nuts with a nut cracker at Christmas and struggle to find mixed nuts with shells! I think last year I went to 4 grocery stores before just ordering them from Amazon.

[@FrankieG-M]

We buy whole nuts in shell at Xmas, it reminds me of my grandparents. I'm a geriatric millennial married to a Gen X

[@melissalambert7615]

I still have a bowl of nuts and the nutcracker for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's a must for me. I'll enjoy them into January.

[@johannesofie777]

We have whole hazelnuts and walnuts in a bowl at my parents place. We still get them in Norway

[@tabebitokage1040]

You'd think after all these years of pick the premium that they'd know that the more delicious one isn't always the premium one.

[@SortedFood]

Perceptions remain strong...

[@EnviP]

I love how hesitant they are to just outright say its better lmao. Judge things how they are.

[@ac1dflare937]

Thing is none of them were actually budget, barring maybe the salmon. Actually budget versions would in no way taste better

[@booates]

especially when the non-premium is almost never a cheap version anyway

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Very happy to have a SORTED video every day! 😊

[@LaurieAnderson-x8o]

I really value that they all take the time to b honest and reflect in this discussion. It is such valuable info when ur us this real and honest. So rare in social media IMO these days.

[@Onepinkflamingo]

Thanks lads, great episode. Baz is definitely a snob, but he's my snob! Mike is as absolutely adorable as ever. Ben, you're probably ever regulated to school marm. I love y'all! 🎄🎅🤶🎄🫶

[@bethandgeorgej7476]

Can’t believe I have been watching these long enough for Barry to have a silver beard! 😂 Thank you guys for all the fun! ❤

[@cazzioc]

The non premium are not everyday versions. Waitrose is premium for a lot of us. These would be better if you tried supermarket standard v Waitrose or M&S

[@stetoin49]

Isn't this what they used to do back in the day? Like when the super premium products came on at least one of the lads would say they could never afford that

[@Abzify1]

@@stetoin49 I think cause it's christmas and only the christmas pudding would'nt have had ethical issues if they bought cheaper, the brandy butter they were like, would be cheaper to make if you're not going to go higher up in value as it's just sugar, butter and brandy.

[@stetoin49]

@Abzify1 plenty of ethical issues with dairy for the butter and eggs for the pudding. Unfortunately the reality for a lot of us we simply cannot afford to live with these morals no matter how much we would like to. I live on a 2.50 pack of mince, a kg of chicken thighs, a pack of cooking bacon and a pack of 20 frozen sausages for a month and that's all I can afford for my meat. So approx £12/15 where am I supposed to get ethically sourced food to feed me for a month for that?

[@Abzify1]

@@stetoin49 which is why they say to live by your means. But their means is that they can afford more, if they were to do cheaper options people would complain that they can afford to be moral so they should be.

[@stetoin49]

@Abzify1 but they can't say it's budget ingredients when it's not. Budget implies cheapest available not the cheapest that we want to spend our money on because we have more.

[@katiedid7399]

I really appreciate how many aspects of things you guys cover, not just quality but sustainability and price. I also just so so much appreciate how you approach price and cost, the empathy really just shines through.

[@islandicedragon]

Seeing the pigs in blankets served in tea cups reminded me of the unplanned hotdog with Kush being weird and putting the hotdogs in cups🤣.

[@zunalter]

Fascinated with the idea of a mince pie. It seems like a universal British core memory but I have no conception of it 😂

[@chewyah]

the only qualm i have with this is the fact that the title says "BUDGET vs PREMIUM" but the non-premium products arent "budget" brands, in my opinion

[@norxlor]

😍Thanks!

[@tstub53]

this is not budget vs premium - this is premium vs more premium

[@alli7984]

I preface this with being in the US because it compounds my gratitude. I’m so grateful to continue seeing the “boys” continue to question and hold themselves accountable. Watching Baz recognize convenient moral superiority the moment he was presented with something sentimental is so so so real but rarely do people recognize the hypocrisy, we usually justify it - and reasonably so - because we have a psychological bias. This was amazing. Thank you for being honest while still trying to be good to animals and the planet. ❤

[@Tusuratopia]

The biggest and most sought after food at Christmas for my family is Ham. Can you do an episode on Ham and it's differences not only in flavor, but price as well? It's the only item everyone is expecting at family Christmas dinner. I would love to see the differences in something like a spiral cut ham vs an uncut ham.

[@patrickhannon4217]

HA-HA! Was Barry about to chuck at the end there? 🤣I've had a tummy bug last week, and I was pulling those faces too 😅🤣🤣

[@celarts5752]

Ima be real, as an American that is NOT what I imagined your "pig in a blanket" would look like, for us over here (or at least in my family) pig in a blanket is small almost hotdog-like sausages wrapped in pastry, usually croissant dough, then baked

[@chrisoneill325]

I agree, though I'm not mad at their version

[@Irrax92]

your version is closer to what we'd consider a sausage roll, both are definitely a valid interpretation of a blanket though!

[@jacksmith-vs4ct]

I've seen them made both ways down here in the southern US the bacon wrapped ones being more popular in my family lol

[@jenniferedwards1752]

I've never seen "pigs in blanket" that didn't have some sort of bread covering. Yet another UK vs US thing.

[@BobaPhettamine]

@@chrisoneill325 only america has pigs in blankets as hot dogs wrapped in pastry lol the rest of the worlds is like in this video

[@TheWyldehart]

6:52 My grandmother, who was British, made pigs-in-blankets like this and sautéed them in a combination of diced shallots and sweet and smokey bbq sauce seasoned with a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of cayenne, and brown sugar. They were amazing! She used Lil' Smokeys wrapped in bacon. However, my mom likes to take Johnson Sausages and wrap them in crescent dough and cheddar cheese. So, I basically grew up with piggies from both sides of the pond!

[@braselton94]

Love this!

[@darkphoenix9812]

I can understand some of Barry’s issue with farmed salmon, but at the same time, wild salmon is problematic too - wild salmon fishing is taking away from a variety of endangered species, notably resident orcas, plus wild salmon is much more likely to have harmful parasites.

[@GreggGies]

You might be mistaken on the parasites issue; I know our local BC salmon farms have huge issues with lice and are actually killing off wild salmon stocks by infecting them.

[@darkphoenix9812]

@ That’s a fair point; I hadn’t heard about the lice issue. I did a little bit of research, and it might just be a locale thing for me - I’m in Washington state, and there are a TON of farmed salmon regulations here. I still strongly stand by the taking away of food sources point though; the Southern Resident Killer Whales are really struggling right now.

[@judemcardle9436]

So the answer is we must eat much much less of salmon in general then or none at all.

[@thegrinderman1090]

If you're honest with yourself when asking questions of ethics regarding meat, I don't see how you can end up anywhere other than going vegan.

[@Vallgor]

Barry the sous chef not knowing the salmon was different despite him being a huge fan THEN saying there is a huge difference in taste was so funny

[@PokhrajRoy.]

11:50 Missed opportunity to put a tuppence in it haha Ben is like a Christmas Pudding: Truly beloved and lucky if you find a tuppence on him

[@Silentgrace11]

To be fair, I think I’d consider myself lucky to find a Ben in the wild whether he was carrying a tuppence on him or not ;)

[@erikkennedy]

It's a sixpence that goes in a Christmas pudding.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@ Lol should’ve googled that

[@Ohiogardengirl]

My family is a relish tray family…pickles,olives(green and black), and all other things vinegared😂 we spare no expense in the relish tray at our holiday event! Everything else comes and goes mostly. My Aunt makes a corn flake wreath with red hots as holiday berries. Instead of rice crispies, you use corn flakes, dye them green and shape into a wreath, add red hots as cluster of holly berries. I’m 48 and can’t remember a Christmas without that wreath 😂 sometimes she gets fancy and adds holly leaves and a red bow with pre colored icing

[@TheRagekage984]

In America, when people say pigs in a blanket, it's usually a mini hot dog or sausage wrapped in dough and baked. It's so interesting that yall pigs in blankets are different. I'll have to try it next time I have a hunkering for some hot dogs. :)

[@L.a.77]

That's just a poor man's sausage roll in australia

[@robopecha]

yeah the blanket has to be bacon. bacon blankets are great blankets. would you not like to have one?

[@SmashPortal]

@@robopecha I think in the US, we'd just call those bacon-wrapped smokies (though those often have brown sugar to hold them closed once the toothpick is removed).

[@faithtld]

Haha love Barry licking his fingers for everything! You'd think he was starving lol

[@marklewis1406]

Barry the sous chef do you think it’s the salmon not it’s the cream cheese 😂

[@aymiewalshe982]

This is a good reminder to go feed my Christmas cake...it's been in my closet since Halloween. ❤

[@TheMortey]

Sorted often talk about choose the best product you can afford, but what makes the most difference. I would love to see this format, but instead of one focus you choose two. Example: One dish with premium Salmon, one with premium cream cheese and one with both?

[@GaryKidd]

The one thing I would never go without at Christmas, is ........Whiskey! 🤣

[@MartinAhlman]

"Gravad lax", always make it yourself, it's easy and so much tastier! Salt, sugar, pepper, juniper berries, and gin (or brandy, if you like).

[@laurabailey2152]

Was about to say the same. Salt , sugar and dill. Then vodka. Thats my recipe

[@666Electro]

Deffo vodka for the win!

[@darlaakers1679]

Ebers staff is just "chef's kiss"

[@ba1050]

7:30 As a kid a pig in a blanket was breakfast sausage in a pancake batter to look like a corn dog.

[@seanlavoie2]

Interesting because for me it was a store bought container of crescent roll dough wrapped around a hotdog. I never heard of either of those other versions. Really interesting.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Famous Last Words: “I know you’ve eaten a lot, but if you’ve got room for one more…” (Barry destroyed every item given to him)

[@oskar6661]

Another video idea: give two chefs (and/or normals) a goal - some form of meal, dish, etc. However, just before two sides begin...you swap their ingredients, and both sides have to manage with the other sides ingredients (without knowing the dish they were planning). I think it'd be fun to see how they manage.

[@maih600]

There's another channel that does this, haven't seen them in a bit so I can't recall the name unfortunately. They get the chef and normal to make the same thing, the chef does it a full recipe, the normal follows it best they can while the chef takes the normals ingredients and tries to elevate it.

[@nanoflower1]

@@maih600 I think that's over on the Epicurious channel. So you end up with the normal having many ingredients they've never worked with as they are quite expensive while the professional chef ends up with basic ingredients that most of us are quite familiar with. It's interesting to see just how far the chefs can push the average ingredients.

[@maih600]

@@nanoflower1 yes! That’s the one. Thanks.

[@nadirgq9427]

I'd love to see this with Rhett and Link from GMM. I know the two teams have colabed before but this? would be so good.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Barry either nicks ingredients or has an inexhaustible list of posh possessions or maybe it’s just both.

[@TxVoodoo_]

While you were talking about the brandy butter & making it, I thought you guys should do a show where you go into making some of these kinds of things, especially with food costs like they are. Yes, sometimes the ingredients are expensive, but with the premium products, you might only be able to afford a tiny pot, or similar size. But if you make it yourself, you might be able to afford enough for a party or gathering!

[@ZebraKitten]

I'd love to see you do a bog standard Asda/Tesco type version too so have A B or C. Would make it so much more interesting. Some people watching won't even be able to afford the non premium one. Think it would open the channel up to a wider range of people.

[@JohnGarrettHudson]

20:51 ME: Pretentious! …wait?

[@grahamdixon6711]

Long time Sorted fan, but I don't really like to comment on things so this is my first for Sorted..... this was a missed opportunity, it was basically Premium vs Pretentious..... it could have been so interesting

[@thomasmcclenahan2881]

Perfectly put!

[@LiamQ1994]

Let's freaking go! I was surprised in round 2 that there didn't seem to be as big a difference as there was visually, but it was a really good point that sausages are typically made with the "less-desirable" meat off-cuts. Also just want to chime in that I loved the natural vibes from everyone in this vid. Don't know if there was an audience that were silenced or not, but it was much less ott panto than some of the recent vids ❤ (Oh no it wasn't! Oh yes it was!)

[@MikePaton-Williams-yv9qo]

If Barry does not like farmed salmon, he should buy wild salmon.

[@wiiza4ever]

he probably knows that wild salmon is more damaging to the environment than farmed salmon. Commercial salmon fishing is using ships that are running on fossil fuel, and they also catch a lot of fish that they don't mean to, and can't sell. So from Barry's moral point of view, wild salmon is not an option.

[@MikePaton-Williams-yv9qo]

@ are you out of your mind. Our farm had a salmon river running through it. The salmon all but vanished when salmon farms were established in the sea or lochs at the start of the salmon runs. I guess you are Norwegian salmon farmer or just an idiot👎👎👎

[@MikePaton-Williams-yv9qo]

@@wiiza4ever Sorry, I was talking about river or lake fishing! I agree with you about boat sea fishing.

[@wiiza4ever]

@@MikePaton-Williams-yv9qo Salmons don't live in lake, and fishing in rivers is only done for sport.

[@MikePaton-Williams-yv9qo]

@ Clearly you are an expert🤦🏻‍♂️ Salmon try to get to spawning grounds , in our farm case it was Loch Lubnaig. Better things to do than continue this conversation. To you and your closest...take care🙏🏽 and enjoy the festive season if you celebrate it👍👍

[@ravenwood1984]

Mike does such a good job of describing things.

[@ac1dflare937]

Have you guys forgotten what budget means? Seriously most of your "budget" options are what most call premium and bloody expensive!

[@scottmaguire96]

They live in London so that kinda explains it

[@SanAndreas0611]

My ingredient that I go up market for is my sausage meat for my stuffing. Makes such a difference. Nearly all other Christmas dinner ingredients can be upscaled with good cooking techniques.

[@glockenrein]

Boys. Waitrose or M&S is already premium. These comparisons are entirely pointless without at least Tesco.

[@Lonewolf_121]

The prices of those items are not much different from what you'd be paying in adds or tesco unless you were going super cheap or frozen tbh £4 waitrose Christmas pudding? Tesco has one that's pretty close tk the same for £3, and there wasn't anything in this video from M&S, there was ocado salmon, £7 for 200g in tesco 250g is 7.50 right now or their nicer stuff is £8.50 for 200g. You can buy salmon scraps if you like which would be much cheaper but that's a different product tbh

[@CapyEditor]

The reason they don't have the very cheap variants is cause they're often below the minimum requirement they have on sustainability, responsability, welfare, occasionally human rights as well.

[@clarielnicgiollaanbhas4253]

Thank you! This was my thought too. I was disappointed by the boys here, the tone of the video tagline comes across as a bit condescending. The boys are out of touch if they think ordinary consumers think M&S, Waitrose and the finest brands from supermarkets are "Budget." Ironic since they spent so long doing videos about doing good meals on a budget and using the app to create a shopping list and meal plan that reduces waste. I suppose success changes everyone. It sounds very Tory of them trying to peddle that idea that these brands are budget in a video...the London entitlement has infected them. All other plebs from the rest of the UK and world should merely wallow in what peasants and uncouth cretins they are to not understand the brands they consider quality are actually budget.

[@0293Sarah]

@@clarielnicgiollaanbhas4253 it's not condescending, when you point out that unethical food is indeed unethical. And they didn't want to include it for that reason, which is fair.

[@chrisjfinlay]

@CapyEditorexactly. They even outright stated this in the pigs in blankets round.

[@aurinsaint9058]

@6:50.... American pigs in a blanket are vastly different than British ones. Side note, also as an American hearing Ben say no one buys a Kilo of Salmon....? That had me laughing! 2.2 pounds of Salmon? That would go very fast in our household. 😊

[@Getpojke]

With the Smoked Salmon, you could also see on the less expensive one the difference in colouration where they'd used some of the belly meat which has more fat. It's something you pretty much always avoid when curing/smoking. Don't throw it out though, it's richer, more buttery texture has place in other dishes where richness & more fishy flavour is a boon. 🐟

[@ShellyS2060]

"One tastes like I made it. One tastes like Kush made it." Um, Mike? Ebbers is standing right there!!👨‍🍳

[@lynnbean7200]

That's because Kush is the master.

[@kencharm2909]

I live in the States, Pacific NW, where wild salmon is plentiful. The 'premium' smoked salmon is on par with what I would pay for wild caught, smoked Chinook salmon. (Yes, I am totally bragging about my access to far better salmon.)

[@tpp95]

The “except for Christmas” rule is a great one the live by especially with booze. Go easy on the liquor… except for Christmas 😂

[@chicoloco7108]

Would of loved to have seen wild caught smoked salmon as well - as I generally feel it is on another level to those.

[@berelinde]

In the US, we do "hard sauce" on spiced Christmas desserts, but it's pretty much brandy butter, but as far as I know, it's always homemade. In my house, it's always the same supermarket butter we use for everything else, confectioners sugar, and cheap brandy, because if you can taste the nuances of the brandy over the mincemeat or gingerbread, you seriously underdid your dessert. Not everyone in the US loves spiced desserts, but those who do are passionate about it.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

This series is always informative and fun!

[@SortedFood]

Hope something to learn this time too!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

@SortedFood Definitely

[@jimsteinmanfan80]

Swede here. I think our traditions comes from a time when spices were much more expensive and you only used an abundance of spices at festive times like christmas. Because of that I honestly think it never matters less what quality ingredients you have than at christmas. The taste will mostly be the same, as every year, thanks to the spices. We eat ham, with mustard, ribs, with ginger, cinnamon, garlic, oranges, chili and honey, graved salmon, with dill, herring, with dozens of different sauces, pankakes, with saffron. We even put cumin in the meatballs. Of course quality ingredients makes everything better but if you can afford them I think it is better to spend the money on things you might not otherwise afford instead and buy smoked deer, reindeer and lamb and sausages and meatballs from wild boar and elk.

[@beccablueeyes99]

What is the issue with GMO? Corn is GMO. Orange carrots are GMO. There are straight regulations and more control over GMO than other farming. It's what makes crops hardier so they can grow in areas of food scarcity and increase nutrient density. Is it the farming practices that are the issue? Would love Ben and Mike to put on their educator's hats and do a video about it.

[@Spikn]

All of Ben's "educating" the last couple of years has just been reading off the back of the box, of off the website and believing whatever is written there....

[@lizchesser1914]

I am not the best person to answer this, and I'm tired, so hopefully this will be coherent. All plants, seeds, etc are not GMO. Yes, many have/ were naturally bred for preferred characteristics over years or decades, but that was largely (solely) done through selective breeding - you keep the seeds from the plants with the characteristics you want, cross with other plants through normal pollination, and continue until you get the outcome you want. GMO typically refers to bioenginered seeds where they have been modified at a cellular level. The most common application what i know of is introducing chemical resistant genes (especially Roundup) so the farmer can spray the field to kill weeds and the crop won't be affected. The seeds often produce sterile plants, so farmers cannot save seeds from year to year and are required to purchase. As you can imagine, there are many concerns about this. There are also many problems with the seeds migrating to other fields and contaminating non-GMO crops. There have been multiple reports over the years of farmers who wouldn't grow GMO seeds, but were then "found" by the company to have some growing and were taken to court, in some cases losing their farms. The transmissability is of particular concern for farmers who want to stay non-GMO. I have seen seed companies here in the States advertising that their seeds are grown in remote locations specifically due to these concerns.

[@benf6822]

I think the difference lies in colloquial use vs scientific use

[@jessgunn6639]

Stouts a must for a great Xmas pud!

[@henrons]

God I hate when I'm down to my last 15k in my bank account and have to start shopping with the peons in waitrose and m&s so this video helps me a lot! Thanks guys!

[@0293Sarah]

one of the best videos lately! Barry was so funny with the butter :D

[@maih600]

The one thing we don't skimp on is cranberry sauce, it's cheaper and easier to buy a can but we make it every year. It's remarkably easy with just berries, Orange juice (usually navel oranges and tangerines 50/50 if I'm making it), sugar, and Grande Marnier, but definitely about triple the cost.

[@GreenyWolf]

Love these videos! Something for 2025, could we get Poppy trying to pick the premium?

[@toni_go96]

Oooooohhhh I've missed pick the premium

[@J4M3ST1T3]

I made a Christmas pudding last year, I wanted it to be top quality so bought all the best ingredients and it ended up costing me almost twice as much as a similar sized good supermarket pudding. It was really nice though so it was worth it to see my family enjoying it, knowing the work I'd put into it.

[@starryskies9655]

something i’ve always been confused about is why you measure in kilos when you’d never buy any of this on kilos

[@jsptravels]

the packs or jars will be all different sizes, which makes the cost comparison a little pointless or misleading. Scaling it all up to Kg is a fair comparison.

[@nicfab1]

It helps to get a base price per kilo or per 100g that has nothing to do with package size, so manufacturers can't scam you with a slightly smaller package than the competition that costs the same, thinking you won't notice. And usually per kilo is more useful than per 100g for stuff that's heavier than 100g, because the Human mind can appreciate the difference better if it doesn't have to multiply first. Many people can't or won't multiply on the fly at all

[@nicholascrow8133]

Would love to see a collab with Jay over at smash fishing (Guernsey) He could take you out foraging and then you could bring back the catch and him to the sorted kitchen and cook it all up! I suggested this to him in a live chat and he is down for it!

[@snowysnowyriver]

I got really peeved with Barry and the smoked salmon. His sanctimonious pretentiousness when he said "depends where your values lay" felt like a smack in the face to many people who can't afford to be so righteous. Most of us are not able to spend £20 on what is, basically, a snack. Even the cheaper stuff is saved for special occasions. Come back into the real world Barry......if you were ever there.

[@nat3007]

Me too and I asked for smoked trout for my birthday it's made locally and it's expensive not this level of expensive but still a treat.

[@sharminir]

Why? He said because it was against his values after reading about how they processed it, they stopped buying it. It is a choice. He did not go out to get the expensive. Just respect his choices. If the cheaper works for you, that is good. No need to feel peeved about his choice.

[@LW-xc9gm]

@@sharminirwhich would be perfectly fine, if he didn’t admit to being a hypocrite when it came to his pigs in blankets

[@juniperrb]

Can't wait for the live shows!

[@videogame1291]

Why do I get the feeling that barry's problem with farming salmon boils down to him not knowing what astaxanthin is

[@cloverhighfive]

boy oh boy I love the video every day in December! I get to have lunch with the lads every day! Giggles galore!

[@zomerkoninkjes]

I feel like the Sainsbury’s pigs in blankets are still fairly high end! Though I do appreciate your reasons for not buying the cheaper ones.

[@ac1dflare937]

None of their budget are what normal people call budget

[@cynthiawofford-wc1mf]

Barry asking if Mike wanted the rest of his salmon bites was awesome. He was a very polite sibling asking rather than stealing!

[@welshstitch]

If you’re going to call a video budget vs premium at least use Tesco. The majority of us are using Aldi NOT Waitrose for everyday shopping. Waitrose/M&S is already premium - come on boys come back down to earth

[@splashymarlin2029]

They ain’t been down to earth for years

[@bellehartley]

Barry and the butter. Oh my. So funny.