The cost of living crisis is affecting us all majorly as consumers, even with simple activities like our weekly food shop.
Bills are going up, leaving many shoppers turning to cheaper alternatives for staple items such as tea bags, coffee and fairy liquid. However, some shoppers aren't always keen on 'value' product items, and turn to more expensive 'finer' brands.
As part of our supermarket reviews series, this week, we're moving onto tinned tomatoes, a staple tinned item we always have tucked away in our cupboards. Tinned tomatoes can be a simple and effective ingredient that can be added to plenty of different meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
READ MORE: We tried 'value' baked beans from Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and a 21p tin made us give up Heinz
Because of this, we're testing out 'value tinned tomatoes' from supermarkets to see if they're worth swapping to, because in times like these, small changes really do help. We purchased tinned tomatoes from Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury's and the Co-op and put them to the test in terms of how they taste and the value of the product.
Lidl 'Simply' peeled plum tomatoes
I've always liked tinned tomatoes, which is a little odd considering I don't actually like fresh tomatoes - but I guess they taste a little different.
There's always a tin of chopped or plum tomatoes in my cupboard waiting for the next spag bol or chilli, and I even sometimes have them on toast for breakfast or lunch for a quick and easy meal. I'll be honest, at first glance, the tin didn't exactly blow me away, but considering how good the other basic Lidl items have been, I didn't let this bother me.
The only option I could see in store were peeled plum as opposed to chopped, which I don't usually go for, but I knew they'd taste virtually the same. It cost me 29p for a 400g tin which I think is incredible value considering Napolina chopped tomatoes cost 60p in Sainsbury's.
I was impressed with the amount of plum tomatoes you got in the tin, I counted five, and they were all a decent size. The tomato sauce smelt delicious when cooking and the sauce was very rich and thick, something you don't often get with tinned tomatoes, with some being quite watery.
As I cut into the tomato a lot of juice came out but that didn't take away the flavour of the tomato. First impressions? I was very impressed with the taste and quality.
To me, this 29p tin of chopped tomatoes tastes no different to the more expensive brands out there, and I'd be more than happy to make a swap.
Price: 29p
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Your local Lidl store
Sainsbury's Hubbard’s Foodstore Chopped Tomatoes 400g
We get through a lot of tinned tomatoes in our house, with Spaghetti Bolognese and chilli con carne in heavy rotation. I've tried the fancier Napolina chopped tomatoes in the past and have found them lovely and rich in comparison to many other cheaper brands. But they're also one of the most expensive on the shelf and in these costly times, I'm keen to save money where I can.
I now usually go for a mid-range own brand can of tinned tomatoes, but for this test I picked up a tin of Sainsbury's Hubbard's Foodstore Chopped Tomatoes, which are the supermarket's cheapest own brand option at 28p. Like the rest of the Hubbard's range, you don't get a very fancy looking tin - the beige wrapper with a bright orange tomato on the front doesn't particularly stand out from the crowd, but it's what's on the inside that matters. The tin doesn't come with a ring pull either, which is another way the supermarket saves money I suppose, but makes it a little less convenient for the consumer.
When I emptied the tin into a pan, the value tomatoes didn't look particularly different in appearance to a standard tin. There were about four large tomatoes in a glossy looking sauce and they cooked down nicely when heated up. At a cheaper price, I'd expected a watery consistency and flavour, but I didn't notice much of a difference from my usual choice, though they were noticeably not as rich as the Napolina tomatoes. A little seasoning helped bring out the flavour and overall I enjoyed them. I think I'll be swapping to these from now on for those mid week family meals and only picking up a tin of Napolina if I want to cook something special.
Price: 28p for a 400g tin
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Sainsbury's in store or online.
Aldi’s Everyday Essentials Chopped Tomatoes In Tomato Juice
I always like to have a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes in the cupboard ready to be made into a quick and easy pasta sauce. I’ve had a few different brands of chopped tomatoes over the years, but I’d never tried a tin of Aldi’s Everyday Essentials Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice before.
I quite like the packaging, as it's a simple design but bold in colour. I suspected the flavour of the tomatoes may be lacking compared to the market leader, but I went into the test with an open mind. I used the tomatoes to make a simple pasta sauce with a touch of tomato puree and seasoning before adding roasted vegetables.
When I first opened the tin, I noticed the tomatoes were paler than the other brands I’ve used before, but the smell was really nice and sweet. I added the chopped tomatoes to the pan and noticed that, despite they're being a good amount of tomatoes in the tin, the consistency was very watery.
Now for the important part - the taste test. Aldi’s chopped tomatoes are sweet and tasty, so were pleasant to eat. However, I couldn’t get past the wateriness. It made the pasta and vegetables quite soggy, unlike the usual brand of tomatoes I use.
Price: 35p for a 400g tin
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy: Aldi stores
Co-op Honest Value Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped tomatoes are an absolute essential in my house, used to whip up a range of pasta sauces, curries and more. Every time I do a food shop, I always stock up on a few tins.
I don't normally shop at the Co-op but ventured in one desperate Sunday when my cupboards were shockingly bare. I find the Co-op quite pricey so was pleasantly surprised to see it has a value range.
Its chopped tomatoes didn't disappoint - though a few pennies more than my usual brand, they were full of flavour and not too watery - always a risk with a cheap tin, and who wants a watery dinner?! The flavours weren't overly strong but still offered a fresh, sweet tanginess.
I personally think most chopped tomatoes taste the same, so it's all about texture and the water levels for me and the Co-op's were chunky and rich, without the dreaded excess of water. They worked beautifully in a vegan lasagne I recently whipped up and I'd certainly give them another try.
I won't score them top marks because there wasn't enough of a dramatic difference between other supermarket versions I've tried. They got the job done but I wasn't blown away by them. Having said that, is anyone ever blown away by chopped tomatoes?
Price: 32p for a 400g tin
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Your local Co-op store
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