Cheap 59p supermarket tomato soup officially crowned better than Heinz and M&S

As autumn creeps in and the weather chills, there’s nothing like a bowl of soup to warm you up.

For many, a tin of Heinz Cream of Tomato soup will be the go-to, but is this actually the best you can buy?

According to the results of a new Which? taste test, cheap own-brand soup is actually the stuff to opt for, over big-name brands. 

A panel of 77 Brits compared supermarket soups from the likes of Tesco, M&S, Aldi, and Asda to versions by Heinz and Baxters, and two 59p tins came out on top.

Which tin of tomato soup is the best?

Metro can exclusively reveal that soups from Tesco and Sainsbury’s took joint first place in the taste test, scoring 78 per cent each.

Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g) was awarded a best buy and great value recommendations by Which? thanks to its ‘outstanding value’ at just 59p a tin.

It also really impressed the tasters with its ‘perfect creaminess’, as well as its appearance and texture. Most of those who tried it said the balance of tanginess and sweetness was ‘just right’.

Tesco’s Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g) tied with Sainsbury’s, matching it on taste and value.

The majority of people thought it ‘excelled on every measure’ with just the right strength of flavour and tang.

It also scored top marks for thickness and creaminess, unlike some of the lower-scoring soups, which ‘compromise on texture’.

Following closely behind these, Asda’s Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g) earned an overall score of 77 per cent and was also named a best buy.

The cheap soup rated highly across all the categories, including appearance, aroma, flavour, and texture, just narrowly missing out on the top spot.

It was said to have ‘well-balanced flavours’ and a ‘satisfying creaminess’, making it another good own-brand tin to choose.

How did other soups compare?

The next highest-rated soup in the test was Crosse & Blackwell Cream of Tomato Soup (£1.25 for 400g) earned a mark of 76 per cent.

This tin proved the best of the branded ones that were tried, and while it may have beaten Heinz in taste and price, it’s still around double the price of most supermarket versions.

Those keen to give it a try, though, can find tins in Tesco and Sainsbury’s as well as online via Ocado.

Co-op Classic Cream of Tomato Soup (75p for 400g) came after this with a score of 73 per cent. It was deemed a ‘solid contender’ with a good level of creaminess and well-balanced flavours.

Although the soup missed out on a higher place, the aroma and appearance weren’t on par with the other tins.

Marks & Spencer’s Cream of Tomato Soup (60p for 400g) also scored 73 per cent, and tasters enjoyed its thickness and creaminess. 

Morrisons Cream of Tomato Soup (65p for 400g) followed with 72 per cent, then Aldi’s Bramwells Cream of Tomato Soup (59p for 400g) with a score of 71 per cent, and Lidl’s Newgate Cream of Tomato Soup earned 70 per cent in the final scores.

These soups were said to ‘look the part’ but fell short when it came to the flavour and texture, with tasters noting that Aldi’s in particular lacked creaminess.

At the other end of the scale, the classic Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup (£1.70 for 400g) scored 68 per cent, putting it in the bottom three.

More than a third deemed the flavour ‘too weak’ and ‘not sweet enough’, while 62 per cent of tasters also thought it wasn’t creamy enough.

Waitrose Essential Cream of Tomato Soup (85p for 400g) received a score of 66 per cent, losing marks for flavour and texture as around half thought it wasn’t thick or creamy enough.

And finally, it was Baxter’s Cream of Tomato Soup (£2.05 for 400g) that came in last place, with 58 per cent.

The most expensive soup was also the lowest-scoring overall, as most tasters found the flavour ‘too weak’, and the texture ‘not thick enough’.

Jessica Carson, Which? taste test expert, tells Metro: ‘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. 

‘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.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

Comment now

Comments

Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google

Add as preferred source