I compared tomato soups from six supermarkets and the winner was better than Heinz
Jennifer tried soups from 6 different supermarkets as well as Heinz’ Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
There’s nothing better than a bowl of tomato soup on a cold or rainy afternoon. It’s comforting, warm and nostalgic, the kind of quick and easy meal that can brighten up a miserable day. Paired with buttered bread or even a grilled cheese sandwich, it’s one of those go-to meals that just works.
But with many supermarkets competing against the big brands with their own ranges, I wanted to find out the answer to a simple question: can any of them actually beat Heinz’ iconic Cream of Tomato soup? To find out, I tried cream of tomato soups from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl, M&S and Waitrose.
I judged each soup on five criteria: taste, texture, smell, appearance, aftertaste and overall satisfaction, giving each one a score out of 10.
Here are the results.
Heinz
Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, £1.30 at Sainsbury’s, £1.59 at Tesco
I know this will be controversial, but I actually didn’t like the Heinz tomato soup much at all. There’s a nostalgic flavour there, and the texture is solid, but the colour felt unnaturally bright orange, the taste was overly sweet, and overall it came across as quite processed.
It left a lingering sweetness that felt a little too much. It was also way more expensive than the other options.
Rating 3/10
Aldi
Bramwells Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Bramwells Cream of Tomato Soup, 59p
Aldi’s Bramwells soup was probably the closest to Heinz out of all the supermarket versions I tried, although a tiny bit less intense in flavour. It was still too sweet but not quite as overpowering, and had that orange fluorescent colour and the texture was too watery in my opinion.
At just 59p for a 400g tin, though, it’s significantly cheaper than Heinz and makes a very solid alternative for a fraction of the price.
Rating 4/10
Lidl
Newgate Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Newgate Cream of Tomato Soup, 59p
Lidl was pretty similar, it was still too sweet and too thin in texture in my opinion, though slightly darker in colour and not such a bright orange colour.
Rating 4.5/10
Tesco
Tesco Cream Of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Tesco Cream Of Tomato Soup, 59p
This soup has a higher tomato content (91%) and uses tomato purée instead of whole tomatoes in water, which gives it a stronger and more concentrated tomato flavour. The double cream also makes it smoother in texture. However, in my opinion, it still tastes quite processed, with a slightly artificial or “chemical” taste and overly sweet.
Rating 5/10
M&S
M&S Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
M&S Cream of Tomato Soup, 60p
M&S also uses double cream, which gives it a velvety texture. It is a strong option and tastes way less sweet than the previous supermarket versions. It is rich, creamy, and comforting, with good depth of flavour and a nice thickness.
The colour is darker, and it has a richer tomato taste compared to Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Heinz. Overall, it feels like a great-quality soup for the price and a great alternative to Heinz.
Rating 7/10
Waitrose
Waitrose Cream of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Waitrose Cream of Tomato Soup, 80p
Waitrose comes in as a close second. This was the most expensive supermarket own-brand cream of tomato soup, but it tasted really good and felt probably the closest to a homemade bowl of soup.
It wasn’t too sweet and felt lighter than the previous options, with a more natural, less processed taste. The colour was also a deep red which made it feel more rich and tomato-heavy.
Rating 8.5/10
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s Cream Of Tomato Soup(Image: Jennifer Pinto)
Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup, 59p
For the quality and price, Sainsbury’s wins this week’s taste test. It didn’t taste too sweet or too salty, and it felt light without being sickly even after a full bowl, while still being comforting.
The texture was smooth and velvety rather than watery. Overall, it had a better balance of sweetness and acidity, with stronger tomato flavour and less water dilution.
Rating 9/10
