Brand vs Own Brand: Taste-testing everyday essentials to see where you should be saving money

British shoppers are currently facing the harsh reality of the fastest annual food price increases since 1977.
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Owing to the fact that inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, remains at 10.1% and is falling far more slowly than expected by experts, food prices across the UK have soared by 19.2%. Coming off the back of a more general cost of living crisis and still-lofty petrol prices, the collective impact of higher supermarket bills on families across the country has been huge.

With wages failing to match inflation by a long distance – a factor which has led many sectors to engage in strike action in recent months – data from the Office of National Statistics shows that around half of adults are subsequently buying less food than they would usually purchase when food shopping in recent weeks, with the cost of staple foods such as bread, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables hitting previously unseen levels.

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As a result, the Lancashire Evening Post have carried out a taste-test to compare a handful of well-known brands’ products to their own-brand counterparts to see where you should be looking to save at the checkout.

Inflation in food prices is currently running at 19.2%Inflation in food prices is currently running at 19.2%
Inflation in food prices is currently running at 19.2%

For comparison, the total price of the own-brand shop - which included tea, mayonnaise, chocolate, beans, cheese, and biscuits - was £6.38, while the branded shop - including Cathedral City cheddar, Yorkshire Tea, Heinz beans, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Hellman’s mayo, and McVitie’s Hobnobs - cost £14.85, which is 133% more than the own-brand shop.

Beginning with the chocolate, there was no contest, with the classic rich taste of the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (£1.17) winning over the listless and shallow flavour of the own-brand milk chocolate (£0.43). The depth and the creaminess of the Cadbury’s was streets ahead of the thin, sugary own-brand chocolate.

Next was the cheese. As a regular and confident buyer of own-brand mature cheddar (£2.79), I was shocked to find that the creamy Cathedral City (£3.25) really stood out a lot more. With a real edge and tanginess to it as well, it was proper cheddar and made the own-brand stuff seem quite tame in comparison which, for just an extra 46p, I thought was very impressive.

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Coming to the biscuits, this was where the own-brand stuff really came into its own. Almost identical in shape, size, colour, and texture, the own-brand Oaties (£0.45) were just as good as the McVitie’s Hobnobs (£1.29), offering that classic dunkable oat crumble and a lovely crunch to boot.

With the mayo, the Hellman’s (£2.65) was a reminder of that classic childhood mayonnaise flavour, all tang and cream and a faint edge of mustard, whereas the own-brand mayo (£0.85) was just, well, fine in comparison. The price of the Hellman’s, however, proved too much of a hurdle, meaning that the own-brand version won out.

On to the beans, and it was here that I was surprised to find I actively preferred the own-brand beans (£0.47) to the much saucier Heinz (£1) version. The textures were similar, but the extra sauce meant the own-brand beans offered more bean bang for your bean buck.

Finally, the tea. As a nation of tea-drinkers, a brew is important, so it won’t surprise anyone to learn that Yorkshire tea (55p per 100 bags) comfortably beat the Red Label (14p per 100 bags) hands-down.

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