Supermarket marmalade beats Asda, Tesco and M&S and it’s 75% cheaper

A marmalade that is 75% cheaper than other brands has beaten , and to become tasters’ favourite spread. ‘s thick cut Seville Orange marmalade was voted the best in a taste test carried out by Which? and was even handed an impressive 75% customer rating.

A group of tasters scored 11 marmalades based on flavour, aroma, appearance and texture. They also had to reveal what they liked and disliked about each one. Morrison’s own-brand came out on top after receiving the best scores for its look, flavour and texture.

Three quarters said the spread had the right mix of colour, consistency and sweatness while just as many said the orange flavour strength was perfect. They also heaped praise on the amount of peel used and the spread’s amount of bitterness.

The supermarket brand stunned tasters so much Which? gave it a Best Buy label. The coveted classification is only offered to highly-rated products.

The top-rated marmalade also received a thumb-up for cost. At the time of the taste test, shoppers could bag a 340g jar for £1.80 – that’s 53p per 100g. That makes Morrison’s own-brand 75% cheaper than Tiptree, Duerr’s and Frank Cooper’s marmalades, which were just some of the branded and unbranded spreads included in the taste test.

In close second place was Duchy’s Organic Seville Orange think cut marmalade with a score of 73pc. The spread sold for £2.10 for a jar (340g), which is 62p per 100g. Sharing second place was Taste the Difference Bitter Seville orange marmalade, which was handed a 73pc score.

Not only was Sainsbury’s marmalade a strong favourite for tasters, it also costs the same as Morrison’s at 53p per 100g. Tasters enjoyed the colour and consistency but found it was a bit too bitter and found it needed more peel.

In fourth place was La Vieja Fabrica orange thick cut marmalade. The premium brand received a 72% rating from tasters and costs £2.50 for a 365g jar, equating to 68p per 100g.

Two thirds of tasters said La Vieja Fabrica had a decent sweetness to bitterness ratio while 60% were fans of its colour and consistency. They also said the amount of peel was just right but over a third wanted the jelly to be thicker.

Asda’s Extra Special thick cut dark Seville orange marmalade scored 70% but tasters found the colour too dark and said the spread could be thicker and have more peel. Tesco’s Finest coarse cut dark Seville also received 70% but was found to be a little too bitter. 

The Co-op’s Irresistible Seville orange medium cut marmalade got 69% and like Tesco’s marmalade, tasters said this too was much too bitter. Tiptree’s “Tawny” orange thick cut marmalade received a 64% rating while Frank Cooper’s Original Oxford coarse cut received a 63% rating overall. 

More than 80% of the tasting panel were put off by its dark colour and less than half felt its orange flavour, sweetness, bitterness or amount of peel were right. Second last was Duerrs’s thick cut Seville orange marmalade (£1.50 for 340g or 44p per 100g) with a 62pc rating.

In last place was M&S’ Fairtrade Dark Seville orange marmalade, bagging a 60% rating. Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Starting the morning with marmalade on toast is essential for Paddington Bear and many people across the UK. Our taste tests reflected the competition between big brands and supermarkets to produce the best flavour.

“While Morrisons emerged as the top scorer in our taste tests with high ratings for looks, flavour and texture, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s offerings also impressed the panel for their colour and consistency.”