I tried jams from Lidl, Aldi, Tesco and Asda — winner was 90p cheaper than Hartley’s

I compared supermarket own-brand jams to see which one was the best, and the results were surprising. One tasty jam was 90p cheaper than Hartley’s.

We love our jam in this country, using it in sandwiches, on toast, in salad dressings and even in baking. The jam aisle in supermarkets can be quite overwhelming with own-branded jams and big household names taking up lots of shelf space. I recently put supermarket brands up against one another again to perform a blind taste test.

I went to Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Tesco and Asda, and I compared them to Hartley’s. The results were surprising, and I couldn’t believe how different they tasted from one another. Prices were correct at the time of writing.

1. Lidl – 89p

Lidl’s jam took the taste test off to a great start, with the budget supermarket’s raspberry jam smooth in texture and tasting fresh. However, there wasn’t that much flavour in this jam compared to the other ones we tried.

Score: 6/10

2. Morrisons – 90p

Unfortunately, Morrisons’ jam ranked quite low in the taste test as it was too thick and had a jelly-like consistency, which we weren’t a fan of. It also tasted quite strong and artificial compared to some others we tried.

Score: 2/10

3. Sainsbury’s – 89p

Although this jam had a great consistency, it was a lot more sour compared to some of the others in the taste test. It has a decent flavour but tastes slightly artificial, but overall, I would eat this again on toast.

Score: 5/10

4. Aldi – 89p

Aldi’s jam was absolutely delicious with a great flavour which wasn’t artificial at all. The texture was spot on, and it wasn’t overly sweet or too tangy; it was just right and topped the taste test.

Score: 10/10

5. Tesco

Tesco’s seedless raspberry jam tasted incredibly sweet compared to some others we sampled, but it wasn’t off-putting. It had a very distinctive raspberry flavour and overall was delicious on toast.

Score: 7/10

6. Asda – 89p

Asda’s seedless raspberry jam also boasted a fantastic raspberry flavour that didn’t taste artificial. We favoured other ones in the taste test, but would happily have this again.

Score: 7/10

7. Hartley’s – £1.70

Hartley’s jam had a grainy texture, and the consistency was far too thick, almost jelly-like. It was quite sweet, but we did enjoy the flavour; however, it didn’t beat Aldi.

Score: 5/10