Canstar Blue’s latest sauces and relish review has seen Beerenberg, Rosella, Kikkoman, Colway (ALDI), MasterFoods, Fountain, Heinz, Ayam, Woolworths 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 THIRD year in a row. The brand received five stars for taste, consistency, variety, packaging 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 (16%) said they usually pick up a bottle or jar during their regular grocery shop. And it’s no surprise considering 42% have tried multiple brands of sauces and relish.
To find out which condiments are worth stocking in our pantries, we surveyed more than 1,700 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, scooping up its third win in a row. It received five-star reviews in the majority of categories and for overall satisfaction.
Here are the best brands for sauces and relish in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Beerenberg topped our ratings with a five-star review for taste, consistency, variety, packaging and overall satisfaction. ALDI’s Colway brand was rated best for value for money, while Kikkoman also scored full marks for taste.
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:
Beerenberg achieved five stars for taste, consistency, packaging design, range variety and overall satisfaction. It got four stars for value for money.
The difference is all in the texture and consistency! A sauce is generally a smoother, more liquid condiment with a pureed base, whereas a relish is usually chunkier and made up of preserved vegetables. Both sauces and relishes are added to dishes to make them more flavoursome.
According to our survey, consumers like to add sauce to make things spicier, with over half of the respondents (53%) favouring a dash of hot chilli sauce to their meals. Despite the difference in consistency, it also seems that everyone is a fan of sauce and relish, with just under half (42%) keen to try multiple brands of both in search of their favourite.
Our survey found that Aussies prefer tomato sauce by a mile for pies (71%) and hot chips (38%). Gravy is the next best thing for hot chips (32%), with barbeque sauce trailing long behind (7%).
As for where Aussies like to splash their sauce, it would seem it’s a very close split between on the side for dipping (49%) and directly on the chips (41%), while a whopping 64% are happy to spread it straight onto their pie.
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 (42%) 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, was seen to have the best range variety. Otherwise, if you’re like the nearly one in five (19%) survey respondents who simply stick to the cheapest option, homebrand alternatives from supermarkets like ALDI are 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 Content Producer Luciana Lawe Davies. She writes about streaming, appliances and consumer products and services. Luciana enjoys bringing readers the best in what’s on TV and at the shops, including the best deals and latest reviews.
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, 1,798 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.
Here are the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s sauces and relish review:
