Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup
As the temperatures finally begin to drop, there can be no better comfort food than tomato soup, and Heinz cream of tomato has got to be the bench mark by which all others are judged. The ring pull has reached the world of tinned soup, making it convenient to open. The soup itself is rich, bright orange and, as the name suggests, creamy although it may be a little thick for some palettes. A light peppery taste. 84 per cent tomato (you’d be surprised) and free from artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Sometimes the oldies really are the goodies.
Waitrose Thick & Creamy Tomato & Basil Soup in a Cup
Not sure I would go as far as describing this soup thick and creamy, but it did have a creamier texture than most cup-a-soups and creamer is the first in the list of ingredients. It was also not too powdery. Plenty of chopped basil floated to the surface and gave the soup a pleasant flavour but a stronger smell. Overall the flavour was quite subtle and enjoyable. Despite the fact it had one of the most natural colours, two colourings are listed on the box. Four servings in a box.
Batchelors Tomato Cup a Soup
‘Nobody makes soup in a cup like Batchelors Cup a Soup’, or so the jingle used to go. That statement might not be perfectly true but they do have a point for this is surely the benchmark for cup-a-soups as Heinz is for tinned soup. So how did it fare? Not bad – a bit powdery and a light taste from what is quite a thin soup, but pleasant enough, although I find I can never drink the dregs as the soup has started to separate. Five sachet pack with water listed as the first ingredient, which seemed a bit odd.
Batchelors Cream of Tomato Soup
I was expecting this to taste just like the cup-a-soup but to be a bit thicker. Wrong. It was a very thick and creamy soup that was a rather pale orange in colour. Had a strong aftertaste, like the cup-a-soup, but otherwise a very smooth, enjoyable product. Tomatoes make up 74 per cent of the soup and it also contains double cream, which could explain the consistency. No artificial colours or flavours.
Marks and Spencer Cream of Tomato Soup
On reading the list of ingredients, I felt a bit let down by Mr Marks and Mr Spencer: the first two were water and tomato paste. I would have expected more from a shop which prides itself on the quality of its foodhall. This just goes to prove that you shouldn’t always judge a soup by its list of contents. A great tasting soup that was not overwhelming yet had plenty of flavour – I would definitely come back to this one. Part of the Eat Well collection, meaning it has no artificial flavourings, colours or sweeteners and is less than five per cent fat.
Waitrose Cream of Tomato Soup
It is easy to assume that a supermarket’s own label is going to be an inferior product, but in this case that would be somewhat unfair. A deeper red than most of the others, this soup had a strong, peppery taste and a smooth consistency. Again water and tomato puree are the main ingredients so perhaps not as nutritious as some of the others but hits the spot when you need some comfort food or something to eat within five minutes.
Campbell’s Italian Tomato with Basil Condensed Soup
As the name suggests, this soup comes in a smaller can as it is condensed. To serve, add an equal amount of water or water and milk if you want a slightly richer taste. Quite a different taste from the others with a herby and vegetable flavour – it was a bit easier to imagine that it had come from tomatoes, and the tin confirms that 133g of them go into each 100g of soup. The consistency also makes it ideal for cooking with and a recipe idea is included on each tin. The down side? Unlike all the other tinned soups, it had no ring pull.
