I tried own-brand baked beans and olive oil – I’ll never buy branded again

From baked beans to olive oil, I tested cheap alternatives from Asda and Sainsbury’s against branded alternatives

I tried own-brand baked beans and olive oil – the results were surprising(Image: d3sign via Getty Images)

It’s easy to fall into the habit of buying familiar brands, believing they offer superior quality. However, over recent months, I’ve tested multiple supermarket own-brand products in a bid to reduce my food shopping costs, including baked beans and ketchups, and the results have genuinely surprised me.

These trials have led me to purchase and use certain own-brand items exclusively, such as olive oil, baked beans, and dishwasher tablets. Switching to supermarket own-label alternatives has reduced my expenditure while maintaining quality standards, and in several instances, I’ve actually found them more appealing.

This experience has demonstrated that remaining loyal to branded products doesn’t always guarantee superior quality; sometimes, it merely means paying more.

Baked beans

I switched to own-brand baked beans last year, and I honestly can’t understand why I didn’t make the change sooner.

Following years of automatically selecting Heinz, I decided to sample Asda’s version, and it’s now become my preferred option.

Not only are they significantly cheaper, which genuinely makes a difference to the weekly shopping spend, but I actually favour the taste.

The sauce is rich and well-balanced, and the beans have a superb texture.

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

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

I also love Sainsbury’s own-branded ketchup, which has a great flavour.

There are lots of great own-brand olive oils(Image: Hleb Usovich via Getty Images)

Olive oil

I’ve made a similar switch with olive oil.

For years, I was a loyal Filippo Berio buyer, convinced it was the best on the shelf, never once considering an alternative.

That’s all changed now, as I’ve recently switched to Sainsbury’s own-brand olive oil, and I couldn’t be happier.

The price difference alone makes it worthwhile, yet the quality is every bit as good.