Is buying Supermarket’s Basic brand
A good way of saving money?
The Own Brand Dish!
V’S
Well Known Brands, from the supermarket!
The Challenge
I was set a challenge to cook two dishes, so I decided to cook two variations of Cottage pie using different ingredients in each of them,Own Brand Vs Branded.
Everyone in my family enjoys this dish and it is pretty simple and easy to make.
I went to my local mainstream supermarket with my little shopping list. I had to buy everything to make Cottage pie for four people purchasing only well known products.
I then had to purchase all the ingredients again, but this time using only the stores own & value brands.
Did I notice a difference in the ingredients?
This is a very easy question to answer, Yes.
The difference in the meat quality was obvious straight away, the value meat looked paler and was much fattier than the branded pack, even though they were both named lean minced beef.
When I was browning the store’s own brand meat in a frying pan, I noticed just how hard I found it to break the meat down.
I believe this was due to the additional fat compared to the branded mince meat.
I didn’t notice too much difference with the canned vegetables or the potatoes, which is a good thing.
The Finished Product
Once both cottage pies were ready to consume by my hungry bunch, the appearance of them both was practically identical. The next step now will be the Taste test, lets see how these two dishes compare.
The Branded products cottage pie version.
Stores own Cottage pie.
Which one did my Family prefer?
They did enjoy both of the Cottage pies, no plate was left clean. The favourite of my husband and two boy’s was without a doubt the Cottage pie cooked with the Famous brand ingredients. It cooked better and beat the value brands cottage pie in taste and texture, the gravy in this dish was richer and thicker and the meat content had far more taste.
The difference in price between the dishes was £3.67, so if the cost of your weekly shop is increasingly rising and you want to try to lower the cost, this is a great way to try.
“Everyone should try the downshift challenge: swap one brand lower on everything and see if you notice the difference. If you don’t, great. If you do, swap back. It’s a no-brainer.”
The Winner!
Who is the Winner of Own Brand Vs Branded in this round.
Well, although the own brand product’s held their own the branded products have won in our household this time!
I would love to hear your comments!
Had you ever compared dishes made with own brand and then known brand products?
How did this turn out? What shall I try giving the boys next?
Please leave your comments below, I will compare as many dishes as possible.
I was inspired to write this post by Debt Free Direct’s thrifty blog about money-saving tips – Making Money Go Further
I have tried to fool my family many times by substituting with own brands. Ive tried everything from pasta sauces to cereals and they have ALWAYS known the difference. I guess the answer is you get what you pay for!
I love this post and so pleased I came across your blog with #sharewithme. I have also tried with my girls with brand vs branded and they always seem to tell the difference x
Ha, Maybe Girls have far better taste than boys! In my house they certainly prefer the finest ingredients, but as long as they are fed and watered they don’t complain too much. My Husband does though he only swears by Heinz ketchup, he immediately tells the difference and refuses to use any other brand!
I agree with the meat, the cheaper one is so much fattier, its something that I never buy. But, on the other hand, there is loads of own brand stuff that I do buy. I personally love the cheaper coffee, whereas others can’t stand it and yes. most own brand tinned veg etc is just as good as others. And it is so so much cheaper isn’t it!
Trying to cut back spending on our weekly grocery shopping has been on my mind a lot the last couple of days, so I’m glad I stumbled across this! We buy a fair bit of branded products, but I was leaning towards cheaper tins, frozen veg etc, so will go with that, but I’m hearing don’t compromise on the meat! Thanks.
I Really hate to give budget meat out to my family! You lose a lot of taste, that’s only in my opinion though. If anyone does have any tips to cut back and spend less on meat I would love to hear. You can make your monthly budget go so much further by simply shopping around and being a little more savvy. Thank you for commenting! Rachel x
Brilliant review!
What a great post. Thank you so much for linking to Share With Me. I am so sorry it took me so long to comment. Chicken pox with two babies and lots going on this week it’s been tough to keep up. I think that I would eat either, I know my hubby couldn’t tell the difference if I told him before he ate it. But my almost three year old knows brands and even fresh from canned and somehow became the snobbiest eater ever. hahaha I want fresh vegetables he says as he has severe allergies while weaning I had to use all fresh and homemade baby food and toddler food not that I know what he is allergic and not I tried to start using canned food and no chance. He won’t touch it. AHHH Maybe try next lasagna or a chicken casserole with a cheesy sauce!!!! #sharewithme
This is an idea I’ve tried too, but always been caught out!
We shop at Lidl and I must say I much prefer most of their products to the big brands … and they are soooooo much cheaper! 🙂
I must confess me and my family prefer branded products on most food items, but not all. For example, usually a bottle of Fanta costs £1.99 or more but the Sainsbury’s own brand version is just as nice, if not better and is a mere 55p! But items like tinned soup, baked beans and spagetti, we only eat Heinz. I don’t usually buy ready made meals but some of the Supermarkets better own brand versions are lovely like Asda’s Chosen By You, or the Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference! So I buy a bit of both !
I really enjoyed reading this, as I had to do a similiar experiment a while ago: When I lost my job a few years back I had to make some drastic cuts, which for my children who were used to having brand names all the time, was going to be difficult! So I made it a goal to try to make cheaper food tastier lol, adding things here and there, and so far my winning recipe is Spaghetti Bolognese, but instead of just the branded sauce I used to use (lazy cook when I worked!) I male the sauce out of fresh tomatoes, broccoli, my home grown herbs, onion, garlic, grated carrots and any other veg that I can get my hands on, and I puree it into the sauce, and we have never looked back! The one way to make cheaper food taste better is to add lots of your own veg to taste!
To make it even cheaper I always ask our local market if they have any odd fruit and veg that’s going cheap, and sometimes I’m given the less than attractive fruit and veg for free simply because people won’t buy it! Massive money saver! lol.
This is so interesting! We tend to buy unbranded, except for a few choice things like some premade sauces etc.
I try to cook from scratch because it tastes so much better. Aldi for veg is unbeatable though have to say.
Some things I buy branded like mince for example, I also notice the difference.
I have to admit that I find branded tinned toms much better than store specific.
Kids crisps I buy stores own but certain stuff like my coffee I refuse to go store brand lol x
While this is the case sometimes, I’ve found that certain ‘value’ items are better than branded items ! I think it’s a case of try it once and if it’s rubbish go back to your usual brand. I discovered this when I tried Martin Lewis’ drop a brand challenge (if you buy branded drop to supermarket own, if you buy supermarket own drop to value etc). Lot’s of the value stuff wasn’t very nice but some things were and I still buy those now ! xxxx
Great Point! I think the more you try different products, you will surely come across value items that are brilliant. You should never stop trying to make your food bill cheaper that’s for sure.
Very interesting! I tend to buy a mixture of branded & store brand. Depends what I’m making, but some store brand stuff is just fine. Helps save a few pennies.
Fab and interesting reading, but some things I think you can’t comprimise on, have to be branded x
This was a really interesting read! If I’m honest, I’m used to buying value products, but after trying certain ones, I now know what to avoid. I find Tesco Value mince to be pretty good, but I do drain it well after its cooked. Another option it to go shopping just before the supermarket closes. Things get reduced and I just freeze them x
I do think that most brand name products are better quality, but some things like tinned tomatoes you would never know. I buy both – just going for equal quality.
Thanks for your review. Personally i think supermarket own brands can sometimes be as good as, if not better, than branded. Only very occasionally will i pay the extra just for a brand name.
I rarely buy brands and so manage to keep our food bill at a sensible price. I’m sure if I swapped my regular stuff for brands it’d cost me LOTS more.
I don’t use meat. Either soya mince which is a supermarkets own or Quorn which is branded and isn’t soya but micro protein. I have also used the dried version from the health food store that is really cheap and nearer to a meat taste for my meat eating son.
They all go a really long way, gram for gram, no fat so no waste and add a drop of water to them and they swell in size.
I rarely use tinned veg. I go for whichever veggies are on the best deal and make them do more than one meal.
I do buy tinned tomatoes and prefer the Aldi and a Home Bargains ones that have Italian on the tins. Usually less than 40p. I use these to make my own pasta sauce in a huge pan then freeze some down for another day, for pizza bases or pop in some chillies to give it a kick food or lots of onions and sausages for a hearty casserole.
Everyone has different tastes though so a lot of it is trial and error.
Love that you are experimenting.
Susan, Thank you for commenting I will have to visit the health food store, which one do you visit. I am a vegetarian and I love to get great tasting soya products for the family, although they love meat too much.
What an interesting experiment. I constantly struggle with the quality versus price dilemma – we need to save money but we want good food. I tend to do a lot of batch cooking to save time and money – maybe a half and half mix would be a decent compromise.
Interesting post – might give it a try!
Really interesting article and I was bursting to find out the outcome but I managed to restrain myself long enough to read the article and not spoil the surprise. I think with a recipe that uses a cheaper cut of meat like mince, then the better quality product will always win through. Thanks for sharing with us
I would definitely say you get what you pay for in most situations, but I’ve also had some truly awful food that is branded or supposed to be the luxury choice. you just have to try different makes and find what works best for you. Aldi has some great food that is a fraction of the price of, for example, marks and spencer ,but just as good.
Ive shopped at loads of stores to save money. Ive bought branded and unbranded goods. Aldi have some great bargains and good deals on fruit and veg but I guess its all down to personal choice at the end of the day. You can get some good quality meat at aldi and ive not had a problem with it. Sometimes I think snobbery plays a part in where and what people buy. My sister in law shops at Aldi but puts the food in marks and spencers carrier bags so her neighbours don’t see it when she takes it in the house. Having said that ive had some terrible own brands .Think its down to personal choice and shopping about to find out whats best for you.
There are some own brand items of low quality (mince is actually one of them), but in general I can not see/taste any difference compared to the ‘big brands’.
hi i enjoyed reading your comments its really interesting. i have compared the jars of Italian pasta sauce the branded jars v the smart price v my home made sauce and i must say there is a huge difference between smart price and the other two
the cheap jar was watery and lacked flavour. the branded product was thick and full of flavour but i still think home made sauce wins hands down and cant be beaten on flavour and also healthy ingredients x
My boys actually prefer some of the non branded stuff.
Some things can be just as good when they’re own brand but I tend to stick to brands I know
I like to shop homebrand where I can – generally I don’t notice the difference.
Really good Review we try to use own brands where possible, but some time you just need to spend a little bit more.
Fab, half and half maybe a great alternative x
I try to make all my own pasta and meat sauces so I don’t know the difference between branded and unbranded but my kids will not eat own brand baked beans or ketchup.
Most of the items in our larder are own brand; but there is always a few that are never as good.
I know what you are saying reguarding down branding to save money.I have tried using cheaper mince & it just does not taste the same as you say its paler looking(less meat)i always dry fry my meat & usually dab with kitchen paper or drain any of the fat that has arisen after frying,But i found their was a lot more fat from a cheaper brands & did’nt seem to taste so meaty i had to add another beef stock cube to beef up the taste.Has for cheaper brands of say tin veg, tomatoes are usually fine used in sauces(might get the odd yellow under ripe one).I do’nt usually buy this product in ready made versions as i find the potatoes to sloppy yuk. I have brought unwashed spuds loads cheaper & great (just dirty)I think if you make Spag Bol for instance you can use a small amount of good mince,Fill it out with onions,Value Mushrooms,Cheap brand tomatoes & cheap cheese (Heard Aldi’s is great) & cheaper branded spaghetti.Happy Cooking.
I’m a great fan or buying own brand to replace brands, but I don’t believe you can do a blanket replace, you need to find the good and weed out the bad, and some supermarket own brands are better than others.
i have done this a few times and yes you can tell difference with some not all i tied frozen mince and was not very nice rather than supermarkets butcher lean mince, i have also tried asda beans and they were ok, but again nothing beats heinz x
You can’t really scrimp on meat, teabags, coffee, cereals & baked beans but some own brand stuff is just as good.
This is my kids favourite meal too 😀 We shop value brand food so do not notice much. We add lots of herbs and things to give it more flavouring as it is very bland. Lasagne though… there is just no way i can fool then, its the one meal i pay over £3 for mince for 😀
I think it varies form product to product. I buy own brand sugar and UHT milkfor instance, but I’ve been disappointed in flour so always go for a big name
We shop at Aldi and even though they are known as one of the discount supermarkets by the bigger more traditional stores, the Aldi brands are far better in my opinion and they are soooooo much cheaper 😀
shared my comment and this blog on Facebook and Twitter 😀
Chef’s often say it’s the quality of the ingredients that makes the dish.