Which? Money-Saving Monday: Save on summer BBQ essentials

As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, Which? has found households can save money on their BBQ menu this summer, by choosing the cheapest nearby supermarket and opting for own-brand products over expensive alternatives.

In a series of blind taste tests, the consumer champion uncovered that supermarket own-brands are not only cheaper when it comes to summer favourites, but sometimes they also taste better than their well-known branded counterparts.

1. Shop at the cheapest supermarket
First of all, it often pays to look in different supermarkets for the best prices. Every month Which? analyses hundreds of groceries at the biggest supermarkets and often finds big price differences. For example, in July 2022 Which? found Aldi was the cheapest supermarket, with a basket of 47 groceries costing an average of £74.23. The same or equivalent items from the priciest supermarket Waitrose cost £99.46, that’s a £25.23 saving.

2. Get the best banger for your buck
Which? asked a panel of consumers to blind-taste and rate pork sausages from 12 different brands, including Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and other supermarket options, plus branded versions such as Heck and The Black Farmer. Aldi and The Black Farmer tied for the top spot, impressing the panel with their tasty seasoning and perfectly porky flavour. Aldi’s offering was one of the cheapest sausages tested, costing £2.19 for 400g (55p per 100g), while the most expensive option tested from Waitrose cost £4.25 for 400g (£1.06 per 100g) and came near the bottom of the table.

3. Best meat-free sausages
Supermarkets also saw off competition from popular meat-free brands such as Quorn. Which? tested meat-free sausages and crowned Tesco Plant Chef Cumberland Style Bangers top, alongside This Isn’t Pork and Richmond. While all three scored highly for taste, Tesco’s offering was awarded ‘Great Value’, costing £1.75 for 6 (29p per sausage), significantly cheaper than This Isn’t Pork which cost £3 for 6 (50p per sausage).

4. Save £1.70 on tomato ketchup
Heinz Tomato Ketchup was a firm favourite in terms of taste, but sets shoppers back £2.30 for 460g (50p per 100g). Sainsbury’s Tomato Ketchup is the best value for money at 55p for 460g (12p per 100g), saving £1.75 per bottle.

5. Try a supermarket cider
While Aspall and Waitrose’s ciders couldn’t be beaten on taste, Aldi’s Specially Selected Vintage Cider was also rated highly for flavour and was marked as a ‘great value’ option, costing £1.89 per 750ml bottle (25p per 100ml), 20p cheaper per 100ml than Waitrose.

6. The best low-alcohol or alcohol-free beer
Popular brands such as Heineken and Stella Artois were rated highest for taste, Lidl’s Perlenbacher 0.0 wasn’t far behind, coming in fourth place and being marked as a ‘great value’ option costing just 42p per 330ml bottle (13p per 100ml), less than half the price of Heineken which costs 88p per 330ml bottle (27p per 100ml) and 71p cheaper than Peroni Libera Alcohol Free Beer, which was the most expensive option tested, costing £1.13 per 330ml bottle (34p per 100ml).

7. Choose a cheaper ice cream
To help top your BBQ off with a sweet treat – Which? found that Lidl’s alternative to Wall’s Strawberry Cornetto ice cream cones ranked highest for taste, and were also the cheapest ice creams tested costing 24p per cone (£1.45 for a box of six), making them a great value option. Wall’s Cornetto ranked eighth and cost 42p per cone, or £2.50 for a box of six.

8. Don’t pay over the odds for a BBQ
Which? found that spending more on a barbecue won’t necessarily guarantee you better performance. In fact, testers found a £35 option from Argos that’s quick to heat up, delivers a great smoky flavour and the perfect sear marks, so there’s no need to spend a fortune. The Argos Home Table Top Oil Drum Charcoal BBQ proved that you don’t need complicated controls and fancy features to cook tasty food, as it delivered delicious, evenly cooked meat and veg when tested.

Reena Sewraz, Which? Money Expert said:

“No one wants to overpay for BBQ essentials this summer, especially when the cost of living crisis is putting huge pressure on household budgets. Shopping around and buying own-brand products is an easy way to save money.

“Those prepared to switch to a cheaper supermarket for their regular shop will likely find some great value alternatives to their favourite brands – with many even beating their well-known rivals on taste in Which?’s tests.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Over the coming months, Which? will be highlighting free and useful money-saving advice every Monday to help consumers manage the ongoing cost of living crisis. The series will cover a range of topics, from how to save money on household bills, to childcare and travel.

Which? taste-tested a range of everyday food items between February and July 2022, pitting supermarket own-branded products against popular brands. Prices were correct at the time of testing.

Each product category was tasted and rated by a panel of 60+ consumers who regularly buy and consume that product. The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. The panellists rate each product in a fully rotated order and the taste tests are conducted blind, so they don’t know which brand they are trying. Each panellist has a private booth so they can’t discuss what they are tasting or be influenced by others.

Further information:
8 ways to level up your barbecuing
Best Buy food and drink
Which was the cheapest supermarket in July 2022?

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation, we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.

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