With the price of food items going up recently we’ve been testing out supermarket value ranges to see how they compare to the big brand names, and this week we’ve tried out peanut butter.
For some shoppers, the store cupboard item is something of an obsession and people love it spread on toast, in sandwiches and use it when baking. But the savoury spread can be pricey, depending on which tub you go for.
Sunpat has been a popular choice for generations, while Pip and Nut and Whole Earth have become more popular in recent years. Most of the major supermarkets have their own brands too, including value peanut butter if you’re looking to save money, but do they taste as good as the more expensive items on the shelf?
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This week, we put several supermarket value peanut butters to the test and this was our verdict:
Sainsbury’s Hubbard’s Foodstore Crunchy Peanut Butter
I normally buy a massive 1kg tub of Pip & Nut The Ultimate Crunchy Peanut Butter (always has to be crunchy for me). We get through a fair bit in our house, with it ending up on several rounds of toast and in protein shakes throughout the week.
We’ve used the brand for a good while now and although it’s pricey, I love the taste and the big tub lasts well, so I don’t feel like I’m having to stock up all the time.
This week, I tried the Sainsbury’s Hubbard’s Foodstore Crunchy Peanut Butter, which was 99p for a 340g jar, which works out as 29p per 100g according to the Sainsbury’s website. In comparison the big Pip & Nut tub is 68p per 100g, so you are getting a big saving switching to the value item.
The Hubbard's jar is pretty basic to look at and when I opened it up I was surprised at how light in colour the peanut butter was. Once I started to spread it on some toast, it was quite dry and had a thick consistency, compared to my usual brand, which is smoother to spread yet still nice and crunchy.
Taste-wise it had a real saltiness to it and it contained quite big chunks of peanut, which gave it a really crunchy texture. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it as much as Pip & Nut, but it didn’t taste particularly bad. Being quite dry though it did become quite claggy and sticky to eat, especially on a piece of toast. Not a bad effort from Sainsbury’s but it won’t be a swap for me.
Rating: 2/5
Price: 99p
Where to buy: Sainsbury’s online or in store.
Asda's Smart Price Crunchy Peanut Butter
I'm a big fan of peanut butter, I absolutely adore the stuff. It's completely scrumptious on toast, it's perfect in milkshakes and it's great drizzled on bananas and cereals. Even my dog loves it.
I usually try and buy Sun-pat's crunchy peanut butter, or a big tub of Pip & Nut, which are both delicious and the perfect balance of sweet and salty so I didn't have high expectations Asda's discount version. Asda's Smart Price version costs 85p for a 340g tub, whereas a 300g jar of Pip & Nut costs £3 from the budget supermarket, and a 400g jar of Sun-pat costs £2 so the Smart Price alternate does offer decent savings.
Like with most Smart Price products, the packaging is a stripped back, no frills affair. As soon as I opened the lid, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount pf peanuts stuffed inside as I'd expected it to be quite a stingy portion.
It's pretty easy to spread and not too claggy and offers a satisfying taste, though it's significantly plainer than the pricier brands. It's not as sweet nor as salty, but it's still tasty enough. Spread on toast, it still provided a decent and satisfying comfort food fix. I don't think I'll make a permanent switch but when I'm budgeting, this will definitely go straight in my basket.
Rating: 3/5
Price: 85p
Where to buy: Asda stores and online
Aldi's Grandessa Smooth Peanut Butter
I'll be honest, I don't really like peanut butter. At all. I know that may be shocking to some, but I just find the taste overpowering and way too nutty. Nevertheless, I've tried it before and I know the difference between my Sun-Pat and my basic peanut butters after years of having a partner who adores the stuff.
The Aldi Grandessa Smooth Peanut Butter is priced at 89p for a 340g jar, I decided to go for the smooth variety because I really couldn't be doing with extra nut. Once I opened the lid, I was pretty surprised at the amount of peanut butter in the jar, it didn't start halfway to the bottom like many food items nowadays, and it was filled nicely.
If I had to describe the flavour, I'd say it was very strong with a thick consistency. My peanut butter lover partner confirmed that it definitely "wasn't as creamy" as some peanut butters, but it tasted "virtually the same as Sun-Pat."
The consistency of the peanut butter was nice and smooth, and I can imagine it would work great on toast (if I actually liked the stuff). As a whole for 89p I'd say this is really nice quality peanut butter, why pay over £1 when you can get a Sun-Pat replica for 89p from Aldi?
Rating: 4/5
Price: 89p
Where to buy: Aldi stores and online
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