HOT ON THE HEELS OF HEINZ

Heinz tomato ketchup £3.50 for 900g (38p per 100g) from Asda, but widely available

A shiny, dark ketchup that tastes very sweet (it’s high in sugars) with a savoury richness, but little else going on. Its exemplary ingredients list does not include starch or preservative.

Sainsbury’s tomato ketchup £1 for 970g (10p per 100g)

This has a very tomatoey flavour and is not too sweet. I could eat a lot of this gentle, not-quite-smooth ketchup, although Heinz lovers might look for a bit more of an acid kick. Contains starch.

Tesco tomato ketchup

£1 for 555g (18p per 100g) This one is the closest to Heinz of the ketchups I tried, with a bright flavour, a good spice balance and a back note of chilli. Contains starch. ÌÌÌÌÌ

M&S Food tomato ketchup £1 for 495g (20p per 100g)

More like premium “posh” ketchup than Heinz, it’s dark and grainy (it includes sun-dried tomatoes) with a powerful, almost brownsauce-like flavour. No added starch, but contains preservative.

Asda Just Essentials tomato ketchup 42p for 530g (7.9p per 100g)

The flavour of standard Asda ketchup (£1.15/970g) is on the thin side. This is its Just Essentials version, which has a rough texture and a savoury tang. It’s a bit starchy-tasting, but will still lift a bacon sarnie.

Crucials tomato ketchup £1.09 for 500ml from Poundland (22p per 100ml; approx 26p per 100g) The only one to list water as the top ingredient. Low tomato content; includes sweetener as well as oil and modified starch. The flavour is cardboardy.