Consumer group Which? has named Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup and Tesco Cream of Tomato Soup as the joint best tinned tomato soups in a blind taste test, scoring 78% each. Both own-brand products cost 59p per tin, significantly undercutting Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, which scored 68% and costs £1.70 for a 400g tin.
Own-label products outperform big brands
The taste test involved scores of participants who sampled various products blindly and rated them on taste and other criteria. The results showed two own-brand products tying for first place, beating popular brands such as Heinz.
Jessica Carson, Which? taste test expert, said: "When it comes to convenient, comforting lunches, you can’t go wrong with a classic tin of cream of tomato soup, but with big brands costing over double supermarket alternatives, it’s worth knowing which bowls really deliver on taste."
She added: "Supermarket own-labels are now stirring up serious competition: our blind taste test found a humble 59p can that nailed the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavour – making it an unbeatable everyday staple."
Full ranking of tinned tomato soups
Following the joint winners, Asda Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g) scored 77%, and Crosse & Blackwell Cream of Tomato Soup (£1.25 for 400g) scored 76%. The complete ranking is:
- Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g): 78%
- Tesco Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g): 78%
- Asda Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g): 77%
- Crosse & Blackwell Cream of Tomato Soup (£1.25 for 400g): 76%
- Co-op Classic Cream of Tomato Soup (75p for 400g): 73%
- Marks & Spencer Cream of Tomato Soup (60p for 400g): 73%
- Morrisons Cream of Tomato Soup (65p for 400g): 72%
- Aldi Bramwells Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g): 71%
- Lidl Newgate Cream of Tomato Soup: 70%
- Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup (£1.70 for 400g): 68%
- Waitrose Essential Cream of Tomato Soup (85p for 400g): 66%
- Baxters Cream of Tomato Soup (£2.05 for 400g): 58%
The results highlight that cheaper own-brand options can deliver on taste, with the top-scoring products costing less than a third of the price of the leading brand.
