This week, CONOR POPEreviews baked beans

Heinz Beans €0.99 for 415g, €2.39 per kg

HIGHS

World’s most famous beans now come with extra feel-good factor because of the organic twist. These are sweet and the sauce pleasant. Not too watery

LOWS

On the soft side. No difference between the organic and non-organic varieties except for the price (a non-organic tin in the same shop cost 75 cent). Salt at 1.5g per half a can (nearly a quarter of an adult’s GDA) is a lot

VERDICT

OTT price

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Tesco Value Baked Beans €0.32 for 420g, €0.76 per kg

HIGHS

They’re cheap

LOWS

It is hard to get a tin of beans wrong but Tesco’s Value range has managed it. These are vile. The sauce is insipid, the beans soft and the most lingering taste we got was of tin. They are made with just 44 per cent beans and 26 per cent tomato paste with the remainder being water, sugar, salt, glucose syrup and flavouring. So much liquid came out we thought we were having soup

VERDICT

Vile at any price

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Batchelors Heartwise Baked Beans €1.05 for 420g, €2.50 per kg

HIGHS

Lower in salt, lower in sugar and with added omega 3s and vitamins A and E, but with a significantly higher percentage of beans and tomato sauce – 90 per cent – than the competition. The most wholesome bean we tried – and Irish. Rich and tomatoey sauce

LOWS

It contains fish (the omega 3s) which might be a little off-putting for the most hardcore of vegetarians

VERDICT

No has-bean

****

Whole Earth Organic Baked Beans €1.85 for 420g, €4.40 per kg

HIGHS

These are undoubtedly a fine product, made with quality ingredients. The beans are nice and solid, and the sauce is sweet. The ingredient list is free of nasty stuff and in taste terms these are up there with the best

LOWS

We find it very hard to justify a spend of nearly €2 on a can of beans

VERDICT

Just a bit dear

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