Arguably, Henry J Heinz nailed the definitive tomato ketchup in 1876, but, despite the historic pre-eminence of his creation - still the biggest-selling red sauce in the US and UK - the world continues to tinker endlessly with the old Tommy K.
Many pretentious or conscientious (you decide) chefs insist on making their own, often creating sauces that, while demonstrably fresher and less sweet than Heinz’s rather shrill original, lack the well-balanced sharpness and warm backdraft of spices that, in part, make the Heinz version such an unquestionable classic. That is not to say that Heinz’s tomato ketchup cannot be improved on, but “gourmet” versions often seem to rip up the accepted flavour profile in an unsatisfying way, while cheaper supermarket versions have a tendency to taste flat and lifeless in comparison.
Not that Heinz has had it all its own way in recent years. Sales of traditional table sauces are reportedly in decline, as tastes tack to hotter, more exotic barbecue, piri piri and chilli sauces. Simultaneously, cheaper own-brand tomato sauces – Heinz ketchup, a solid 7/10 on our scale, is nearly double the price of Sainsbury’s version – have put the squeeze on the big brands. But do any of them offer an improved alternative?
Sainsbury’s tomato ketchup, £1, 460g
Despite the plump, dew-fresh tomatoes on the label, this is made, as most own-brand ketchups are, with tomato puree (and tomato powder, in this case), which means that, despite it delivering the sweetness and vinegary sharpness you expect in a nicely modulated way (though not the spicy backdraft), it is hobbled by that slightly musty, processed blandness typical of commercial passatas and pasta sauces in jars. It lacks pizzazz, overall. Also, once opened and refrigerated (question: who keeps ketchup in the fridge?), it only supposedly lasts for four weeks. Heinz’s Tommy K keeps for eight. 5/10
Tesco tomato ketchup, 85p, 700g
Theoretically, ketchup is one of those foods (see also: ice-cream, chocolate, cheese) that, even at its worst, is still – admit it! – pretty enjoyable. Tesco’s version robustly challenges that conceit. It is an unholy mess of vile, sticky, overly concentrated tomato flavours, unmediated, almost boiled sweet-sugariness and, finally, a challenging top note of astringent spirit vinegar. None of those elements are reconciled in a satisfactory way. Do you need some fake blood for a theatre production? Are you keen to put a small child off ketchup for life? If so, buy in bulk. Otherwise, avoid. 2/10
Co-op Loved by Us tomato ketchup, 99p, 485g
When squirted on to a plate, Heinz ketchup forms itself into smooth and glossy curvaceous hillocks. This is darker, thinner and slumps in an unedifying, lumpy-looking blob. The flavour is not much better, despite containing 175g of tomatoes to each 100g, compared with Heinz’s 148g. That tomato puree base lacks brightness, while this ketchup’s vinegary twang and its hot, acrid burst of spicing (garlic powder and clove extract) arrive late and in a clumsy, galumphing manner. “Great with burgers,” enthuses the label. True, if you are looking for something to take the taste away. 3/10
Waitrose Stokes real tomato ketchup, £2.49, 300g
“Perfect for home-cooked food,” trills the label smugly, on this self-consciously foodie red sauce. It uses the “juiciest Italian tomatoes”. It is packaged in a glass bottle. It screams freshness and authenticity, whatever that means in Tommy K terms. Reddish brown in colour (it could pass for HP in a dim light), with a curiously thick, almost jellified consistency, Stokes’s sauce does have a more naturalistic tomato flavour, if not an astonishing one. Its key appeal is its peppy, prominent seasoning (onion and garlic powder, spices). It is a mature, if very expensive, step up from most supermarket sauces. 7/10
Morrisons squeezy tomato ketchup, 78p, 470g
In 2015, marketing a tomato sauce as “squeezy” sounds desperate (plastic bottles, eh? What will those boffins think of next?), but credit to Morrisons, this is not a bad ketchup. It is a shade darker than Heinz’s, but like that benchmark, it is thick with an attractive sheen and, while its acidic components are rather too sharp and pixelated at their edges, this version mimics the market leader by hitting its marks in terms of sweetness and a vibrant tomato flavour. It then assertively rolls out its spicier notes, making it a sound budget alternative to Heinz. 7/10
WINNER! Aldi Bramwells tomato ketchup, 59p, 560g
More wet, glistening tomatoes on the label, that message of freshness and health somewhat undermined by, below it, the nutritional info showing salt and sugar levels that are IN THE RED! Dietary concerns aside, this is an interesting sauce. It tastes, quite startlingly at first, of cloves (the standard ketchup spice) and garlic, before something hot and peppery chimes in, cayenne perhaps, to leave your tongue tingling gently. Less outwardly sweet than some (ironically), well-judged in its acidity and with the accent firmly on those seasonings, this is a distinctive ketchup. It is also very cheap. 7.5/10
Lidl Kania tomato ketchup, 55p, 565g
Full marks for having a pull-tab on the interior seal (rather than requiring you to stab it with a knife or pick at it with your fingernails), but that is where the innovation ends. This is 72% concentrated tomato puree and it tastes like it: thickly mushy in texture and rather stolidly tomatoey in its flavour. Yes, it is sweet and, yes, it has a certain vinegary, slightly spicy edge, but there is no compelling variegated depth in its seasoning. Is it terrible? No. Would it bring vivid colour to a meal? No. 5/10
Asda Chosen by You tomato ketchup, 86p, 510g
Another dull, lumbering entry. Its big, blunted, concentrated tomato paste flavours are offset by a keen sharpness, but the advertised spices (clove extract, primarily) flit about like brief, fleeting shadows on the very edges of its flavour profile, offering little in the way of excitement. Even the cayenne pepper extract is only discernible as a feather-light tickle. This is why ketchup is losing market share to exotic chilli sauces. If the best table sauces offer crackling bonfires of flavour, this is a weak three-bar electric heater. 3/10
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