BEANZ means Heinz, the superbrand’s slogan would have you think. But maybe it need not always be that way.
We told yesterday how the tea-time favourite has doubled the price of some of its products in the past year.
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But with lots of supermarket own-brand alternatives on the shelves, you do not have to swallow the increases, as there are plenty of cheaper substitutes.
From baked beans, tomato soup, spaghetti hoops and beef ravioli, to bolognese or barbecue sauce, salad cream and ketchup, it pays to think before you buy.
Heinz superfan Hayley Minn did a blind taste test to compare eight of the supermarket favourite’s well-known products to stores’ own-brand versions.
Here she gives her verdicts and taste ratings out of five.
BAKED BEANS
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I’M a huge “beanz” loyalist – I just can’t get enough of them.
But having said that, I was very impressed with the Sainsbury’s alternative.
I got a can of Heinz from Waitrose on offer for £1, rather than its usual £1.20 – and the Sainsbury’s tin was still less than half the price.
Other baked beans that impressed me were those from M&S and Tesco.
BBQ SAUCE
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IT’S known for its tomato flavour but Heinz also serves up a lovely barbecue sauce.
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It costs a whopping £3.40 for 425g, though, so you may like to look around for a plan B – and my pick of the rest was from Tesco, whose sauce costs just £1 for 440g. Bargain.
The Sainsbury’s one was not far behind.
Tastiest of the lot, though, was Heinz – for flavour rather than price.
SPAGHETTI HOOPS
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The Marks & Spencer offering was a close second for me but is only 10p cheaper.
The versions from Asda and Sainsbury’s also tasted great, while Aldi and Lidl cans are just 16p each and would probably be just as good as the others if you add a bit of seasoning.
KETCHUP
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KETCHUP has always HAD to be Heinz for me, and I have even been known to have it on a Sunday roast, so I was not going to be easily drawn to other brands.
But that price of £3.40 for 425g is getting more and more unappetising and I’m glad to have found there’s a far cheaper ketchup that tastes just as good, at Aldi.
At 65p for 575g, you really can’t go wrong.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the Sainsbury’s and Tesco versions.
BEEF RAVIOLI
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GO Heinz here and it now sets you back £2 for a 400g tin, while I don’t think it was the tastiest on the shelf.
From my blind test, I thought the Sainsbury’s ravioli was Heinz, as the sauce is so sweet and tomatoey and the beef very flavoursome.
Heinz was my second favourite for taste, but Lidl and Asda weren’t far behind.
They just needed a little seasoning and making a tad sweeter, maybe with ketchup, which doesn’t have to be Heinz.
BOLOGNESE SAUCE
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HEINZ launched its first ever range of pasta sauces last year, including a tomato one for bolognese – but it’s not cheap at £1.30 for 350g.
The own-brand versions I tried were mostly 500g and a whole lot kinder to the wallet.
As well as to the tastebuds, I reckoned.
My favourites were from Asda and Aldi, which cost just £1 and 85p respectively, for 500g jars. Lashings of savings, there.
SALAD CREAM
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THIS is another very expensive buy should you choose Heinz – but I have good news to report because Aldi’s 85p version is delicious.
In fact, I thought this yummy salad cream WAS Heinz when I tried it.
Plus, you get 520g in a bottle compared to just 425g in a Heinz one.
Heinz wasn’t even my second favourite – I preferred the Sainsburys and M&S offerings.
TOMATO SOUP
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CREAM of tomato soup is one of Heinz’s most loved treats and was a part of my childhood, so the other pretenders I taste-tested certainly had their work cut out to win me over.
But the Sainsbury’s one was just as delicious – and is all yours for just 54p, as against the extortionate Heinz price of £1.70.
Tesco’s and Asda’s tomato soups were also really enjoyable.
