With the cost of living still very much a worry for shoppers, many people are looking to make savings in the supermarkets and reduce food bills.
In recent weeks, we’ve be testing out own brand household items to see how they compare to costlier branded goods. After trying out value tea bags, coffee, baked beans, tinned tomatoes and more, this week we’re putting another family staple to the test - tomato ketchup.
Whether you keep it in the fridge, or store cupboard, ketchup is something most households simply can’t do without. Squirted over chips, inside a bacon sandwich or all over the kid’s fish fingers and waffles, we just can’t get enough of red sauce.
READ MORE: We tried 'value' mayonnaise from Aldi, Asda & Sainsbury's and a 69p one was just like Hellmann's
But while a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup isn’t likely to be the cheapest option during your supermarket shop, is there really an own brand that compares on taste? This week, we tried supermarket rivals Marks and Spencer and Aldi, to see if their ketchup matched up to the red sauce giant.
What you get for your money
M&S Tomato Ketchup is 75p for a generously sized 495g bottle. In comparison, a similar sized top down bottle of Heinz is currently £2 at Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and £2.29 in Asda.
The Aldi Bramwells Tomato Ketchup costs 62p for 650g, so not only is it slightly cheaper than M&S, but you get more in the bottle as well, making it better value for money overall.
How the packaging compares
The M&S Tomato Ketchup comes in a squeezy top down bottle that looks pretty similar in style to Heinz. The logo font has a slightly retro vibe and it has a clear message stating that it’s "sweet tangy and great with burger and chips".
It’s not as basic looking as some own brand items, but equally it’s not particularly fancy either. There’s certainly nothing about the packaging that puts me off though and you can clearly see what you’re getting.
Aldi's Bramwells Tomato Ketchup also comes in a squeezy top down bottle. The packaging is very similar to Heinz, as it has a white and green label on the front and just simply states what the product is.
Unlike the M&S ketchup, Aldi's has an image of two big tomatoes on the front. I like how you can clearly see the sauce in the bottle, as the dark and thick appearance of the ketchup made me want to try it.
What the ketchup tastes like
Confession time - I’m a ketchup snob. I’ve never found a red sauce that I prefer to Heinz and I’d rather go without than have the cheap stuff you get in a greasy spoon. So I wasn’t convinced I’d like the M&S Tomato Ketchup, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.
It definitely had a different taste to Heinz, but it was subtle and certainly not unpleasant or cheap tasting. It was darker in colour and tangier too.
It had a bit of a relish flavour going on and I’m a big fan of relish, so that’s probably why I enjoyed it. I have to admit, for 75p a bottle and with two kids who get through a lot of ketchup, I’m seriously considering switching to this now.
Onto the Aldi tomato ketchup and while some ketchups can be quite thin, no matter how much you shake it beforehand, I didn’t have this issue with the Bramwells Tomato Ketchup, as it was nice and thick.
The Aldi sauce didn't taste exactly like Heinz, but it still had a rich tomato flavour I loved. The ketchup is not too sweet and is perfect for dunking chunky chips in.
Priced at just 62p for 650g, the Aldi Bramwells Tomato Ketchup is a good way to make savings, however, if you're wanting an exact Heinz replica, it might not do the job.
The verdict
The Aldi ketchup certainly impressed, but the fact the M&S sauce made one of us give up Heinz, it's M&S for the win.
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