With autumn nearly here we've been testing tins of own brand supermarket soup.
A can of soup is a quick way to fill up - and keep warm - and you can pick up a tin relatively cheaply in most supermarkets as long as you stick to their own brands. While the likes of Heinz and Baxters might set you back around £1.40 these days, supermarket own brands tend to come in at less than half that price - but do they taste as good?
In recent months, as the cost of living has rocketed, we've been testing out cheap and value products to see how they compare to more expensive brands. We've tried out everything from tea and coffee, to chocolate, cereal, baked beans and even toilet roll.
READ MORE: We compared supermarket own brand pasta
Each week we trawl the supermarket shelves looking for the cheapest products in stock and rate them on how they look and perform, compared to the more expensive alternatives in stock. This week, we've been buying and trying a cheap tinned soup from four of the big supermarkets and here's our verdict:
Sainsbury's Vegetable Soup
I don't often eat tinned soup, preferring fresh cartons or making my own, so I couldn't believe the price of some of the tins on the shelf when I visited Sainsbury's last week. Tins of Heinz were priced at £1.40 and Baxters were £1.60 and I was really taken aback.
The cheapest tins I could find that day was Sainsbury's own brand range, coming in at 55p for a 400g can. I chose the vegetable soup, which claimed to be 'chunky and filing with pasta, root vegetable and peas'. The main thing that puts me off tinned soup is that it rarely fills me up, unless I eat loads of bread with it, so I was hopeful this option might do the trick, with it containing pasta.
The tin comes with a ring pull, which isn't always the case with cheaper products, so that was a good start. The soup itself was quite dark orange in colour and the veg did look quite chunky at first glance.
After a few minutes of heating up, I put it to the taste test and the first thing that hit was me its sweetness, which I wasn't over keen on. After a few more spoonfuls, more of a peppery taste came through as well, which was a bit more pleasant but overall the flavour was quite underwhelming.
The chunky veg was a bit mushy and there were only tiny bits of pasta that lacked texture or flavour. On the plus side, it wasn't watery thin. It's certainly a big saving on the more well known brands, but unfortunately it's not one I'd buy again.
Rating: 1/5
Price: 55p
Where to buy: Sainsbury's online or instore
Tesco Cream Of Tomato Soup
I’m not a big lover of soup to be honest, whether it's in a restaurant or from a tin at home. However, when the colder weather moves in it is often a go-to to get yourself warmed up - and who can resist that? I usually stick with Heinz if I do opt for soup but this week I gave Tesco’s own Cream of Tomato soup a go.
The 55p tin was said to be “smooth and creamy” with a “rich, full flavour”. The soup was smooth as promised, though not as creamy as my usual go-to Heinz option. However, the soup was quite bland and didn’t live up to its “full flavour” promise.
The soup was somewhat filling, but I did need to have bread with it in order to enjoy the meal fully. While the soup was lacking in flavour, I did enjoy it as a cheaper alternative to my usual favourite - which comes with a price tag of £1.40.
Rating: 3/5
Price: 55p or four for £1.75 with a Clubcard
Where to buy: Your local Tesco store or online here
Aldi Bramwell's Chunky Vegetable Soup
I enjoy eating soup during the colder months, particularly when accompanied with a side of bread. I tend to opt for vegetable soups and particularly like those with chunky pieces of vegetables in the soup.
I went for the Bramwell's Chunky Vegetable Soup from Aldi, which is priced at 69p. It was my first time trying this soup which contains chunky carrots, potatoes, peas, onions and swede. Overall, I was really impressed with it. Thanks to the generous pieces of vegetables, I found it to be suitably filling - which is something that often find to be lacking from other soups.
I was really pleased with the price of the soup too, it makes for an affordable warming lunch option for the colder months. I'd definitely buy it again and would choose it over branded options.
Rating: 4/5
Price: 69p
Where to buy: Aldi stores or online.
Asda 'Just Essentials' Tomato Soup
I absolutely love soup, I'm actually a fan of it even in hot weather, which might make me a little weird. It's especially nice with plenty of bread (and butter) and I really enjoy making my own soups too.
After recently reviewing the Asda new 'Just Essentials' range and being very impressed, I was intrigued to see how its 30p soup would taste. The soup snob within me was a little put off by a tin of 30p soup with fairly basic packaging, but I was so wrong to judge.
The first thing I noticed about this soup was the sheer thickness. I was expecting it to be thin and watery but it was far from it, so I was really chuffed with that. It wasn't until I tasted it that I was completely blown away.
It seriously tasted just like Heinz Tomato Soup, which currently costs a whopping £1.40 in most supermarkets for a 400g tin. I basically got a dupe for 30p which tasted absolutely delicious!
It's safe to say I won't ever buy Heinz Tomato Soup again now I've got this affordable alternative. Now all I need to do is put the Just Essentials Chicken Soup to the test.
Rating: 5/5
Price: 30p
Where to buy: Asda stores or online
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