Which? taste testers have crowned Waitrose own-brand tomato ketchup as the best in the UK, beating big brands like Heinz and Hellmann's. The 90p bottle for 470g scored 77% in a blind taste test, with tasters praising its balanced tanginess, sweetness, and strength of flavour.
Blind taste test details
Which? asked a panel of 60 ketchup fans to blind-taste and rate eight supermarket own-label ketchups alongside big brand names like Heinz and Hellmann's. They rated flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture. Waitrose ketchup was one of the cheapest in the test, at a third of Heinz's price, and it contains less sugar and salt than Heinz.
Other results
Co-op's On the Side Tomato Ketchup came joint-second with Heinz. Co-op's was praised for its lovely thickness and enticing colour, priced at £1.25 for 550g. Heinz scored highly for appearance, aroma, and flavour, but a third of tasters found the texture slightly too thin. At £3 for 460g, it was the most expensive ketchup tested.
Asda followed at £1.13 for 550g, called a "good all-rounder". Hellmann's scored well overall but some found it too tangy, at £2.15 for 473g. Tesco at £1.15 for 55g was rated highly for texture but not flavour. Marks & Spencer's at 95p for 494g didn't rate highly on flavour or texture, and contains more sugar. Sainsbury's was second to last at 95p for 460g, falling behind on aroma and flavour. Morrisons at 95p for 450g was worst-rated for flavour, with some finding it too tangy and not sweet enough.
Expert comment
Jessica Carson, Which? taste test expert, said: "For many of us, tomato ketchup is a much-loved kitchen staple, but our blind taste test shows that there’s no need to let brand loyalty squeeze your weekly budget. If you’re looking for a supermarket alternative, you don’t have to compromise on flavour. We found a 90p bottle that, according to your tasters, tastes just as good as Heinz, and it contains slightly less sugar and salt, too."
