Steak is a genuine indulgence in our home, reserved exclusively for special occasions and celebrations. Ahead of Valentine's Day, I made the decision to purchase sirloin steaks from seven different supermarkets to discover whether they all measured up equally.

I bought individual steaks from Asda, Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons and I was taken aback by the variation in quality, cost, size and taste. I enlisted my family to assist me in sampling the steaks and here's what we discovered.

Tesco Sirloin Steak is priced at £6.50 for 227g, equating to £28.63 per kilogram.

It was 21-day aged British beef, carried the Red Tractor logo for certified standards and was described as a 'tender prime cut matured for extra flavour'.

Per 100g, it provided 21.6g of protein, had a 12-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing.

This looked remarkably red with an excellent marbling of fat distributed throughout when raw in the packaging.

Yet, once cooked, the texture proved quite fatty and it was extremely chewy. We awarded it 2 out of 5 stars.

Morrisons Sirloin Steak is priced at £7 for 227g, equating to £30.84 per kilogram.

As 21-day aged British beef, it also carried the Red Tractor logo.

Per 100g, it provided 21.6g of protein, had a 16-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing.

This appeared to be a substantial, chunky steak in the brown cardboard packaging.

It had the smallest amount of fat along its length and none at the end. In truth, it appeared somewhat processed in comparison to the rest, as it was a very uniform cut with minimal visible fat marbling and hardly any blood once unwrapped.

When cooked, it proved chewy and rather dry, requiring mustard to make it palatable. We awarded it 2 out of 5 stars.

Sainsbury's Sirloin Steak is priced at £6.50 for 225g, equating to £28.89 per kilogram.

The Red Tractor logo wasn't visible on this particular cut, only the union flag indicating it was slaughtered in Great Britain, though it stated it was 'expertly matured for 21 days for tenderness and reared by our trusted farmers. '.

It had a 12-day use-by date and was suitable for freezing.

Per 100g, it provided 27.6g of protein, had a 16-day use-by date and could be frozen.

This particular steak appeared to have a substantial portion of fat at one end and running along the edge. Consequently, we had to trim quite a bit away after cooking.

Nevertheless, the meat that was left proved juicy, tender and full of flavour. We awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.

Lidl Sirloin Steak is priced at £5.49 for 195g, equating to £28.15 per kilogram.

Once more, this was 21-day matured British beef, displaying the Red Tractor logo.

Per 100g, it provided 23.5g of protein, had a 12-day use-by date and could be frozen.

This proved the bloodiest of all the steaks when removing the plastic wrapping.

Personally, it appeared the most appealing when uncooked, though that's naturally subjective depending on individual preference. There was a narrow strip of fat running along its length and at the end, with excellent marbling distributed throughout.

And it lived up to expectations. It was bursting with flavour and so delicious, it would have been a crime to add mustard.

We awarded it 5 out of 5 stars.

Aldi's Ashfields Sirloin Steak costs £5.49 for 195g, which equates to £28.15 per kilo.

It was 21-day matured British beef and carried the Red Tractor logo and was stated to be reared on 'trusted British farms to assured welfare standards'.

Per 100g, it contained 23.5g of protein, had a 14-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing.

This was the most vibrant red of all the steaks once the white cardboard packaging was removed.

It appeared the most succulent too, with a modest amount of fat running along its length and the end, and particularly good marbling throughout.

And it tasted every bit as good as it appeared - tender, juicy and brimming with flavour. We awarded it 5 out of 5 stars.

M&S Sirloin Steak costs £7.75 for 227g, which equates to £34.14 per kilo.

It was 21-day matured British beef and didn't carry the Red Tractor logo but stated 'M&S is the only national retailer who can trace all our beef back to every farm and animal. Always British'.

Per 100g, it contained 21.6g of protein, had a 13-day shelf life and was suitable for freezing.

This appeared as a substantial, thick steak in plastic, recyclable packaging.

It had a strip of fat running along the top and a section of fat at the end. Compared to the rest, this piece of meat appeared pale and there was minimal blood upon opening.

Once prepared, it was tender, not at all stringy or tough, but it lacked the flavour of some of the others. We awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.

Asda's Sirloin Steak is priced at £6.97 for 227g, although online it's listed as £6.64, equating to £29.25 per kilo.

Described as 'hand selected and matured for 21 days, a flavourful and tender cut', this was British beef and bore the Red Tractor logo.

Per 100g, it contained 24g of protein, had a shelf life of 10 days and was suitable for freezing.

This steak looked appealingly marbled with fat when raw and was tender and tasty once cooked.

However, there was a large portion of meat that was inedible due to being pure fat, which was somewhat disappointing given the rest tasted good. We awarded it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The steak boasting the highest protein content was from Sainsbury's, labelled as a 'healthy choice, high in protein' but it wasn't the most flavoursome.

The priciest were from M&S followed by Morrisons but, again, they weren't our top picks.

For us, the standout performers were the sirloin steaks from Aldi and Lidl - and they were also the most affordable per kilo.

The Lidl one was marginally more flavoursome, making it probably the best overall, but we'd certainly purchase either of them again.