Supermarket chocolate spread named 'better than Nutella' and cheaper - costs £2.50

Some brands are so entrenched in our everyday lives that we would never stray. Whether you're married to Heinz for baked beans, you simply must have Bisto gravy, or you'd never cheat on Hellmann's mayonnaise, sometimes we have to pay the premium.

But with supermarkets often selling cheaper alternatives, consumer group Which? put chocolate hazelnut spreads to the test to see if they could rival Nutella. Sixty taste testers tried eleven different jars, pitting three well-known brands against eight supermarket own-labels, from the likes of Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. Based on flavour, aroma, appearance and texture, Waitrose's £2.50 spread clinched the top spot, with Nutella just a smidgen behind. Tesco's chocolate hazelnut spread tied with Nutella, and it came in at more than £1 cheaper.

Waitrose Essential Hazelnut Chocolate Spread achieved the highest overall score in the taste test. Nearly three-quarters of tasters said the strength of the chocolate and the hazelnut flavour was spot on, and they liked its consistency.

Its spread was the priciest of the supermarket brands, but as the first choice among testers, it was crowned a Which? Best Buy.

Nutella, which was 40p more expensive, came joint second. It was also crowned a Best Buy alongside Tesco. More than three-quarters relished the satisfying chocolatey flavour, and several said the hazelnut flavour and sweetness levels worked.

However, more than half found the texture too stodgy. As you'd expect, Nutella was pricier than all the supermarket own-brands, and it came in 350g jars, which is smaller than the supermarket jars (400g).

The Tesco Hazelnut Chocolate Spread was much cheaper at £1.65 for a 400g jar, but still scored the same as Nutella. The panel found it matched Nutella in quality and taste, and around three-quarters found the strength of the chocolate and hazelnut flavours to be just right. Sweetness levels were also praised by three-quarters of tasters, and most liked the consistency.

"Tesco's spread makes an excellent choice, much cheaper than the other Best Buys, with no compromise on quality," said Which?

Asda's score would "usually guarantee a Best Buy" according to Which?, but its Hazelnut Chocolate Spread just missed out on the top three.

The £2 jar was praised by three-quarters of tasters for its chocolate and hazelnut flavours, and an even higher proportion liked its sweetness levels.

As with Nutella, there was some division regarding consistency. While more than half felt it was just right, most of the remainder said it was too thick.

Lidl's Choco Nussa Hazelnut Chocolate Spread matched Tesco on price and scored only one percentage point less. Three-quarters of tasters said the sweetness was just right, while two-thirds liked the chocolate flavour and thickness, and more than a quarter wanted a stronger hazelnut flavour.

Sainsbury's was the best of the remaining spreads, while Marks and Spencer and the two brands, Bonne Maman and Jim Jams, came next. It was followed by Morrisons and then Aldi.