HP Baked Beans, 24X415g

Product Information

Despite losing points on the texture, the taste was pleasant and fairly middle-of-the road. Overall, a decent option if you're looking to save cash on named brands. HP Foods Limited, formerly based in Birmingham, England was best known as the producer of HP, Lea & Perrins, and Daddies sauce brands. [2] It was also the UK licensee, from Heinz, of Chinese food and condiment brand Amoy Food. [2] [3] Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here. READ NEXT: Sainsbury's was one of the cheapest options but sadly had everything I dislike in a baked bean. I found the sauce was watery and sweet, with no detectable tomato flavour.

Beans doesn't have to mean Heinz. You can save on this store-cupboard staple without compromising on flavour by going for a cheap supermarket tin instead. Heinz baked beans may have been around for more than 130 years, but the iconic brand didn't stand out in our taste tests. In fact, most supermarket own-brands scored higher, with one cheaper can impressing our panel of baked bean enthusiasts beyond all others. Waitrose Essential Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (55p/400g) – 71% Which? said: "The texture of the sauce was just right according to most, but they were thought to be too weakly flavoured by nearly half our panel. Around a third also found the beans too firm and not sweet enough.

The texture was one of the best of the bunch, with good solid beans which were not at all mushy. Overall, the Aldi beans had a tasty, non artificial flavour, and were well-priced. Heinz, the market leader in the baked beans category, told just-food that since acquiring HP its first move will be to relaunch HP Baked Beans to the convenience and impulse category. Baked beans are an affordable and delicious staple in many UK households, with millions of tins sold each year. Recent years have seen baked bean pizzas, baked bean crisps, and the (albeit more niche) baked bean tequila shot - proving we'll incorporate beans into our diets by any means possible. HP is perhaps one of the lesser-known brands when it comes to baked beans, so I didn't have any expectations when it came to trying them. A bit of research afterwards revealed HP is owned by Heinz, but I wasn't able to tell this based on the flavour. Formerly the Midlands Vinegar Company [1] and Smedley HP Foods Limited, it was acquired by Imperial Foods, a division of Imperial Group. Edward Eastwood and his nephew Edwin Samson Moore established the Midland Vinegar Company at Aston, Birmingham in 1875. [2]

The panel of tasters put Asda Baked Beans (50p/410g) in overall top place, with a score of 77%. Which? declared them "a cut above all the rest for flavour," saying: ”Three-quarters of our tasters thought they had the perfect tomatoey taste. They were also some of the best rated beans for colour and sweetness.” Lidl Newgate Baked Beans (45p/420g) – 72% Which? said:"These split our panel. Half loved the flavour, but the rest found it either too weak or too strong. Most agreed that the texture of both beans and sauce was about right, though." Beans are vegan-friendly and a good source of protein and fibre, with negligible fat content. Protein and fibre levels are similar across the brands, though Lidl's tin states there's more than 7g of fibre per 100g in their beans, which is considerably higher than the others. Beans no longer has to mean Heinz for cost-conscious shoppers, who preferred supermarket brands - some costing much less than half the price - to the market leader.Tesco Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (50p/420g) – 71% Which? said: "Which said: "The beans themselves were a good texture, but some thought the sauce too runny and most found the flavour too weak."

The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each brand of baked beans and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. Most baked bean brands have low-sugar/low-salt versions, so you may want to give them a try if you're watching your intake. We only included standard versions in our taste test to ensure products were comparable. And while, like many foods, the cost of a can of beans has risen over the past year, our supermarket winners remain modestly priced. The cheapest Best Buy cost just 50p a tin. Live well for less – sign up to our free food and health newsletter for monthly insights and advice, plus the latest taste tests

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Reena Sewraz of Which? said: “Our latest taste tests reveal that supermarket own-label baked beans have beaten the established brands including Heinz, and the great news for shoppers is that the winning products cost less than half the price compared to the offerings from some rivals. Many households are looking for ways to cut their spending due to the ongoing cost of living crisis. Opting for supermarket own-label groceries is not only a great way to save money, but you often get tastier products as well.” They are 'low sugar' according to NHS guidelines , but it comes down to how much you eat, and what you have them with. A full can of the most sugary beans on test (Lidl's) adds up to 19g – about four teaspoons of sugar. Many households are looking for ways to cut their spending due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Opting for supermarket own-label groceries is not only a great way to save money, but you often get tastier products as well.”