I tried chicken and vegetable soup from four supermarkets to see which was best

The soups were from Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and M&SSoups from Aldi and Sainsbury’s(Image: Ray Bonsall/.Liverpool ECHO )

Chicken soup is a favourite at this time of year. Many swear by it to keep them going through the winter months and with hopes of staving off illness with a nutritious broth.

If you don’t have time to boil up a chicken to make your own, a supermarket option can do just fine – although not all are made equal. With some colder days this week, I decided to put four to the test to find which would make a hearty lunch and which weren’t worth buying.

The soups I tested were from Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl and Marks & Spencer.

Sainsbury’s – £1.49Sainsbury’s offering suffered from stringy bits(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Sainsbury’s soup was surprisingly one the cheapest I tried though this reflected in the soup. Taste wise it was perfectly fine and what you might expect with the flavours of the veg (carrot, swede, onion, leek, celery and kale), balanced out by chicken broth saltiness.

It was stingy on the chicken content however with only a few stringy bits scattered in. Unlike some of the others there was no potato or grain to make up for this, and while healthy, this soup wasn’t very hearty.

It was a boring eat and I didn’t finish the bowl.

5/10

Aldi – £1.59Aldi’s moreish chicken soup(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Aldi’s soup was unique due to the addition of cream which gave it a delicious tang. This also helped to mask most of the veg flavours leaving just a subtle hint as opposed to the overwhelming cabbage taste of some of the others.

The cream also thickened the soup which was added to by the addition of potato – overall making it a very hearty and substantial lunch.

The taste was very moreish – a bit like a leek and potato soup but with the added bonus of chicken.

8/10

Lidl – £2.25A suspicious lump of fat in the Lidl offering – or is it just flavour?(Image: Liverpool Echo)

I didn’t have a good start with Lidl’s soup immediately finding a lump of fat floating on top. But having decided that this was fair enough for a chicken soup, and maybe even quite healthy, I gave it a good heat through and a stir before tucking in.

The next issue was flavour however. It was great to see so many veggies in the soup and no doubt my body thanked me for the soup, but the sulphuric sweetness of the veg was overpowering. It was balanced out by any other strong flavours and for me, it was too much to finish.

It tasted like something you’d be made to eat at your grandparent’s house and I sulked over the remaining half a bowl, picking round the veg at some stringy bits of chicken. I’m also not a broccoli fan so the big pieces were off-putting and I also kept having to stop to pick out crunchy bits of parsnip.

Without many starchy elements, it wasn’t very filling especially since I only ate half the bowl.

4/10

M&S – £2.90M&S’s chicken soup had some good sized chunks(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Marks & Spencer’s soup was a thick and flavourful broth packed full of chicken chunks and good sized bits of carrot with a rich, herby, well-seasoned taste.

Its best quality was the added grains which none of the other soups had. They gave it a lovely extra texture and made the soup feel like a substantial meal.

This was hearty and delicious and I didn’t have any issues wolfing down a full tub without getting bored of the flavour. For a satisfying lunch, I would buy it again.

9/10