They say there's nothing like the real thing, and for many people when it comes to mayonnaise, Hellmann's is the only one that will do. Connoisseurs of the chips and mayo combo will accept no substitute.
And when it comes to the perfect mix for an egg mayo sandwich, the familiar richness of the brand leader will always be the top choice for its devoted fans. But with everyone tightening their belts and looking for savings at the supermarket, could there be an alternative that will taste just as good?
Rebecca Astill, of Birmingham Live, decided to do a taste test to see if anyone else has come up with a mayo that can compare to her favourite, which she describes lovingly as "eggy, lemony, liquidy goodness". She tried out Hellmann's alongside rivals from some of the major supermarkets - Sainsbury's, Aldi, Tesco, and Lidl - and came up with a surprising verdict.
These are her thoughts on the contenders.
Hellmann’s
£2.70 for 430ml at Ocado
Hellmann’s mayonnaise is strangely addictive. It’s got that distinctive eggy, citrusy flavour that just goes with everything.
The consistency is runny while retaining structure, so it can be swept up perfectly on a chip without falling off. It’ll be a hard one to beat, that’s for sure.
10/10
Sainsbury’s
£1.20 for 500ml
My first thought about the Sainsbury’s mayonnaise was how thick it was. It squirted out in perfect form, so much so you could swirl it round into a Mr. Whippy shape.
Taste-wise, it was weak. As I slathered it onto a chip and took a bite, I found myself wishing there was just a bit more to it. There was a slight hint of citrus, and a hit of egg, but nothing was strong enough to make me crave it again.
6/10
Aldi
69p for 500ml
Like the Sainsbury’s mayonnaise, the Aldi mayo was thick and held its shape once squirted onto the plate. Again, I struggled to take much from the taste.
I would never say a chip is particularly flavoursome, but the mayonnaise wasn’t even enough to cut through the saltiness. They may as well not have bothered.
3/10
Tesco
69p for 450ml
Once again, the thick consistency held on the Tesco mayonnaise, but it wasn’t all the same story. I dipped a chip in, took a bite, and was shocked.
After several duds, I had found a mayonnaise that tasted almost identical to the Hellmann’s. It was light, citrusy, perhaps not quite as eggy, but a great alternative for a cheaper price.
10/10
Lidl
59p for 500ml
The Lidl squirter was… enthusiastic to say the least. I exerted the same amount of pressure on the bottle as I had on any of the others and a great dollop spurted out.
The mayonnaise itself had a great initial flavour, which sadly seemed to die out almost immediately as it settled into your tongue. Though this was better than the Aldi and Sainsbury’s versions, I think it was pretty obvious which supermarket was destined to win this taste test.
7/10
Overall verdict
There was a point in this mayonnaise testing where I was feeling pretty disheartened. I was thinking my conclusion would something along the lines of: “Look, I wasted my time because nothing could ever live up to Hellmann’s.”
And then Tesco mayonnaise came along, and everything changed. Honestly, I could barely differentiate between that and Hellmann’s. I’m not sure I could at all in a blind taste test.
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