I tried out supermarket own-brand tomato soups – and one tastes EXACTLY like Heinz but is much cheaper
TINNED tomato soup has been flying off supermarket shelves since more of us began working from home.
It's a staple in many of our kitchen cupboards and a firm favourite at lunchtime for kids and adults alike.
But with grocery costs rising, can we afford to stick to our favourite and often expensive brands?
A tin of the world famous Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup will set you back 1.40p, but if you shop in Aldi or Lidl, you could pick up an own brand can for as little as 49p.
But do they taste as good? We asked writer and mum-of-three Lynsey Hope to rate supermarket soups against Heinz to see how they fared.
Here's what happened:
Asda Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 50p
Lynsey says: "I found this soup every bit as good as, if not better than the more expensive brands.
"It's a lovely, creamy tomato flavour and doesn't have the tinny after taste you get with some canned soups. Delicious."
- Taste: 8/10
- Value for money: 7/10
- Overall rating: 7/10
Essential Waitrose Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 60p
Lynsey says: "A delicious soup. It's an inviting, vibrant orange colour seasoned with allspice, nutmeg, clove, a touch of chilli and a splash of double cream.
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"It's very smooth and sweet with just the right amount of tomatoey tang we're all looking for.
"However, I was shocked to see it is very high in sugar - double what you get in a tin of Heinz soup - with 40g per tin compared to the 19.4g in Heinz.
"This would put me off buying it again so I've given it a lower rating."
- Taste: 8/10
- Value for money: 4/10
- Overall rating: 4/10
Tesco Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 55p
Lynsey says: "This had a rather artificial taste which I found quite overpowering and didn't like.
"It's quite salty and has a gloopy, thick texture. It wasn't creamy and smooth which is what I was looking for."
- Taste: 2/10
- Value for money: 5/10
- Overall rating: 3/10
Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: £1.40
Lynsey says: "Until now I've always gone for the market leader, but given it's nearly twice the price of most others, I'm not sure I'll be buying it again.
"I didn't think the flavour stood out as special when compared to some of the cheaper tomato soups I tried.
"If you are a Heinz fan and can't bare any of the others, buy multipacks of four, which work out around 62p a can, to save you money."
- Taste: 6/10
- Value for money: 4/10
- Overall rating: 6/10
Cream of Tomato Soup by Sainsbury's
- Price: 55p
Lynsey says: "An impressive option from Sainsbury's. It's rich, tangy and very flavoursome without being over sweet.
"I could tell it wasn't Heinz but if anything, I liked it better. I gave it to my children who didn't complain or notice any difference."
- Taste: 7/10
- Value for money: 6/10
- Overall rating: 7/10
Aldi Bramwells Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 49p
Lynsey says: "Not only is this a winner on price, it stood up in our taste test too.
";I thought it tasted almost identical to Heinz, possibly a touch sweeter. Looking at the colour and the consistency, it was almost a near perfect match.
"This will give any tomato soup, even the market leader, a good run for its money. A very enjoyable lunch."
- Taste: 9/10
- Value for money: 10/10
- Overall rating: 10/10
Lidl Newgate Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 40p
Lynsey says: "An impressive soup for 40p and if you check the label, you'll see it's made with 91 per cent tomatoes (compared to 89 per cent in Heinz).
"Really they didn't taste all that different. I fed this soup to my husband and children and no one noticed it wasn't Heinz, they licked their bowls clean.
"If you buy one tin of tomato soup every week, this will save you 55p a week and that adds up to £28.60 a year, an impressive saving."
- Taste: 9/10
- Value for money: 10/10
- Overall rating: 9/10
Morrisons Classic Cream of Tomato Soup
- Price: 65p
Lynsey says: "Better than Heinz in my opinion. A really nice soup at a fraction of the cost, lovely smooth and creamy taste.
"This is the one that really stood out for me in terms of flavour and it is beaten on price only by Aldi and Lidl. Bargain."
- Taste: 10/10
- Value for money: 9/10
- Overall rating: 10/10
M&S
- Price: 55p
Lynsey says: "The M&S soup smelt lovely when I opened the tin. It was quite rich and indulgent and was similar in some ways to a passata you might use for cooking. Not too acidic.
"It is made with double cream and that flavour come through. It's super smooth and the kind of quality you would expect from M&S, and though you might expect it to be expensive, it was the same price as a tin in Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco, so I thought the value was good."
- Taste: 8/10
- Value for money: 8/10
- Overall rating: 8/10
Final verdict
Lynsey said: "I've been wasting money on soup for years! I've always been a Heinz girl and I give it to my kids too.
"This test has shown me that I really don't need to. Morrison was my favourite, it had a really lovely flavour and it's only 45p a tin. But I loved both Aldi and Lidl's own brand soups too.
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"Tesco was my least favourite for taste and though I liked the flavour of the Essential Waitrose option, it contained too much sugar and I wouldn't want to eat it or feed it to my children.
"There are definitely some great options out there for soup lovers."