Canstar Blue’s 2021 sauces and relish review has seen Beerenberg, Rosella, ALDI Colway, Heinz, MasterFoods, Woolworths, Fountain and Coles compared on taste, consistency, range variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Aussies have rated Beerenberg best in Canstar Blue’s sauces and relish review for the second year in a row. The brand received five stars for taste, consistency, variety and overall satisfaction.
Finding your soulmate is good and all, but have you tried tomato sauce on a Bunnings sausage sizzle? How about mango chutney on Indian curry? That’s true love. In our latest condiments review, nearly one in five Aussies (17%) said they usually pick up a bottle or jar during their regular grocery shop. And it’s no surprise considering a similar number of people also enjoy hot sauce (25%).
To find out which condiments are worth stocking in our pantries, we surveyed more than 1,690 Australian consumers for their feedback on the sauces and relish they’ve purchased and eaten in the last three months. Respondents rated brands on taste, consistency, variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received at least 30 responses are included in the results.
Beerenberg is still pleasing Aussies’ tastebuds in 2021, scooping up its second win in a row. It received five-star reviews in the majority of categories, including taste, consistency, variety and overall satisfaction.
Here are the best brands for sauces and relish in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s 2021 review:
Beerenberg topped our ratings with a five-star review for overall satisfaction, while Rosella, ALDI’s Colway, Heinz and MasterFoods slightly dipped on four stars. Woolworths, Fountain and Coles trailed behind on three stars for overall satisfaction.
It’s worth mentioning that supermarket ALDI was seen to offer the best bang for your buck, with its Colway line scoring full marks for value for money. It achieved the same result for consistency, alongside Rosella which additionally rated best for packaging design.
With a name which appropriately translates to ‘Berry Hill’, Beerenberg stirs up a variety of jams, chutneys, sauces and dressings from a family farm that served up its first batch of strawberry jam back in 1971. Beerenberg caters to a variety of tastebuds with flavour options like:
Prices for Beerenberg products usually start from $4.95 for a 300g jar of fruit jam and reach up to $5.40 for a 260g jar of chutney.
Rosella claims to use Australian-grown ingredients to create its range of sauces and soups because ‘we all know nothing tastes as good as homegrown’. The brand’s range spans over a few categories, including sauces, soups, chutneys and onions. Some products from the Rosella range include:
Prices vary between $2.70 for a 250g jar and $10.80 for a 1kg jar.
Discount supermarket chain ALDI stocks a variety of its own brand items at affordable prices, in addition to other branded products. So, it makes sense for the retailer to include its own line of condiments on the side. Options like Colway Real Mayonnaise are available in a larger packaging compared to other alternatives, weighing in at a whopping 446g.
One of the most recognisable names in the supermarket, Heinz hit Australian shelves back in the 1880s to provide us with a hearty selection of pasta sauces, beans, spaghetti and chicken products. Some Heinz condiments you’ll be able to spot on most supermarket shelves include:
Prices start from a cheap and cheerful $1.80 for a 220ml bottle and go upwards of $6 for a 500ml bottle.
MasterFoods can teach us all a thing or two about flavour, selling a wide variety of herbs and spices, seasonings, marinades, gravy, sauces, relish and spreads, among other things. Some MasterFoods products include:
Prices start from $2.95 for a 475ml bottle and can cost up to $7 for a larger 2L bottle.
The Fresh Food People aim to offer a homebrand range of condiments and sauces to make grocery shopping ‘easy, lemon squeezy’. Whether you’re looking for lime juice, soy sauce or classic tomato sauce, the supermarket has a bunch of affordable options to choose from. Products include:
Prices range from $1 for a 250ml bottle and $2.65 for a 275g jar.
Fountain says it takes pride in being a company that transforms flavours by complementing meals. Since the brand’s first tomato sauce was introduced back in 1906, its product range has expanded to feature different types of tomato, BBQ, Asian, hot and traditional sauces. Today, Fountain continues to embrace new ingredients, cuisines and tastes. Here’s a product selection from Fountain’s range:
Prices vary between $2.50 for a 500ml squeeze bottle and $6 for a large 2L bottle.
Coles is another supermarket giant serving up its own line of condiments at affordable prices. It sells a wide variety of products, from olives to Canadian maple syrup. Here’s a condiment selection from the Coles brand.
Prices can vary between $1 and $6.25 for Coles condiments.
The brands featured in this year’s ratings aren’t the only sauces and relish worth dipping into. Here are a couple of other options you might like to taste test.
Whether you’re looking to top up a plate of tacos or a bowl of chicken wings, Mcilhenny Co. has a list of Tabasco-branded hot sauces to spice things up. The classic Original Red Pepper Sauce was first dished up in Louisiana 1868 and has since been a go-to for many foodies. Some products from the Mcilhenny Co. range include:
Prices range from $4.60 for a 60ml bottle and can reach up to $8.33 for some 100ml alternatives.
Apparently created by a French father and son duo all the way back in 1747, La Maison Maille continues to be the perfect pair for tastebuds around the globe. With the belief that the right condiment can truly define a meal, the brand now sells a variety of premium mustards, oils and vinegar, and cornichons. Some products from the Maille range include:
Prices vary from $1.90 for a 100g jar to $4 for a slightly larger 215g option.
Looking to spice things up in the kitchen but don’t know where to start? Our survey reveals Aussies to be an adventurous bunch, with almost half (45%) of the people we surveyed saying they have tried multiple brands. For anyone looking to pair their BBQ with a unique flavour and not just your stock-standard tomato sauce, Beerenberg, Heinz and ALDI’s Colway were seen to have the best range variety. Otherwise, if you’re like the one in five (21%) survey respondents who simply stick to the cheapest option, homebrand alternatives from ALDI, Woolworths and Coles rated among the best in terms of value for money.
Paying attention to the nutritional information might also make a difference, especially with brands now selling ‘healthier’ versions of your favourite sauces with supposedly less sugar and/or salt. This is definitely a habit a handful of Australians are now trying to pick up (16%). But whatever you choose, we hope you find our ratings to be a useful guide during your next grocery shop.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and consumed a condiment (i.e. tomato sauce, mustard and relish) from a supermarket or grocer (i.e. not homemade or bought from a market) within the last three months – in this case, 1,692 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
2020
