Brown sauce is a staple of the perfect bacon sandwich, and a blind taste test of four supermarket own brands has crowned Aldi's Bramwells sauce as the best, outperforming HP at a fraction of the price. At just 99p, Aldi's offering is £2.61 cheaper than HP's £3.60, and tasters found it indistinguishable from the market leader in flavour and consistency.
HP Sauce Sets the Standard at £3.60
HP sauce is the benchmark for brown sauce in the UK, known for its tangy, fruity flavour that cuts through the heaviness of fried foods. At £3.60 in Tesco, it remains a popular choice for fish and chips or bacon sandwiches. However, the taste test aimed to find a cheaper alternative that could match or exceed HP's quality.
Waitrose Brown Sauce: Watery and Weak at £1.15
Waitrose's own brand brown sauce, priced at £1.15, was a disappointment. Tasters described the consistency as very watery and lacking in flavour. It was the weakest of the four, with a bland taste that failed to deliver the expected tang. While it might be passable, it is not a recommended purchase.
M&S Brown Sauce: Gravy-Like and Off-Putting at £1.15
Marks and Spencer's brown sauce, also £1.15, had a distinct gravy-like flavour with less tang than expected. Tasters noted a strange aftertaste, though the consistency was better than Waitrose's. Overall, it did not meet expectations for a classic brown sauce.
ASDA Brown Sauce: Decent Flavour but Watery at £1.22
ASDA's own brand brown sauce, at £1.22, was more expensive than both Waitrose and M&S. It offered a strong tang and full flavour, but its watery consistency let it down. While a decent option, it does not match HP's quality, and tasters would prefer to pay the premium for HP.
Aldi Bramwells Brown Sauce: The Winner at 99p
Aldi's Bramwells brown sauce was the clear winner at just 99p. It had a solid, full-bodied consistency and was packed with malty, fruity flavours. A noticeable cinnamon top note may divide opinions, but it added to the overall appeal. Tasters found it just as good as, if not better than, HP, making it an unbeatable value-for-money option.
Final Rankings: Aldi Tops, Waitrose Last
The final ranking placed Aldi first, followed by ASDA, M&S, and Waitrose. Aldi's sauce was praised for its superb flavour and amazing value, offering a perfect HP dupe at a fraction of the cost. For budget-conscious shoppers, Aldi is the go-to choice for brown sauce.
