Is it just me or is Heinz a bit shit?
Posted by coolfunkDJ@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 107 comments
I’m a brit so idk if i can post but I gotta ask, is it just me or is heinz massively overrated?
Their baked beans don’t have shit on branstons or Aldis own brand. Their ketchup, mayo and soup range is very passable but way overpriced, their salad cream is admittingly quite good and better than the rest but still overpriced.
I also feel like there’s a class divide? I always saw Heinz as the “posh” brand to buy meanwhile going up in the North most people had supermarket brands in their house instead.
It’s not even that I wouldn’t pay the extra if I thought it was worth it, but it’s genuinely not.
flylo81@reddit
the flavours have got worse or rather "thinner," which i think has two causes:
removal/reduction of salt and additives to make them healthier
removal of items to cut costs
Over last year i've noticed that Heinz beans are really inconsistent from one week to next, which i think is odd as surely they'd have a consistent recipe
It's just another symptom of the decline in standards in our lives
NotAnotherThing@reddit
There is too much extra in their products.
Lazy-Field-1116@reddit
The zero ketchup that has like literally 2 ingredients is so much better than the normal one.
NotAnotherThing@reddit
I buy one of the budget store brands and prefer it.
ToriaLyons@reddit
Loads of wheat-containing products when they could easily avoid it.
Heinz was one of the first companies to obviously start down the enshittification road.
moneywanted@reddit
Odd, I was going to say their beans don’t use cornflour to thicken the sauce, where all the others (including Branston) do.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Oh shit! Is that why it tastes so runny? Man that makes so much sene
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Yeah its hard to describe it just doesn’t taste quite right
Scrombolo@reddit
We've bought supermarket beans for years. Recently for some reason we could only get Heinz. They were a bit crap in comparison.
Eukonidor_Of_Arisia@reddit
Nah, you're right. Heinz is not that great. The best ketchup I've ever had is actually Hellmann's. Beans are all identical as far as I can taste, so I buy supermarket brand.
marcustankus@reddit
Overpriced
paradoxbound@reddit
Their ketchup is still good but their beans are poor, too much added sugar and too runny. Branston is the gold standard.
AndrewHinds67@reddit
I wouldn't say that they're shit. Far from it but ASDA, Sainsbury's and Tesco own brand are just as good. Even the budget Sainsbury's baked beans are okay so I buy them. I haven't bought Heinz tomato sauce for years either when supermarket own brands are just as good.
StruttyB@reddit
There’s just one word to describe the taste of pretty much everything, and that is bland.
No_Celebration_8801@reddit
Waitrose mayo far better!
Crazyblondie11@reddit
I think Heinz is so overpriced compared to other brands. It used to be classed as a really good quality brand and its price reflected this but now it’s a just a rip off really. The only thing I do like is the mayo and that’s it.
Great_Chipmunk4357@reddit
You’re talking about Heinz in England, right? In the US Heinz’ most popular product is their ketchup. It’s the number one ketchup in our country.
rchccfc@reddit
Aldi beans though. They should have their own sub on here
Plastic_Length8618@reddit
The S-tier ketchup is Wilkins (Tipree). It’s not cheap but it’s a really rich, complex flavour.
Greatgrowler@reddit
I prefer most other brands of beans to Heinz. For ketchup I usually buy Tiptree, as well as their brown sauce and mustard. Salad cream I can’t really tell the difference between Heinz and supermarket brands. But I only buy Heinz soups.
Mustbejoking_13@reddit
Heinz is good but not great but at lots of things.
Abject_Industry_2795@reddit
Heinz beans all the way.
Aggravating-Sir-242@reddit
Branston is too sugary but Heinz like Cadburys have gone through full enshitification. No point buying, most store brands will be better quality.
PMc1666@reddit
Sorry but Heinz tomato sauce and their mayo is very good.
Affectionate_You_858@reddit
Their ketchup is far too watery and overly sweet, m&s, aldi, stokes daddies are all far superior
Affectionate_You_858@reddit
I agree 100%. Most of their products are overly watery and lacking flavour
GrownDandilion@reddit
Heinz has been shit for years
Cybalist@reddit
We stopped buying Heinz a while back and switched to Lidl for our sauces and beans. There is less crap in the Lidl versions and they're a third of the price, and taste just as good if not better. Having said that, I now make my own Baked Beans, by heating up a tin of haricot beans in a pan with a third of a carton of passata, some salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika, and it tastes amazing and eliminates all of the additives and shite in tinned baked beans. Only takes 5 mins to make, too.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
If I enjoyed cooking I’d definitely do that too, but i can’t be arsed half the time 🤣 sounds like your household is lucky to have you tho
Cybalist@reddit
It really doesn't take much longer than heating up a tin of Baked Beans.
Large-Lettuce-7940@reddit
the ketchup spits out dirty tomato water no matter how much you shake the bottle its grim
Johnnyfootwrinkle@reddit
Most brands have gone shit. they use corn syrup to sweeten everything up these days, nothing tastes like it used to orignally.
BoomtownBotanicals@reddit
Heinz is overpriced shite
NortonBurns@reddit
Heinz is a huge conglomerate. They sell everything you could imagine, all in the interests of profit.
The Heinz/Branston debate runs wild on reddit, yet Heinz outsell Branston 10:1 which ought to tell you your perception is just that… your perception. If everybody agreed, then the numbers would be reversed.
I tried Branston purely based on reddit's penchant for them, and went straight back to Heinz. Personally, I find Branston far too sweet. Heinz, on the other hand, are really fecking expensive. Aldi & Lidl tend to do well in the perception stakes, and certainly on economy, as they're only about 40p a can.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Well it's like you said though I think so many people are so used to Heinz and buying Heinz products that it's more about the familiarity and comfort rather than the actual quality.
MINKIN2@reddit
Stockwells have the best Bean to Juice ratio.
jake_burger@reddit
As a general rule, any mass market product is probably a bit shit. Is it’s cheap enough that everyone can afford it, it’s because they enshitified it enough to make it cheap enough.
Altruistic-Table5859@reddit
Hands down Bachelors beans are the best. Then Aldi brand.
Nudie-64@reddit
Heinz is generally poor quality and overpriced. I buy their garlic sauce because there aren't many alternatives. You can't get aioli in UK supermarkets.
Superb-Ad-8823@reddit
We like Heinz mayo and agree their beans are watery and fairly tasteless. Aldi tomato sauce is good and would say better than Heinz.
Wasps_are_bastards@reddit
I used to buy Heinz until the prices went silly. Now we’ve switched to Aldi or M&S
Agreeable-Ad7083@reddit
The one thing I can’t stand in Heinz mayo it’s American style imho and full of sugar. Mayonnaise should not be sweet
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Aldi tomato sauce is so peak it has the right amount of tangyness and flavour they really cooked with that one.
Wasps_are_bastards@reddit
M&S ones are pretty decent. I like Heinz, I just refuse to pay their prices
ButterscotchTop194@reddit
Heinz is a very overrated brand. It's generic shite that is good enough, and familiar so people feel good about it.
There are generally better alternatives, and there are much nicer ketchups.
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
Too sweet, the ketchup is quite nostalgic though. Branston is way better tho
Glozboy@reddit
Yes. Own brand products always beat theirs, especially the beans.
geese_moe_howard@reddit
Their baked beans are in such a thin sauce that they may as well be renamed Bean Soup.
Willing-Confusion-56@reddit
Heinz gas been shit for a decade. Long live branston
Sleepyllama23@reddit
Branston beans are way superior to Heinz beans. I’m trying to convince everyone I know but they have a weird loyalty to Heinz. I do get Heinz mayo though
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
You ever tried Hellmans though? I feel like even that beats out Heinz in the mayo department
CosetElement-Ape71@reddit
Sainsbury's Real mayo (not the light one) beats both IMO
Sleepyllama23@reddit
I might give it a try. A lot of the own brand sauces are pretty good now.
CosetElement-Ape71@reddit
Well it's smooth, tasty, and not like jelly (UK type, not US jam!)
Sleepyllama23@reddit
I like the big glass jar! I just prefer the Heinz mayo for some reason
Aggravating_Cloud657@reddit
Yeah, never really liked them. Perfectly happy with cheap store brand stuff.
andycwb1@reddit
Well I’m allergic to Branston beans, so I’ll still with Heinz.
miggleb@reddit
More and more people are realising this everyday.
Love to see it
AtebYngNghymraeg@reddit
It's noticeable that where once the beans section was just Heinz, now other brands are occupying more and more space.
Bread_is_the_devil@reddit
For beans there is no comparison to branston, branston is the better product end of. Ketchup is too sugary and watery, I’ve switched to m and s for every day, tiptree for posh days. Mayonnaise I prefer stokes or m and s again. I am still partial to a tin of their cream of tomato soup though, however, if there is a fresh one on offer as opposed to tinned then fresh wins every day of the week
Lord_Cockatrice@reddit
If I am not mistaken, Branston's is currently owned by a Japanese food maker
MBronsonWisconsin@reddit
Agree re ketchup and mayo choices (love a lot of Stokes products), Waitrose Essentials beans are good (£1.90 for 4 tins), none of the other tinned tomato soup matches Heinz and how mad that the Covent Garden cartons are practically the same price as a tin of Heinz when on offer.
wbqqq@reddit
Unless you are in Ireland - Bachelor’s are even better, but Aldi’s or Branstons aren’t a bad substitute.
No_Doubt_About_That@reddit
Rubies in the Rubble is literally cheaper for ketchup and they’re a B Corp.
HRHKarlFranz@reddit
Nothing comes close to their ketchup.
You can get some lovely celery sauce, but its not ketchup. Not even close.
Everything else theres usually a better alternive, specifically Branston beans and Marks and Spencer mayo.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
Beans - Branstoj
Ketchup - M&S or homemade
Mayo - Hellman's
What else is there?
But ultimately they're a middle range brand and that's what a lot of shoppers want.
bigkahuna1uk@reddit
Heinz is also overpriced. I was in Asda the other day and had to do a double take . It was £1.50 for a single tin of beans. The Asda equivalent was 49p. There’s no way in a taste test that Heinz is 3 times better than the Asda one.
JMH-66@reddit
Branston's all the way and HP before then ( I'm just a bit disappointed in them reducing the number of sausages from 8 to 7 to in their beans and sausage , as causing marital disagreement ) . We never had Heinz beans in our house in the 70's as my mum thought they were too full of sugar ( I've since tried the low sugar ones and they're disgusting ) plus Crosse and Blackwell's or Baxter's soups. Never Heinz.
HOWEVER I'm afraid Heinz Salad Cream and to a certain extent to Tomato Ketchup are hills I will die on and I am absolutely furious at the price I have to pay to get them. I just try to look for offers ! Luckily I'm the only one that uses both in my house so I can easily get a six month supply out of the largest size.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
You tried the aldi tomato sauce? I agree with you about salad cream though, it’s genuinely much better than anywhere else
JMH-66@reddit
Actually I haven't and I do shop there so I might, thank you ! I think because I don't eat/use as much ketchup ( strictly things like burgers and chips, I don't go putting this on roast dinners 😝 ) and they're a bit more "much of a muchness" I'll put up with alternatives, I just prefer Heinz , but I can't find anything to match the Salad Cream. And I put a LOT of salad cream on every single salad I eat as well as sandwiches and occasionally jacket potatoes.
daneccleston86@reddit
Aldis own brand. Bramwells aren’t they ? Are top tier ! Way better than Heinz now IMO
Brilliant_Ask_82@reddit
Heinz beans are great, Aldi are also great. Heinz is the best ketchup, their seriously range of Mayo also slaps. Branston pickle is amazing, but their beans are an acquired taste, mostly rated because of the sauce, but the beans themself are disappointing and the sauce is mostly thickener.
PomegranateV2@reddit
> Heinz is the best ketchup
It used to be. But they changed their recipe a while ago and it's now absolute crap.
doofcustard@reddit
Yeah, the soup is bland as hell and don't get me started in their excuse for macaroni cheese
PistolPeteWearn@reddit
When I was a youngster in the late 80s and early 90s it was a thing that any time anyone came to our school, or appeared on the TV to talk about healthy eating they would tell you how much salt & sugar was in Heinz baked beans (and Kelloggs cornflakes, and a few other big name things).
I think Heinz, along with most of the industry, have gradually reduced the amount of these over the years. Now, if you took an absolutely delicious recipe for tomato soup, or baked beans in tomato sauce, or ketchup and took out most of the salt and sugar you would end up with something ok, but a bit thin and vinegary. Which, if it what has happened, would be why they never taste the way they did in my youth.
ttrsphil@reddit
Gone massively downhill. Utter crap now.
expensive_habbit@reddit
Their ketchup is still the best and I'll die on that hill, their salad cream is excellent too.
I don't buy anything else they make.
mightypup1974@reddit
I must have had a bad can of Branstons beans as I thought they tasted terrible
Jaded_Leg_46@reddit
The thick soup is now runny and the tomato sauce in the baked beans and spaghetti is awful and so is the ketchup. Cheaper ingredients for more money.
Current_Thing2244@reddit
Heinz used to be brilliant, great quality and cheap enough to make paying a little extra worth it. Now it's mainly juice, tastes like syrupy cardboard and isn't worth it at all. I buy Aldi and Asda own brands and they're much better tasting.
scuzz28@reddit
Love their salad cream but not the price of it
RgCrunchyCo@reddit
I use Branstons these days but I did see a taste test on YT with Asda coming out on top.
Dramatic-Energy-4411@reddit
Heinz has always been overrated crap.
Branston beans are way superior toHeinz. Branston ketchup was God tier, I still mourn the day it was discontinued.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
There was branston ketchup???
didntwant2joinreddit@reddit
Heinz tomato soup is still a go to for us and buy the mayo but that's about it.
Left-Ad-3412@reddit
The beans are unusual. I don't like the Heinz baked beans at all, even though that's "the brand" for beans and marketing, they actually remind me too much of the Aldi 27p beans...
The actual way to go is the Aldi 40p beans... Much better lol
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Aldi 40p beans >>>
Odd_Gap_9491@reddit
Best tomato sauce has been Daddies for about 30 years
Jeffina78@reddit
It all tastes like the inside of a tin can.
alexanderbeswick@reddit
Branston beans for me. Wilkins and Sons for ketchup, Daddies too.
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
I don’t really rate Daddies tbf I think they are too tangy for my taste, not enough flavour
leobeer@reddit
Stan baked beans. The absolute best.
dingalinglans@reddit
They've enshittified them - I'm a branstons person now. Have heard good things about M&S beans so need to check them out.
Grommulox@reddit
You get a lot more disgusting ketchup piss water in Heinz than in the Aldi one, if it’s been in the cupboard a while and you forget to shake it. Loads more.
topgeezr@reddit
Heinxz beans arent a patch on the US beans like Bush Im afraid. The one grocery item I found that the US does better.
OhCleo@reddit
The only thing I buy is their BBQ sauce. It’s expensive, but I do like it, and it lasts a while. I’m not into anything of their other stuff… beans/spaghetti, soup etc.
Connect-Bug9988@reddit
57 varieties...
...of shite 🤣
YchYFi@reddit
I don't really like that weird taste their vegetable soups have.
bluebellwould@reddit
I prefer Aldi beans too. Nom
Chickadee_Sparrow@reddit
Definitely. I'm in Canada and their beans are chemical gargbage over here (plus there's a very strong 'avoid buying USA products' mentality over here anyway).
mEmotep@reddit
Heinz is shite
cpt_hatstand@reddit
I think they've gone massively downhill, but also there's more options so people know that there's better out there now.
Their beans are watery as you say, stokes ketchup shits on heinz from a great height although my daughter really likes heinz mayo so I guess some things are alright.
sadieadlerwidow@reddit
branstons >>>
Kindly-Stage-6672@reddit
I’ve never rated them.
Riovem@reddit
Why are you unsure if you can post because you're British?
coolfunkDJ@reddit (OP)
Idk, not a regular on this sub. And good to know
qualityvote2@reddit
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