I tried own-brand baked beans, olive oil and dishwasher tablets – I won’t go back to branded

I put supermarket own-label products to the test against big brands in a bid to cut my grocery bill

I tested own-brand baked beans, olive oil and dishwasher tablets – I won’t go back(Image: Maliflower73 via Getty Images)

It’s simple to get caught in the habit of staying loyal to familiar brands, believing they’re better. Nevertheless, I’ve tested a multitude of supermarket own-brand products over the past few months in a bid to reduce my food shopping costs, including baked beans and ketchups, and I’ve been truly astonished.

These trials have led me to now solely purchase and use certain own-brand items, including olive oil, baked beans, and dishwasher tablets. Switching to supermarket alternatives has reduced my expenditure without sacrificing quality, and in some instances, I’ve actually found them superior.

It’s demonstrated to me that remaining loyal to brands doesn’t necessarily ensure better quality; sometimes, it simply means paying more.

Baked beans

I switched to own-brand baked beans last year, and I genuinely cannot understand why I didn’t do it sooner.

After years of automatically reaching for Heinz, I decided to try Asda’s version, and it’s now my go-to.

Not only are they significantly cheaper, which really makes a difference to the weekly shopping bill, but I genuinely prefer the taste.

The sauce is rich and perfectly seasoned, and the beans have an excellent texture.

There’s a lot of great own-brand olive oil on the market(Image: Hleb Usovich via Getty Images)

For a 410g tin, Asda charges merely 42p, compared to the £1.45 Tesco is asking for Heinz.

I’m also quite partial to Sainsbury’s own-brand baked beans, though if I lived closer to an Asda, they’d be my first choice.

Olive oil

I’ve followed exactly the same approach with olive oil.

I used to buy Filippo Berio, convinced it was the superior choice, and never once considered switching after years of reaching for well-known brands.

Lately, I’ve switched to Sainsbury’s own-brand olive oil, and I’m genuinely thrilled with the result.

It’s notably less expensive, which is a significant bonus, and it performs just as well.