With rising food bills, many people are looking for ways to cut the cost of their weekly shop and we've been comparing own brand value items to see which are worth the savings.
In recent weeks we've put value tea bags, coffee, tomato ketchup, baked beans and even toilet roll to the test. While much cheaper in price than big branded rivals - and even own brand luxury options - we wanted to see if you really do get what you pay for. While supermarket value items all tend to have a 'no frills' look about them in terms of packaging, we've been pleasantly surprised by the taste and quality of some.
This week we're putting another popular household food item to the test - jam. If you've got children, chances are your store cupboard or fridge is never without a pot of jam, and it's essential if you're partial to a crumpet or scone.
READ MORE: We compared Marks and Spencer and Aldi ketchup and a 75p bottle made us give up Heinz
But this is one of those items where you're inundated with options when you go to the supermarket, from artisan looking preserves, to big brand varieties like Hartley's. This week, we put three value jam spreads to the test to see which, if any, are as tasty as the more expensive options on the shelves.
Aldi Everyday Essentials Strawberry Jam
My local Aldi supermarket had quite the selection of jam when I visited. There was the fancy looking Specially Selected Scottish Strawberry Preserve, which was £1.19 for a 340g jar. There was also a jar of Grandessa Fruity Strawberry Jam at 67p for 454g. Then there was this budget version - Aldi’s ‘Everyday Essentials Strawberry Jam’, which was 31p for 454g.
The jar had a fairly plain red and white label, which didn’t make it look particularly special, but then that’s part of the reason it’s cheaper I suppose.
When I opened the jar I got that familiar strawberry jam scent, though it wasn’t particularly strong I’d say. I spooned a little out, so I could taste it on its own to start with, and noticed there was very little texture to it - certainly no seeds or pieces of real fruit to be found.
To taste it was incredibly sweet, syrupy and synthetic - almost like when you have a really strong glass of cordial. When I looked at the label, it was clear why I was getting that taste as these were the ingredients - Glucose-fructose Syrup, Strawberry Purée, Sugar, Acidity Regulators: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrates; Gelling Agent: Pectins.
I don’t eat jam very often, and while I expect it to taste sweet I personally prefer it to come from more natural sources. I’d perhaps buy this to use when baking, or if I’ve got a load of children’s sandwiches to make for a party, but otherwise it won’t be a swap for me.
Price: 31p
Rating: 1/5
Where to buy: Aldi stores on online
Tesco Strawberry Jam
When I visited my local Tesco superstore, there was a variety of different flavours of jam, but I opted for the cheapest strawberry one I could find. The label stood out on the shelf due to it being covered in strawberries, and the description on the front appealed to me.
The Tesco Strawberry Jam costs 90p for 454g and is described as being made from a "classic recipe" with "fruit harvested as its peak for a ripe, juicy flavour". When I got home and opened the jar, I was greeted by a pleasant sweet strawberry scent.
I decided to have the jam on some toast with butter. It was easy to spread as the texture was smooth, although I noticed it soaked into the toast quite quickly. This could have been the type of bread I was using, but I had to use quite a bit of jam to get it to cover the toast.
After taking the first bite, I realised the jam had quite a delicate strawberry taste, but it was still delicious and not too sweet. I'd have preferred it if there were some bits of strawberry in the jam, as I felt I was eating jelly due to it being so smooth. I'd buy it again, but there's room for improvement!
Price: 90p for 454g
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Tesco stores and online here.
Asda Strawberry Jam
I'm never been overly bothered about jam, I usually just have it with plenty of clotted cream on a scone to the point where you can't even taste it. However, I was after something different for breakfast so decided to visit my local Asda to find something affordable.
The 'Asda Strawberry Jam' is priced at 90p and looked really appealing in its jar. I decided to go for seedless because I'm not a big fan of pips and lumps in jam and was so glad I did.
This particular jam was seriously smooth and it had a really strong flavour, the jam was sweet but not too sweet as jam can sometimes be very sickly. It was a really moreish jam and went well on a lovely crispy piece of toast.
One thing I will say is it left a slight aftertaste after eating it because it had quite a strong flavour, but that didn't put me off purely because it tasted so good.
Price: 90p for 454g
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Asda stores and online here.
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