LIFE

How to cut your ketchup costs by more than HALF

Last modified on Friday 3 March 2023

A Which? taste test found an own-brand tomato sauce matched best-selling Heinz Ketchup ... and it's MUCH cheaper.

If you've got kids, you know how much they LOVE ketchup. And if there's one way to ensure they eat their dinner, it's to serve it up with a huge dollop of tomato sauce.

But if you're looking to save money on your food shop (aren't we all?), turns out you can get a MUCH cheaper ketchup than best-selling Heinz ... and testers say it's just as tasty.

In a recent taste test by consumer group Which? , Co-op's red sauce received a best buy score of 74%. The supermarket's own-brand sauce matched Heinz Tomato Ketchup's score of 74%.

Co-op ketchup
Co-op tomato ketchup is less than half the price of Heinz

'Our tasters were particularly happy with the thickness of the ketchup'

Which? said: 'Our tasters were particularly happy with the thickness of the ketchup, with 86% of them scoring it as "just right".'

However, shoppers get more bang for their buck with the Co-op version, at £1.30 for a 550g bottle while Heinz's costs £3.40 for 460g.

Which? pointed out: 'A bottle of Heinz doesn’t come cheap.

'It’s more than three times as expensive as the average ketchup in our test (per 100g).

'But if you won’t settle for anything but the original, it’s worth keeping an eye out for offers as this is typically the best time to buy.'

Second ranked was Hellmann’s Tomato Ketchup, priced at £1.50 for 465g, receiving a taste test score of 73%.

Meanwhile, the cheapest ketchup in the Which? test was one from Aldi's own-brand Bramwells range, which received a score of 72%.

Although the sauce was ranked only just below Heinz, it sets shoppers back more than four times less, costing 75p for a larger 650g bottle.

'Aldi’s cheap and cheerful ketchup scored well overall and is a bargain buy'

'Aldi’s cheap and cheerful ketchup scored well overall and is a bargain buy, so it’s definitely one to try if you’re looking to make the swap to a cheaper choice,' Which? said.

On the other hand, Marks & Spencer’s Tomato Ketchup was ranked bottom for taste, receiving a score of 60%.

The top Which? rated red sauces

  • Co-op Tomato Ketchup - 74% (£1.30 for 550g)
  • Best Buy: Heinz Tomato Ketchup - 74% (£3.40 for 460g)
  • Hellmann’s Tomato Ketchup - 73% (£1.50 for 465g)
  • Aldi Bramwells Tomato Ketchup - 72% (75p for 650g)
  • Tesco Tomato Ketchup - 72% (£1 for 555g)
  • Morrisons Tomato Ketchup - 71% (£1.25 for 450g)
  • Asda Classic Tomato Ketchup - 70% (75p for 550g)
  • Sainsbury’s Tomato Ketchup Sauce - 69% (85p for 460g)
  • Waitrose Essential Tomato Ketchup - 69% (90p for 470g)
  • M&S Tomato Ketchup - 60% (85p for 495g)

In other food news, experts have warned the UK is facing a pizza crisis due to a shortage of tomatoes ...

And, if you fancy making something new in your air fryer, why not try these delicious Creme Egg Croissant Balls?

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