We compared Bisto against Sainsbury’s, Asda and Aldi gravies

With the cost of living crisis taking its toll on people’s wallets, many households are desperate for ways to save money.

Switching from name brands to supermarket brand versions is a simple way to do just that.

With that in mind, Birmingham Live reporter Robson McCallister decided to pit Bisto against supermarket own-brand gravies.

It comes after the brand caused outrage with its hefty price tag, with shoppers labelling it “disgusting”.

Here is how the reporter got on:

“Rather than swallow a dictionary for tasting notes on gravy, I improvised.

“I dunked chips in the sauce to determine the scores. And the results surprised me.

“All scores were taken out of a maximum score of five.

“The aim was to see if Bisto could be pushed off the gravy throne by a cheaper alternative.

“I also used the same type of gravy to make sure that scores were fair.

“I went for meat, although both chicken and onion were available as alternatives.”

Bisto – £4 – 230g

“Starting off with Bisto, it was a strong start. But I felt that more was to come.

“The cost in comparison to the supermarkets is worth noting. It was quadruple the price of Aldi – yet had less gravy granules in.

“It had flavours and depth, but it felt like something was lacking. Good on the whole, but I couldn’t justify top marks.”

Robson gave Bisto a 4/5.

“Moving on to number two, my chip instantly lost its form and separated in a sea of thick Sainsbury’s gravy.

“Fortunately, it was delicious.

“A rich sauce that I would recommend in a heartbeat, Sainsbury’s is the real deal.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to pour over a roast and it was the perfect compliment to a chip.”

Robson gave Sainsbury’s an impressive 4.5/5.

“This gravy was a disaster. Although the chip didn’t fall apart, I wish it had because it tasted lifeless.

“The gravy was far too thin, gravy-flavoured water would be a more apt description.

“It was the reduced salt option, not sure whether that made a difference, but I was disappointed with Asda’s effort.”

Robson gave Asda a disappointing 2/5.

“I had high hopes for Aldi’s take on gravy.

“Whilst it was thick, it was different to Sainsbury’s in a good way.

“It was a lot more flavourful and tasted less traditional to Sainsbury’s efforts, but I enjoyed both equally the same.”

Robson finished on a high, handing Aldi a 4.5/5.

“I expected it to be close but I didn’t expect that I would end up picking two favourites, both for different reasons.

“It was surprising.

“Aldi has a flavour which is unique whilst Sainsbury’s has your traditional excellent sauce.

“Bisto ended up being considerably pricey but I wasn’t satisfied enough for it to earn higher marks.

“Elsewhere, Asda’s efforts earned a low marks for all the wrong reasons.”