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Scottish Sun
29-04-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
I tried supermarket marmalade – a 99p own-brand winner tastes better than M&S and Aldi
Plus we reveal more ways you can save on your supermarket shop SPREAD THE COST I tried supermarket marmalade – a 99p own-brand winner tastes better than M&S and Aldi Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARMALADE has been in decline with most households preferring nut butters or Nutella on their morning toast. Not even the release of the Paddington movies has helped sales. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 A 99p own-brand winner tastes better than M&S Credit: Oliver Dixon And those who do buy it are mainly over 65, making up around 60% sales. However, we think younger generations are missing out. There's nothing better than a deliciously tangy marmalade on your morning toast and it's cheap, too. LYNSEY HOPE finds out which taste the best, and which ones you might want to leave on the shelf. Morrisons Fine Cut Orange Marmalade (420g) 79p 19p per 100g 10 Morrisons scored 5/10 overall Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Very amber in colour, this had an alright flavour but it was lacking in peel. "There is only 20g of fruit per 100g in this jar and the peel that was there was a little thick and got stuck between the teeth, which I didn't enjoy. "I thought the marmalade was overly sweet and sugary and lacking in bitterness. The price is good." The Granny Cool marmalade that was rejected by Dragons Den but now sells worldwide Taste: 2/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 5/10 Wilkin and Sons Limited Old Times Orange Marmalade (340g) £2.60 76.5p per 100g 10 Wilkin & Sons is a well known big brand alternative Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Incredibly pretty in colour with a real amber glow. It looks pure and clear but it wasn't as sweet or as bitter as I'd have liked. "There's a generous amount of fruit with 30g per 100g of spread. It's made with Seville oranges and the orange flavour was spot on. Shame it's SO pricey. "Own brand jars were a third of the price." Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 7/10 Aldi Grandessa Fine Cut Marmalade (454g) 75p 16.5p per 100g 10 Aldi's jars come in at 75p Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Aldi is normally a firm favourite for delicious food finds, but this was a disappointment. "It was thick, like a jelly cube and there was no taste of fruit. "The overwhelming taste was sugar. The orange flavour was lacking, there was no bitterness and hardly any peel. "It was the cheapest jar, but it'll likely end up in the bin." Taste: 1/5 Value: 2/5 Total score: 3/10 Asda Tangy Fine Cut Orange Marmalade (454g) 79p 17.4p per 100g 10 Asda's offering did pretty well at 9/10 Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "A lovely amber coloured spread with decent-sized bits of peel included. "It's tangy, mildly bitter and whilst it is quite sugary, there's no nasty glucose fructose syrup, which is sometimes found in cheaper brands. "There is 20g fruit per 100g, and no artificial colours or flavours. It's great value, too." Taste: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Total score: 9/10 How to save money on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund. Lidl Maribel Fine Cut Orange Marmalade (450g) 99p 22p per 100g 10 Lidl's marmalade stole the show Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "An impressive marmalade for the price. The jar was a little smaller so it wasn't as cheap as some supermarkets but this was worth ab it extra. "It contained a generous 35 of fruit per 100g and the ingredients list was simpler than some others containing nothing other than sugar, oranges, water, citric acid and a gelling agent. "It was a thinner consistency than some but I liked the shade of orange and there was just the right amount of peel. "It had a lovely flavour, bitter, but no aftertaste. My favourite jar." Taste: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Total score: 10/10 Tesco Fine Cut Orange Marmalade (454g) 80p 18p per 100g 10 We gave Tesco a 6/10 overall Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "A budget offering beaten only by Aldi and Asda on price, but this tasted more like jam. "It had a jelly like consistency and whilst there was a nice orange flavour, it didn't really taste like marmalade at all. "There wasn't enough fruit though it was on a par with some of the other budget jars, containing 20g fruit per 100g spread." Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 6/10 Essential Waitrose Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade (454g) £1 22p per 100g 10 Waitrose was a bit more pricey than most of the supermarkets Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "A delicious, well-balanced flavour with a generous amount of orange peel that gives a good, bitter kick. "It felt like a good quality spread, and good value. A lovely, spreadable consistency though it could possibly do with a bit more fruity flavour. "At 35% fruit though, there's quite a lot in the mix for your money." Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 8/10 M&S Seville Orange Marmalade Fine Cut (340g) £2.25 66.2p per 100g 10 M&S' was more expensive than the other options Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "I had high hopes for the M&S spread given the price and usual M&S quality but this marmalade was too thick and gloopy and it tasted very bitter and overly strong. "It looked very dark compared to the others and there was so much peel it was difficult to spread. "It did contain a very high amount of fruit with 38g per 100g of spread, but this didn't do it any favours." Taste: 2/5 Value: 2/5 Total score: 4/10 Sainsbury's Fine Cut Orange Marmalade (454g) 85p 19p per 100g 10 Sainsbury's scored 3/5 on both taste and value Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "This looks rather luminous in colour but the texture is spot on and it has a good, deep, bittersweet flavour. "It's quite sugary when lathered on toast and has around 26g of fruit per 100g of marmalade. "Overall, inoffensive, easy to eat and a reasonably priced option." Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 6/10 Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Scottish Sun
21-04-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I tried out supermarket loo rolls – my 70p per roll winner was softer and thicker than Andrex
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN it comes to buying toilet paper, the last thing you want to do is throw money down the toilet - literally. Cheap rolls may seem like a bargain but if they don't do the job or you need to use lots of sheets, it might not be as good value as it first appears. 10 Lynsey Hope tested loo roll so you don't have to Credit: Oliver Dixon To help you choose, we have tested supermarket own brand rolls to see which performed best against the market leader, Andrex. As well as testing them day to day, we also submerged them in water and checked how easy they were to then tear after applying a bit of pressure. Here, Lynsey Hope, reveals the results: M&S Super Soft Toilet Tissue £2 for 4 rolls 50p per roll of 200 sheets (25p per 100 sheets) 10 M&S offers better value than Andrex, Lynsey found Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Not the cheapest roll but it's still better value than Andrex and it oozed quality. "It was soft and nice to the touch and didn't irritate even delicate skin. "It was probably the strongest I tried and is triple-layered (three-ply) for added strength and works out around 25p per 100 sheets. "It's also made with at least 15% recycled paper so it's kind to the planet too." Effectiveness: 5/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 8/10 Lidl Floryalys Luxury Soft White Toilet Tissue £1.45 for 4 rolls 36.2p per roll of 220 sheets (16.4p per 100 sheets) 10 Lidl's sheets were on the smaller side, but it's a good option if you want to save money Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: 'A competitive price from Lidl. It definitely wasn't the softest to touch, it felt a little scratchy. "The sheets also seemed a little on the small side. "But it was reasonably strong and did an ok job overall so for the price, it was ok. "A good option if you really need to save money on your grocery bills.' Effectiveness; 3/5 Value: 4/5 Overall score: 7/10 Andrex Complete Clean £2.95 for 4 rolls 73.7p per roll of 190 sheets (38.7 per 100 sheets) 10 Andrex is the go-to toilet paper for many Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Soft, strong and gets the job done. I can see why this is the go-to toilet paper for so many households. "It's gentle on skin but durable enough to withhold tearing, even when submerged in water. "It's two-ply and is embossed with a unique 3D wave texture which stopped it from ripping and allowed for more efficient cleaning. "The only downside is the price - it's more than double the cost of most own brands per 100 sheets." Effectiveness: 5/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 8/10 Tesco Luxury Soft £1.45 for 4 rolls 36.2p per roll of 220 sheets (16.4 per 100 sheets) 10 Tesco's worked well and offers great value too Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "This Tesco paper was quite resistant and didn't split when soaked in water. "It worked just as well as Andrex, although it wasn't as soft. "Each two-ply sheet was a decent size and there were a generous 220 sheets on each roll so it lasted well. "Working out at just over 16p per sheet it was one of the cheapest products we tested and I thought it was great value." Effectiveness: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Total score: 9/10 Asda Shades Everyday White £1.44 for 4 rolls 36p per 220 sheet roll (16.3p per 100 sheets) 10 Asda's loo roll didn't tear easily Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Asda's loo paper is good value but it also felt strong, not tearing easily. "It was soft to touch, absorbed water well and I didn't have to use much of it, so I thought it was pretty good value, too." Effectiveness: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Total score: 8/10 Aldi Saxon Softer Luxury Toilet Tissue £1.45 for 4 rolls 36.2p per 220 sheet roll (16.4p per 100 sheets) 10 Lynsey wasn't impressed by Aldi's loo roll Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: 'Aldi has so many bargain dupes but sadly, this wasn't one of them. "It felt quite thin and scratchy on the skin, it didn't absorb water well and it ripped too easily. "The Sainsbury's option is better value and does a better job.' Effectiveness: 1/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 4/5 Morrisons Oh So Soft Classic White Toilet Tissue £1.75 for 4 rolls 43.7p per 190 sheet roll (23p per 100 sheets) 10 Morrisons was among the pricier options and it didn't last long Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "These felt soft to use and they were strong enough, not tearing easily, but each of the two-ply sheets was quite small so you need to use quite a bit each time. "The roll quickly disappeared, not lasting very long at all. "One of the more expensive own brands too. I didn't think they were worth the money." Effectiveness: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Total score: 6/10 Sainsbury's Super Soft Double Rolls £2.80 for 4 rolls 70p per roll of 440 sheets (15.9p per 100 sheets) 10 Sainsbury's was crowned the winner in our test Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Not only did the Sainsbury's toilet roll feel softer and thicker than Andrex, it is incredible value. "The rolls are extra long, with 440 sheets each, so you are paying £2.80 for the equivalent of eight rolls. "They work out at less than 16p per 100 sheets so these are great value. "The two-ply tissue didn't tear easily after being soaked in water and withstood a decent amount of pressure. "As an added bonus, they were the only roll in this test to come in paper packaging so they are a great eco choice too. My winner." Effectiveness: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Total score: 10/10 Essential Waitrose Ultra Soft Bathroom Tissue £2 for 4 rolls 50p per 190 sheet roll (26.3p per 100 sheets) 10 Lynsey wasn't a fan of the Waitrose loo roll either Credit: Oliver Dixon Lynsey says: "Waitrose came under fire recently for reducing the number of sheets in its roll from 240 to 190 and sadly, I don't think the quality is much cop either. "They felt soft and were embossed but the two-ply sheets were small and tore easily. "They were pretty absorbent but I would have expected better from the upmarket chain. Not a fan." Effectiveness: 3/5 Value: 2/5 Overall score: 5/10
