With the rising cost of living forcing many shoppers to rethink the contents of their shopping trolleys, many of us are swapping out iconic household names for store-branded products.
There are of course very few store cupboard products that are as instantly recognisable as Heinz' cream of tomato, a thick and flavourful soup that's as comforting as it is nostalgic.
With this in mind, Kent Live reporter Sam Honey decided to see if any supermarket own brands could ever measure up to the beloved lunchtime giant, and was left "genuinely stunned" by his findings.
After trying a can of Heinz as a reference point, Honey then tested out the cream of tomato soups from Marks and Spencer, Tesco, and Aldi, and was surprised to learn that cutting costs didn't necessarily mean losing out on taste.
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Honey, first of all, grabbed a £1 tin of Heinz from Iceland, which he remarked was "perfectly reasonable but every alternative I had bought for comparison was cheaper".
After enjoying a bowl, he admitted that this is "a soup that really is tough to beat", being "not too creamy and heavy and not too runny either".
Next on the list was Marks and Spencer's tomatoey offering, which came in at just 50p for a standard-sized can, half the price of what Honey paid for a tin of classic Heinz.
Upon trying a spoon for himself, Honey noted: "the flavours were much richer and heavier, bearing a lot of similarities to cooking sauces used for pasta, I did actually double-check the can after my initial taste to make sure I had actually picked up soup".
Although Honey explained that this was by no means a bad product, he didn't rate it over Heinz, remarking that "the double cream was very noticeable and after just a few spoonfuls began to feel very heavy".
The next can on the list was Tesco's own cream of tomato, which came in at a pocket-friendly 45p. Unfortunately, Honey didn't feel that the bargain made up for the lack of distinct flavour, writing that, "the taste was definitely not nearly as strong as the previous two choices, however, and seemed to disappear in an instant".
He went on to report that the product was let down somewhat by its comparably "runnier and watery" consistency, with the soup not really matching up to the original.
The fourth and final soup on the list was also the biggest bargain out of the bunch, with Aldi's own cream of tomato retailing at a very snippy 40p. Honey wasn't disappointed and says he was left "genuinely stunned" after giving it a go.
Honey said: "Aldi’s offering tasted almost identical to Heinz, if maybe only a touch sweeter but not enough to detract from the overall taste. Looking at the colour and the consistency, we also had a near-perfect match. Between the exceptional price and genuinely great quality, this very easily took the top spot of the day".
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