With the cost of your weekly shop going up it's only natural you would try to find a few budget cuts.
Chocolate spread can be one of the more expensive 'staples' in your basket if you have children - who will probably get through a jar a week on toast and in sandwiches.
And there are more than a few adults out there who can easily demolish a jar of chocolate spread.
Swapping to a supermarket own brand, instead of market leader Nutella, could save you a few pounds over a year - but are the alternative spreads up to it?
Consumer champions Which? used a panel of tasters and a blind tasting set-up to find out which is the best - pitting supermarket own brands against Nutella based on price, taste and texture.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: "Once again, our taste tests have proven that supermarket own branded products can more than hold their own against the bigger, well-known brands, delivering great quality and good value for money.
"With the ongoing cost of living crisis and food price inflation, shoppers may be looking to save money on their grocery shop. You can easily save money by switching to supermarket's own-label products, and get a tastier topping in the process."
These are the results
Best Buy: Waitrose Essential Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 83%
£1.70 for 400g (43p per 100g)
It ticked plenty of boxes for our panel, receiving high marks for its flavour, texture, aroma and appearance. Three quarters said the strength of hazelnut flavour and sweetness was spot on, and 83% thought the thickness was just right.
Waitrose is one of the priciest own labels we tested but at 43p per 100g, it still offers a decent saving compared to Nutella.
Best Buy: Lidl Choco Nussa Spread – 81%
£1.09 for 400g (27p per 100g)
Lidl’s Best Buy chocolate spread is our best value pick. It’s one of the cheapest we tested and costs 61p less per jar than the winning Waitrose spread.
It also has the least sugar and saturated fat, so is ideal if you’re looking for a slightly healthier choice (though it’s still classed as high in sugar and saturated fat).
Tesco Hazelnut Chocolate Spread– 78%
£1.50 for 400g (38p per 100g)
This own label chocolate hazelnut spread is a great choice for Tesco shoppers looking for a cheaper alternative to Nutella.
Not everyone was a fan of it's darker colour, but our panel thought it’s flavour and texture were on par with our Best Buys.
Nutella Chocolate Spread – 77%
£2.90 for 350g (83p per 100g)
Big brand Nutella fell just outside the top three. It was among the best-rated spreads for flavour, but not everyone was a fan of Nutella’s texture, with 62% finding it too thick for their liking.
As well as its more expensive price, it’s also worth bearing in mind Nutella's smaller jar size (350g) compared to other spreads which are typically 400g. Per 100g, it works out at more than three times the price of Best Buy Lidl.
How other chocolate hazelnut spreads scored:
Waitrose and Lidl were the overall favourites, but several other supermarket options also impressed tasters. Here's how the rest of the spreads scored:
- Asda Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 75% .
- Morrisons Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 74% .
- Sainsbury's Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 73% .
- M&S Smooth Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 73% .
- Aldi Nutoka Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 65% .
