Value Range foods compared

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
jennyjj01
Posts: 3595
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil. Tesco brand Vs John West

Tesco 4 x 145g tins @ £2.75 67p/100g drained.
John West 5 x 132g @ £4.49 94.5p/100g

Granted canned Tuna comes in a dazzling array of packing arrangements, but for me it's a go to protein prep. I buy it in sunflower oil, because if the can is going to be half full of 'juice', it might as well have calories.
Any fish or meat product I store is bought on a £/kilo basis and I like to see <£7/kilo

So I was tempted to try Tesco's 4 pack offering at £2.75 (67p/100g drained). My usual go-to was John West 4 or 5 pack. at 95p/100g ( drained??? ). There's a similar Princes product at £3.50 (clubcard price)

First thing to notice is that the Tesco 4 pack is in a card sleeve almost identical to the Princes product, and ALDI's own brand. But it was hard to compare nutritional values because of ambiguity. The John West tins were same size but only 132g.

Tesco product was way better on price/kilo. so how did it stack up.
BBE was 4 years away in 2029, so this is very long real shelf life.

Draining off the oil without squeezing.... The Tesco tin was roughly 50% oil where the John West is maybe 40%
Chunks: Hmffff neither was prime chunks. I think a more modest description might be flakes. Neither Tesco nor John West had skin or bones or discoloured meat.

Though the products were from different countries, different species and maybe even different oceans, taste was pretty much the same. I served both with a splash of vinegar and a buttered baked spud. Why anyone bothers whether it's steaks, chunks, or flakes, escapes me!

Note that ALDI have an almost identical 4 pack offering at £2.59. Could be same product from same factory.

I'll try the Aldi product soon, but for now, I'll be using some 10% clubcard vouchers to stock up with the Tesco offering. That'll be £2.48 for 8 servings.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

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Frnc
Posts: 3449
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by Frnc »

jennyjj01 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 6:49 pm Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil. Tesco brand Vs John West

Tesco 4 x 145g tins @ £2.75 67p/100g drained.
John West 5 x 132g @ £4.49 94.5p/100g

Granted canned Tuna comes in a dazzling array of packing arrangements, but for me it's a go to protein prep. I buy it in sunflower oil, because if the can is going to be half full of 'juice', it might as well have calories.
Any fish or meat product I store is bought on a £/kilo basis and I like to see <£7/kilo

So I was tempted to try Tesco's 4 pack offering at £2.75 (67p/100g drained). My usual go-to was John West 4 or 5 pack. at 95p/100g ( drained??? ). There's a similar Princes product at £3.50 (clubcard price)

First thing to notice is that the Tesco 4 pack is in a card sleeve almost identical to the Princes product, and ALDI's own brand. But it was hard to compare nutritional values because of ambiguity. The John West tins were same size but only 132g.

Tesco product was way better on price/kilo. so how did it stack up.
BBE was 4 years away in 2029, so this is very long real shelf life.

Draining off the oil without squeezing.... The Tesco tin was roughly 50% oil where the John West is maybe 40%
Chunks: Hmffff neither was prime chunks. I think a more modest description might be flakes. Neither Tesco nor John West had skin or bones or discoloured meat.

Though the products were from different countries, different species and maybe even different oceans, taste was pretty much the same. I served both with a splash of vinegar and a buttered baked spud. Why anyone bothers whether it's steaks, chunks, or flakes, escapes me!

Note that ALDI have an almost identical 4 pack offering at £2.59. Could be same product from same factory.

I'll try the Aldi product soon, but for now, I'll be using some 10% clubcard vouchers to stock up with the Tesco offering. That'll be £2.48 for 8 servings.
Sainsbury's Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 4 x 145g, £2.59. Lot of water, but that's why it's 145g to start with, is 100g drained. John West 110g 'no drain' does maybe have 10% more tuna but is £5 for 3. John West is more than double the price of Sainsbury's.
jennyjj01
Posts: 3595
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

Frnc wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 7:01 am
jennyjj01 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 6:49 pm Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil. Tesco brand Vs John West

Granted canned Tuna comes in a dazzling array of packing arrangements, but for me it's a go to protein prep. I buy it in sunflower oil, because if the can is going to be half full of 'juice', it might as well have calories.
Any fish or meat product I store is bought on a £/kilo basis and I like to see <£7/kilo
...
I'll try the Aldi product soon, but for now, I'll be using some 10% clubcard vouchers to stock up with the Tesco offering. That'll be £2.48 for 8 servings.
Sainsbury's Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 4 x 145g, £2.59. Lot of water, but that's why it's 145g to start with, is 100g drained. John West 110g 'no drain' does maybe have 10% more tuna but is £5 for 3. John West is more than double the price of Sainsbury's.
I reckon now is a good time to buy canned fish for extended pantry. Lots of offers at less than 70p/100g even if we are getting padded out with water or oil. Much cheaper than trying to buy canned meats.
I plan to leap on and stock up on anything <70p/100g.
Home Bargain/B&M/farmfoods usually good for assorted fish offers.
Come WW3 rationing, tinned fish will be the new currency :|

Funny how a supermarket search for Tuna comes up with almost as many cat food items at higher prices.

The no-drain stuff is an expensive gimmick IMHO.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

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jennyjj01
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

jennyjj01 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 4:46 pm
Frnc wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 7:01 am
jennyjj01 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 6:49 pm Any fish or meat product I store is bought on a £/kilo basis and I like to see <£7/kilo
Sainsbury's Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 4 x 145g, £2.59.
I reckon now is a good time to buy canned fish for extended pantry. Lots of offers at less than 70p/100g...
FILL YER BOOTS !!!
Speaking of cheap tinned fish.... B&M have listed Princes Mackerel in Sauce at just 25p !!! A couple of varieties.
It's 5 TIMES THAT PRICE in Sainsburys. I think it's a mispricing event. They have some varieties at 50p.

It will need to be bad to not get a home in my pantry. Off in search tomorrow.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Frnc
Posts: 3449
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by Frnc »

jennyjj01 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 4:46 pm
Frnc wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 7:01 am
jennyjj01 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 6:49 pm Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil. Tesco brand Vs John West

Granted canned Tuna comes in a dazzling array of packing arrangements, but for me it's a go to protein prep. I buy it in sunflower oil, because if the can is going to be half full of 'juice', it might as well have calories.
Any fish or meat product I store is bought on a £/kilo basis and I like to see <£7/kilo
...
I'll try the Aldi product soon, but for now, I'll be using some 10% clubcard vouchers to stock up with the Tesco offering. That'll be £2.48 for 8 servings.
Sainsbury's Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 4 x 145g, £2.59. Lot of water, but that's why it's 145g to start with, is 100g drained. John West 110g 'no drain' does maybe have 10% more tuna but is £5 for 3. John West is more than double the price of Sainsbury's.
I reckon now is a good time to buy canned fish for extended pantry. Lots of offers at less than 70p/100g even if we are getting padded out with water or oil. Much cheaper than trying to buy canned meats.
I plan to leap on and stock up on anything <70p/100g.
Home Bargain/B&M/farmfoods usually good for assorted fish offers.
Come WW3 rationing, tinned fish will be the new currency :|

Funny how a supermarket search for Tuna comes up with almost as many cat food items at higher prices.

The no-drain stuff is an expensive gimmick IMHO.
Sainsbury's frozen wild salmon has been down to £3.29 for months. Youngs Chip Shop Omega 3 fish fillets is often reduced from £4 to £2.50 at Sainsburys. Is pollock (Pacific ocean), tastes similar to cod and just a nice imo.
jennyjj01
Posts: 3595
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

jennyjj01 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2024 8:43 pm
FILL YER BOOTS !!!
Speaking of cheap tinned fish.... B&M have listed Princes Mackerel in Sauce at just 25p !!! A couple of varieties.
It's 5 TIMES THAT PRICE in Sainsburys. I think it's a mispricing event. They have some varieties at 50p.

It will need to be bad to not get a home in my pantry. Off in search tomorrow.
pah. Currently in a big b and m. No sign of these cheapies.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

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jennyjj01
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

Custard Powder Time.

OK. Maybe not as mainstream as pasta, but every extended pantry needs some desserts.
This follows on from my recent attempt at making trifles.

I'd discovered Pearce Duff Custard powder in B&M at three x 72g for £1
and later bought some ASDA Essentials at 30p for 70g. So, I'll compare.

I was puzzled by the huge difference in price compared to even ASDA's regular brand custard at 70p or Birds at 67p

Ingredient lists of all were very similar. The Asda Essentials had a LOT less fat than any of Pearce Duff, Birds and regular Asda range.

I ignored the instructions and simmered each into a pint of semi skimmed milk. A fair amount more than recommended by Asda. Note, all suggest just using water!

NO CONTEST! The Pearce Duff brand blew the Asda essentials out of the water. Miles better.
If Birds is the gold standard 10/10 then
The Asda Essentials at 4/10 was as watery as hell and as bland as hell. It didn't even want to dissolve. Later it didn't set.
The Pearce Duff at 9/10 was much tastier and thickened nicely to make a full pint. Almost identical to Birds.

Spend the extra 3p and buy the Pearce Duff in B&M. I see no reason to pay twice the price for Birds.
ImageImage
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GillyBee
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Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by GillyBee »

I stock the Birds traditional custard powder. It works much the same by adding fresh or dried milk and sugar which are storecupboard basics and you can make it as thick or runny as you like.
If you blend the custard powder & sugar with minimal milk and then quickly add the boiling milk it does not need to be boiled up in a saucepan to thicken which is a useful trick.
jennyjj01
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by jennyjj01 »

GillyBee wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2024 8:44 pm I stock the Birds traditional custard powder. It works much the same by adding fresh or dried milk and sugar which are storecupboard basics and you can make it as thick or runny as you like.
If you blend the custard powder & sugar with minimal milk and then quickly add the boiling milk it does not need to be boiled up in a saucepan to thicken which is a useful trick.
Cheers. I bought a box of Birds today. Will equate to about 42p per pint equivalent sachet.
Slight prep downside that the carton is cardboard and will get degraded if damp.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Frnc
Posts: 3449
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Value Range foods compared

Post by Frnc »

Wasted 60p at Sainsbos by not doing a smart shop the other day. You have to watch out for YOUR before Nectar Price. Maybe I should just do them as routine. The hand held devices they supply work well, and you can chuck them in the basket in between. I still use my phone, for shopping list usually. I should take £1 and get a trolly.