CONOR POPEreviews Ketchup
Janet's Country Fayre Really Good Ketchup €2.99 for 250g, €5.98 per kg
Okay, so, we won't talk about the price for a bit. This is a rather lovely product, made with lovely fresh-sounding ingredients. It has a gorgeously tomatoey flavour and it will almost certainly play a starring role if you allow it to smother a chip. It is also made by a small Irish producer who clearly knows a thing or two about the condiment world and has delivered a very good ketchup with a textured richness you' ll struggle to find elsewhere. You will also have to have a certain richness about you if this is to be part of your weekly shop.
Verdict: Lovely but at a cost
Star rating: ***
Bramwells Tomato Ketchup 79c for 563g, €1.33 per kg
This Aldi ketchup is very cheap. It costs at least 75 per cent less than the market leader. The price differential is even greater if you make the mistake of buying your Heinz in a convenience store. You would struggle to notice the difference. It is by no means amazing and the vinegar kick dominated proceedings to such an extent that we could get only the merest hint of tomato, but does that really matter? Certainly not to any children Pricewatch has seen eating this and each time this sauce appears on a plate it is downed with gusto.
Verdict: Cheap as chips
Star rating: *****
Heinz Tomato Ketchup €2.69 for 570ml, €4.70 per litre
Warren Buffet may think Heinz is worth billions but we are not convinced. This sauce has a pleasingly familiar flavour and a nicely simple ingredient list but it lacks the rich complexity of the artisan product and the cheapness of the Aldi sauce so it ends up falling between two stools. It is neither good value nor great tasting and we could not help feeling a lifetime buying this would be a lifetime buying a product that should cost less. We appreciate that someone has to pay for all the advertising that Heinz does but we'd just rather it wasn't us.
Verdict: Too dear
Star rating: **
Tesco Tomato Ketchup €1.32 for 570g, €2.31 per kg
In terms of taste, texture and price, this is closest to the Aldi sauce and, like that option, it is grand without being amazing. If we had to choose between the two – and if all things were equal – then we would go with this every time, as it has a slightly more nuanced flavour and we could actually taste the tomatoes on our plate. But all things are not equal and while this is a good bit cheaper than the brand leader, it is almost €1 dearer than the other own-brand option.
Verdict: Good value
Star rating: ****
