Best cheap supermarket food and drink: the own labels that beat the big brands

Swapping to cheaper supermarket own-label products can be an effective way to cut your food bill.

You might think giving up your brand favourites would be a wrench, but our taste tests have found plenty of brilliant budget alternatives worth trying.

We've rounded up the products that are highly rated for taste but cost less – in some cases switching could save you over £100 per year.

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Branded vs own-label food and drink: what to buy

Below we've listed the cheaper products that are worth opting for at the supermarket.

Products featured here either matched or beat big-brand options in our blind taste tests (where our testers don't know which brand they are trying), while also being cheaper than the category average. Percentage scores indicate their overall taste test score vs rival products.

Best cheap spreadable butter

• How the brand scored: Lurpak Spreadable Slightly Salted – 72% £4.75 for 400g (£1.19 per 100g)
• Our Great Value pick: Aldi Nordpak Spreadable Slightly Salted – 75% £2.18 for 500g can (44p per 100g)

This supermarket spread from Aldi is our Great Value pick if you're looking for a great-tasting cheaper alternative to Lurpak.

It was one of the highest scoring spreads for flavour and texture, with more than 80% rating the creaminess spot on.

As well as netting top marks for taste, it's a great money-saving swap at less than half the price of the big brand.

Available from Aldi (in-store only).

See the full results from our spreadable butter taste test.

Best cheap baked beans

• How the brand scored: Heinz Beanz – 72% £1.40 for 415g can (34p per 100g)
• Our Great Value pick: Aldi Bramwells Baked Beans in a Rich Tomato Sauce – 76% 41p for 410g can (10p per 100g)

Heinz baked beans are a store-cupboard staple for many, but our taste test results show that opting for a cheaper own-label could get you a tastier tin.

Heinz was beaten by several budget brands in our independent test, with Aldi topping the table. They were not only among the best-rated beans, but also some of the cheapest on test. 

At only 41p a tin, the savings can quickly stack up – if you buy two tins a week, switching from Heinz to Aldi could save you more than £100 a year.

Available from Aldi (in-store only).

See the full results from our baked beans taste test.

Best cheap tea bags

• How the brand scored: Twinings Everyday – 67% £4.80 per 80 bags (£2.07 per 100g, 6p per tea bag)
• Our Great Value pick: Asda Everyday Tea Bags – 72% £1.85 for 80 tea bags (80p per 100g, 2p per tea bag)

Asda's everyday tea bags beat Twinings in our taste test, proving you don't need to splash out for a top-notch cuppa.

Our tasters rated Asda's budget tea among the best for appearance, aroma and strength of flavour. 

They’re our Great Value pick, costing less than half the price of big brands.

Available from Asda (currently only the 240-bag pack is available online. It's £3.20 for 240 bags, which is even better value at 46p per 100g, or just over 1p per bag) 

See the full results from our everyday tea taste test.

How we test food and drink – find out more about our blind taste tests, and why you can trust our expert recommendations

Best cheap cottage pie

• How the brand scored: Charlie Bigham's Cottage Pie – 75% £6 for 325g (£1.85 per 100g)
• Our Great Value pick: Aldi Specially Selected Gastro Cottage Pie – 75% £3.59 for 400g (90p per 100g)

Our tasters thought Aldi's cottage pie was on par with big brand Charlie Bigham’s, despite costing less than half the price per 100g. 

As the cheapest on test, it earned our Great Value recommendation, scoring high marks for its flavoursome filling and creamy mashed potato topping. 

However, it does have a high salt content, with one pack containing almost half of your maximum 6g daily salt intake.

Available from Aldi (in-store only).

See the full results from our cottage pie taste test.

Best cheap sweet chilli crisps

• How the brand scored: Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli Crisps – 66% £2.50 for 150g (£1.67 per 100g)
• Our Great Value pick: Tesco Finest Thai Inspired Sweet Chilli Crisps – 73% £1.15 for 150g (77p per 100g)

If you're after some cheap-and-cheerful crisps, Tesco Finest Thai Inspired Sweet Chilli Crisps are our Great Value pick.

These tasty crisps impressed on both flavour and texture, beating pricier brands including Pipers and Walkers Sensations.

They were the best-rated supermarket own-label crisps, with the majority finding they had just the right sweetness and strength of chilli flavour.

Available from Tesco.

See the full results of our sweet chilli crisp taste test.

Best cheap roast potatoes

• How the brand scored: McCain Frozen Triple Cooked Roast Potatoes – 46% £3 for 700g (43p per 100g)
• Our Great Value Best Buy pick: Aldi Specially Selected Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes – 72% £2.59 for 1kg (26p per 100g)

Aldi's budget spuds stood head and shoulders above McCain in our taste test.

Our panel was impressed with Aldi's Great Value roast potatoes, rating them highly for their delicious flavour and crispy texture.

Not only were they rated tastier than McCain, but they're also far cheaper – just 26p per 100g.

Available from Aldi (in-store only).

See the full results from our roast potato taste test.

Best cheap veggie burgers

• How the brand scored: Birds Eye Green Cuisine Veggie Burgers – 68% £3 for 454g (66p per 100g)
• Our Great Value picks: Aldi Plant Menu Vegetable Burgers and Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Vegetable Quarter Pounders – both 73% £1.69 for 454g (37p per 100g)

If you're stocking up on veggie burgers, consider swapping Birds Eye for a supermarket own label.

The brand leader was beaten by cheaper supermarket burgers from Aldi and Sainsbury's in our taste test.

With a saving of more than £1 per pack, they're a good choice if you're after some flavoursome plant-based patties that won't blow the budget.

Available from Aldi (in-store only) and Sainsbury's.

See the full results of our veggie burger taste test.

Best cheap ice cream cones

• How the brand scored: Cornetto Strawberry – 65% £3.75 for six 90ml ice creams (63p per cone)
• Our Great Value pick: Lidl Bon Gelati Ice Cream Cones – 77% £1.99 for six 120ml ice creams (33p per cone)

Cornettos are a freezer favourite, but our taste test shows you can get delicious own-label ice creams for nearly half the price.

Lidl's strawberry ice cream cones were among the best-rated on test, and most thought the sweetness and creaminess was spot on.

Meanwhile, Cornetto ice creams finished in joint last place. They lost marks on aroma and flavour – more than half found the strawberry flavour too weak.

Available from Lidl (in-store only).

Looking to celebrate on a budget? See our pick of the best supermarket sparkling wines and best cheaper champagnes

More own-brand picks worth considering

In some tests, the brand wins out overall but a cheap alternative isn't far behind. Here are some own brand picks that offer Great Value for money and also score well for taste:

• Best cheap instant coffee: Aldi Alcafé Gold Roast Freeze Dried Coffee – 64% £2.45 for 200g. This cheap and cheerful coffee is a great choice if you’re looking for a budget brew that still tastes good. See our full instant coffee taste test results.

For more money-saving swaps and our latest taste test results, see the full round-up of our best-rated food and drink

*Based on typical price, excluding special offers. Prices correct as of April 2025.