Despite being a family favourite in many households following numerous promotions and advertising campaigns on television, people are beginning to look away from Dolmio sauces in the search for cheaper products that still taste of good quality ingredients. It came after shoppers were shocked to see the price of a standard jar of Dolmio shoot up to around £2.20.
Reach news reporter Laura Nightingale was dispatched to the shops to find out for SurreyLive what the options were for an alternative tasty sauce to mix in with a bowl of pasta. This is her report.
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Once a week I happily tuck into a quick pasta meal in front of the telly at home — perfect when I am short on time. I grab a packet of penne, a jar of Dolmio and 10 minutes later I am sitting on the sofa with a cheap and tasty supper.
To keep things affordable, I will often cook too much pasta so I can have it cold for lunch the next day. But, as with everything it seems at the moment, basic food items are increasing in price, including pasta sauce. Dolmio is a family favourite in our household and we have it with everything, from mum's spag bol and chilli con carne, to homemade pizza and ratatouille. However, a jar of Dolmio can now set you back £2.20.
To keep my grocery bill low, I went on a mission to find out if there was a cheaper alternative that tasted just as good. I picked up similar jars of pasta sauce from Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer, Co-op, Waitrose and Morrisons to find the best one, rating them in terms of value for money, taste, texture and price.
8. Morrisons
Morrisons' Bolognese Sauce had an onion aftertaste, which I found off-putting. Even though it had a high tomato content and was a good price at £1.09, it just wasn't for me. At first glance, the labelling looked very similar to Dolmio.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 83%, tomato purée 8%
Weight: 500g
Price: £1.09
7. Aldi
Aldi's Everyday Essentials Tomato and Herb Pasta Sauce had a low tomato content and, as a result, was pale in colour. I found it a bit watery and it had big chunks of onion in it. Despite being the cheapest jar I tried, at just 47p for 440g, it didn't have that rich tomato taste. I would mix it into a pasta dish, but it was not my favourite.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 29%, tomato puree 42%
Weight: 440g
Price: 0.47p
6. Waitrose
If you love red wine, get your hands on Waitrose's Essential Bolognese Sauce, as it has a strong boozy flavour. Not only did it contain red wine, but it was also quite pungent in terms of flavour as it contained onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, black pepper, dried rosemary, dried bay leaf and dried thyme. It was very thick too.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 65%, tomato purée 17%
Weight: 340g
Price: £1.00
5. Co-op
Co-op's Bolognese Pasta Sauce was bright red in colour, but not bright on flavour. I found it a bit flavourless and there was a very subtle taste of oregano.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 67%, tomato puree 14%
Weight: 500g
Price: £1.50
4. Dolmio
Dolmio Bolognese Original Pasta Sauce was rich, thick and delicious, just as I knew it would be, but at £2.20 it was more than double the price of many of the other brands I tasted. Yes I enjoyed it but it was no more superior than some of the cheaper supermarket versions. I did like the fact it contained some lovely chunky tomatoes.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 75%, tomato puree 13%
Weight: 500g
Price: £2.20 (currently at Tesco)
3. Tesco
Tesco's Bolognese Sauce had a brilliant red colour and a thick texture. It tasted just of tomato (perfect if you are not a fan of onion), but I couldn't get any hint of herbs. It was smooth and reminded me of just-blended chopped tomatoes.
Tomato content: Tomato 67%, tomato puree 24%
Weight: 500g
Price: 0.85p
2. Marks and Spencer
The M&S Classic Tomato Everything Pasta Sauce was thick, rich and silky. However, at £1.70 for a small 340g jar, it's a bit of a treat.
If it wasn't for the price, I would happily eat this sauce straight from the jar as a makeshift tomato soup with a nice hunk of buttered bread.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 79%, tomato puree (% not included)
Weight: 340g
Price: £1.70
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1. WINNER: Sainsbury's
A clear winner in terms of value for money, in my opinion, had to be Sainsbury's Tomato and Herb Bolognese Pasta Sauce. It was quite loose in consistency, but it was nice and flavoursome as it was packed with tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano and black pepper.
It would go perfectly in a hearty bowl of ravioli or family-size spaghetti Bolognese. And on that note, I made a large dish of pasta for my whole family — so no jars in this taste test went to waste. I froze the rest.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 66%, tomato purée 10%
Weight: 500g
Price: 0.87p
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