Buy the best: we scored supermarkets' readymade soups & breads out of 10

HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST

It's free and fair

We know that taste is a subjective thing and what’s good for one may not be for someone else. But it is interesting that, when a group of tasters come together, the results are usually consistent.

For this taste test, we invited SA's five big supermarkets to provide their choice of three soups and two breads from their product ranges. As such, each product was awarded an individual score out of 10.

Individual winners were also picked in various categories ranging from best vegetarian soup to best value for money bread.

As with all our tastings, this was a blind taste test, meaning the products were stripped of their packaging, numbered and presented to a panel of judges with no reference to the brand.

All the soups were heated exactly to the directions on the packaging.

An auditor oversaw the entire process.

WOOLWORTHS

TOMATO AND BEAN SOUP

Rating: 7.2/10

Price: 600g for R46.99

What the judges said:

• Nico: Nice thick soup. Unmistakeably tomato and bean, nice balance of spice.
• Thando: Good colour. You can taste all the elements.
• Dorah: A bit of a sour aftertaste though nice and crunchy.

MEXICAN-STYLE PULLED BEEF AND CORN SOUP

Rating: 6.8/10

Price: 600g for R62.99

What the judges said:

• Ramona: Texture is appealing, vegetables are visible and the flavour distinctive.
• Mokgadi: Rich and chunky. You can taste the smoked paprika.
• Hlovisa: The beans add that Mexican kick.

BEEF AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Rating: 6.1/10

Price: 600g for R49.99

What the judges said:

• Mokgadi: Too bland, no depth.
• Hlovisa: The vegetables taste like frozen vegetables.
• Rethabile: Beef is too dry, vegetables are too soft.

CRUSHED WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Rating: 6.3/10

Price: R37.99

What the judges said:

• Nico: A bland bread with not much taste or texture.
• Thando: Good texture, not bad tasting but it's just bread.
• Vicky: Simply not my taste. I don't get the 'healthy' taste.

PUMPKIN SEED AND CRUSHED WHEAT CIABATTA

Rating: 8/10

Price: R31.99

What the judges said:

• Emmè: Soaked up the soup. Great bread, and without butter it's still great.
• Dorah: I love the crunchiness and the appearance. The seeds makes it look healthy.
• Denise: Delicious flavour and light texture.

SPAR FRESHLINE

CHUNKY CHICKEN SOUP

Rating: 7/10

Price: 500g for R36.99

What the judges said:

• Thando: Great fresh flavours, it just needs salt. Looks good, with a great flavour of celery.
• Rethabile: Vegetables nice and crunchy and well cooked. Flavours well balanced but needs salt.
• Dorah: Love the texture of the vegetables. Not so bad.

BILTONG SOUP

Rating: 6.2/10

Price: 500g for R34.99

What the judges said:

• Virginia: Like the appearance and aroma.
• Mokgadi: Creamy, flavoursome and delicious but would have liked more biltong.
• Vicky: Looks dull, don't like the smell or taste.

BUTTERNUT SOUP

Rating: 5/10

Price: 500g for R34.99

What the judges said:

• Ramona: Unpleasant aroma, don't like the texture with unusual taste. Needs more seasoning. Doesn't taste much like butternut.
• Thando: Tastes like a bar of soap fell into the soup.
• Dorah: Nice and smooth, not much butternut flavour.

WHITE CIABATTA

Rating: 7.8/10

Price: R17.99

What the judges said:

• Rethabile: Bread is nice and fluffy, well baked and very flavourful.
• Mokgadi: I loved this bread, a proper ciabatta. I also loved the fact it was so affordable.
• Emmè: Good flavour, good crust and soft inside.

MULTI SEED BREAD

Rating: 8/10

Price: R29.99

What the judges said:

• Virginia: Excellent appearance, aroma, texture.
• Hlovisa: It tastes like bread I would reach for if I was on diet.
• Lesedi: Love this one.

CHECKERS

LASAGNE-STYLE SOUP

Beef and tomato soup with pasta

Rating: 7.9/10

Price: 600g for R34.99

What the judges said:

• Ramona: This is a very exciting soup. It can be eaten as a main meal or a quick lunch at the office. The soup has a delicious sauce base and the ingredients do not overpower the main ingredients.
• Lesedi: The lasagne soup is amazing. I have never eaten anything like this.
• Denise: Very tasty, pasta with mince in a basil and tomato base, very good.

CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP

Rating: 7.5/10

Price: 600g for R49.99

What the judges said:

• Emmè: Too many carrots, needs pepper. Nice and thick, a bit on the creamy side.
• Vicky: Appearance is yummy, smells good and tastes good if one is very hungry. Price is OK.
• Lesedi: The soup is lovely and authentic - a good old chicken soup.

SWEETCORN AND SWEET POTATO CHOWDER

Rating: 5.6/10

Price: 600g for R39.99

What the judges said:

• Denise: Bland. Sweetcorn in a thin white sauce.
• Nana: I didn't enjoy it, quite expensive for what it is.
• Nico: Tastes watered down.

SCHOON CIABATTA

Rating: 8.3/10

Price: R24.99

What the judges said:

• Ramona: The bread is light and fluffy. It tastes amazing.
• Denise: Delicious, chewy and well seasoned.
• Emmè: Love the texture and the air bubbles. Good crust.

SCHOON SOURDOUGH

Rating: 6.7/10

Price: R29.99

What the judges said:

• Thando: Very sour tasting.
• Mokgadi: I loved this bread, one could taste it was a sourdough, and perfectly balanced in flavour.
• Ramona: There's a sour taste on the palate. Bread is dense but appearance is appealing.

PICK N PAY

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI SOUP

Rating: 7.2/10

Price: 600g for R52.99

What the judges said:

• Lesedi: A favourite, memorable, nice and creamy.
• Dorah: Looks OK but not exciting and a bit of a letdown.
• Denise: Good chicken chunks but little broccoli flavour.

VEGETABLE AND GAMMON SOUP

Rating: 6.5/10

Price: 600g for R45.99

What the judges said:

• Dorah: Doesn't taste nice, more like a butternut puree.
• Denise: Smoky flavour but artificial aftertaste. It lacks true gammon flavour.
• Vicky: Didn't enjoy the taste. Price is OK.

CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP

Rating: 6.1/10

Price: 600g for R33.99

What the judges said:

• Emmè: Was this meant to be baby food? No seasoning, I see thyme but can't taste it.
• Thando: Very bland, there's not much to it. It tastes OK.
• Mokgadi: I didn't like this soup, it was too stodgy, too many potatoes and not enough choice of veg. Bland.

OLIVE CIABATTA

Rating: 9/10

Price: R34.99

What the judges said:

• Hlovisa: Tastes amazing, loved the salty olives, which add great flavour.
• Rethabile: Beautiful olive flavour, perfectly baked. Great air pockets and great value for money.
• Nana: Enjoyed the bread, it's as light as a feather.

CALIFORNIAN SOURDOUGH

Rating: 7.3/10

Price: R24.99

What the judges said:

• Lesedi: I loved the bread
• Dorah: Good texture, light and delicious.
• Audrey: Very light and yummy bread.

FOOD LOVER'S MARKET

BASIL AND SUNDRIED TOMATO SOUP

Rating: 7.5/10

Price: 500g for R28.99

What the judges said:

• Audrey: A real tomato taste with the right amount of spice and tartness.
• Rethabile: The tomato and basil worked well. Very memorable.
• Denise: Strong tomato flavour with good hint of basil.

TUSCAN-STYLE ZUCCHINI SOUP

Rating: 6/10

Price: 500g for R29.99

What the judges said:

• Roman: The texture is slightly thick. I didn't enjoy aftertaste.
• Hlovisa: I really thought this was a potato and leek soup.
• Thando: Tastes too much of celery but overall flavour is good.

ASIAN-STYLE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Rating: 6.3/10

Price: 500g for R47.99

What the judges said:

• Emmè: Nicely spiced but needs salt. Less veggies and more chicken is needed. Noodles are overcooked.
• Lesedi: Nice and spicy.
• Virginia: Average. Great texture, taste is average and aroma good.

GERMAN LANDBROT

Rating: 7.3/10

Price: R25.99

What the judges said:

• Mokgadi: I loved the aniseed in the bread. The texture is light and fluffy and it tastes delicious.
• Nico: Lovely aroma! Nice hint of aniseed in the bread.
• Denise: Caraway seeds, rye, good texture and moist.

SWEET POTATO SOURDOUGH

Rating: 7/10

Price: R19.99

What the judges said:

• Nana: Good value for money. A little bit heavy. Tastes good but a little doughy.
• Hlovisa: I expected it to be more on the sweet side. It's quite salty.
• Thando: Very dense, feels soggy. It's got lots of salt. Price is fair.

OVERALL WINNERS

SOUPS

Best overall soup: Checkers Lasagne-Style Soup

Best new flavour soup: Checkers Lasagne-Style Soup

Best vegetarian soup: Food Lover's Market Basil and Sundried Tomato Soup

Best-value-for-money soup: Checkers Lasagne-Style Soup, R34.99

BREADS

Best overall bread: Pick n Pay Olive Ciabatta

Most innovative bread: Woolworths Pumpkin Seed and Crushed Wheat Ciabatta

Best-value-for-money bread: Spar Freshline White Ciabatta, R17.99