Waitrose's Essential Tomato Ketchup has been named the best in a blind taste test by consumer champion Which?, scoring 77 percent and beating iconic brands like Heinz. The 90p bottle, part of the supermarket's budget Essential range, also earned the coveted 'Best Buy' and 'Great Value' titles.
Panel of 60 ketchup fans
Which? assembled a panel of 60 regular ketchup buyers to taste seven supermarket own-brands against major players Heinz and Hellmann's. The Waitrose sauce was praised for its "well-balanced tanginess, sweetness and strength of flavour," with 82 percent of the panel rating its deep red colour as "spot on."
Costing just 90p for 470g, it is over £2 cheaper than Heinz, which retails at £3 for a slightly smaller 460g bottle. According to Which?, the Waitrose sauce is a budget-friendly alternative for ketchup devotees who want "to save without compromising on taste," and it contains less sugar than Heinz.
Co-op and Heinz tie for second
Co-op's On the Side Tomato Ketchup scored 76 percent, tying with Heinz for joint second place. Priced at £1.25 for 550g, it was described as "a solid choice," with tasters praising its "lovely thickness" and "enticing colour," and hailing it as "one of the best-rated for flavour."
Heinz, also at 76 percent, scored high marks for appearance, aroma, and flavour, but around a third of tasters found its texture "too thin," and it contained higher levels of sugar and salt than the supermarket bottles.
Other top performers
Asda's Classic Tomato Ketchup landed in the top five with 74 percent, branded "a good all-rounder." Hellmann's came fourth with 72 percent, though it was criticised for being "too tangy." Tesco's Tomato Ketchup also scored 72 percent, rated highly for texture, though not all tasters felt the flavour matched. M&S scored 68 percent, with nearly half finding the texture "too thick," while Sainsbury's "fell behind on aroma and flavour." Morrisons' Tomato Ketchup came last with 63 percent, rated "worst on flavour."
The full results are available on the Which? website.
