Dolloped on the side of chips, squirted over burgers or mixed in as part of a tangy marinade, tomato ketchup is a kitchen staple. It’s a super popular condiment, and it’s versatile too.
However, do you really need to splash out on the name brands like Heinz, or as supermarket own brands just as good? To figure out which is the best brand of ketchup to buy, consumer group Which? gathered a panel of 72 people to test eight brands of ketchup. Each brand was rated on its taste, smell, texture and appearance in a blind taste test and then ranked accordingly.
Although Heinz ranked highly, there was one supermarket’s own brand that was just as good for a fraction of the price. The Asda Classic Tomato Ketchup scored 77% and tasters said it had well-balanced tanginess, sweetness and strength of flavour.
It also had less sugar and salt than the Heinz version. Asda’s ketchup costs £1.39 for 970g compared to Heinz which is £3 for 460g.
Tasters did like Heinz Tomato Ketchup, scoring equal to Asda. They said it had a good texture and taste, and it looked good too. Heinz does contain more salt and sugar per 100g than most of the others we tested.
The brand does have a reduced sugar version but this was not tasted in the test.
In third place was Waitrose Essential Tomato Ketchup which sells for 95p for 470g. Tasters gave it 75% and liked the flavour and texture. This is a great option if you want a tasty ketchup that doesn’t break the bank.
Coming in fourth place was Aldi Bramwells Tomato Ketchup 89p for 550g. Tasters gave it 73%. This ketchup has the lowest sugar content of all the ketchups, and tasters loved the texture. However, only half were satisfied with the taste and sweetness.
Of all the ketchups tasted, Marks and Spencer fared the worst. The ketchup was too thick, dark and tangy and tasters only rated 61%.
