We asked a large panel of consumers to blind-taste supermarket strawberry jams to find the best ones to buy, and they rated two supermarket offerings higher than pricey branded rivals.
The strawberry jams and conserves we tested included Bonne Maman, St Dalfour and Tiptree as well as premium own-label options from supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco.
Prices vary widely, with the most expensive jam costing more than five times more, spoon-for-spoon, than the cheapest.
There's no need to pay a premium though, as we found that paying more won't always get you tastier jam.
Read on to discover our top picks, and how to choose the best jam for your tastes.
Live well for less – sign up to our free food and health newsletter for monthly insights and advice, plus the latest taste tests
Best strawberry jam revealed
Co-op and Sainsbury's impressed our panel of tasters the most, with Co-op just having the edge over Sainsbury's jam – though Sainsbury's is kinder on your wallet.
Bonne Maman and Tesco weren't far behind and tied for third place, though again Tesco's jam is considerably cheaper.
Best Buy: Co-op Irresistible Strawberry Conserve - 77%
£2.25 for 340g (66p per 100g)
Co-op's jam scored well across the board, including for all-important strawberry flavour. More than three-quarters of tasters judged this to be just right.
The jam's colour, thickness and consistency were also rated highly and most of our panel found its sweetness to their liking. Nearly a third thought it rather too sweet, though, and it does have the highest sugar content of the supermarket jams, so it might be too sweet for some.
It's a tasty pick, but it is the priciest of the supermarket own brands. So if you're looking to save, it's worth considering slightly cheaper options that were also rated well for taste.
Available at Co-op.
Great Value Best Buy: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Strawberry Conserve - 76%
£2 for 340g (59p per 100g)
Sainsbury's jam was pipped to the post by Co-op's, but still scored well overall – and it's great value too. Nearly two-thirds found the strength of flavour just right. As with the Co-op jam, around a quarter found it too sweet.
Testers loved the colour of this jam, and most thought it had just the right consistency and thickness.
Available from Sainsbury's.
Tesco Finest Strawberry Conserve – 75%
£2 for 340g (59p per 100g)
A little behind the top two, and tied with Bonne Maman (see below) is Tesco's tasty offering. Most found the strawberry flavour hit the spot, neither too weak nor too strong. It scored well on colour appeal, too, although our panel didn't rate the aroma as highly as Co-op's and Sainsbury's jams.
As with many of the jams on test, Tesco's was deemed too sweet by some, though the majority thought it just right. Around a third thought it was a bit too thick.
If you aren't near a Sainsbury's, Tesco's jam is a great alternative choice as it's only a smidge behind in ratings and is the same price.
Available from Tesco.
Best food and drink – see the results of all our expert and consumer panel taste tests, from coffee and cornflakes to beers and champagne
Bonne Maman vs Tiptree strawberry jam
We included big-brand jams to see how they measured up, and which brand is best. Bonne Maman scored highest of the brands among our panel, but Tiptree wasn't too far behind:
- Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve – 75%. The colour and flavour got high praise from our testers, but this was another jam where sweetness was an issue for some: 58% found it about right, but 32% thought it too sweet. Overall, though, this jam is a tasty pick, though you'll pay a premium vs supermarket versions. £2.80 for a 370g jar (76p per 100g). Available from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco or Waitrose.
- Tiptree Strawberry Conserve – 73%. Tiptree was rated one of the best for thickness and consistency – neither too smooth nor too lumpy – and most of our panel thought the colour just right. While it's not a bad choice, our panel didn't find the flavour as appealing as higher scoring jams, and it is the sugariest on test (66% sugar) and also the second priciest. £2.80 for a 340g jar (82p per 100g). Available from Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco or Waitrose.
How Aldi, Asda and other strawberry jams compare
All but one of the jams and conserves we tested were relatively well received, so you don't need to go out of your way to find a decent jam. But one branded jar fell behind the pack.
- M&S Strawberry Conserve – 73%. Nearly two thirds thought the sweetness of this jam was just right, and it was also rated highly for strawberry flavour. Most thought the consistency good, too. However, 39% of tasters rated the colour as unappetisingly dark. £2.10 for a 340g jar (62p per 100g). Available from M&S or Ocado.
- Aldi Specially Selected Class Strawberry Jam – 73%. According to our tasters, the flavour of Aldi's jam didn't match up to some we tested, with 35% saying it was too sweet. It's the cheapest on test, though, so won't cost too much if you fancy giving it a go. £1.25 for a 340g jar (37p per 100g). Available from Aldi.
- Asda Extra Special Strawberry Conserve – 72%. Half of our testers found this jam too dark in colour, which dragged it down in the rankings. Although its flavour wasn't quite as impressive as others we tested, it scored well overall and is the second cheapest on test. £1.50 for a 370g jar (41p per 100g). Available from Asda.
- Annabel's Yorkshire Strawberry Conserve – 60%. A whopping 88% of testers thought this jam too dark in colour, and not many were fans of the aroma or flavour either. It was too strong for 42% of tasters and too sweet for 38%. It did better for consistency, with the majority finding it had the right level of smoothness. It's the priciest on test, and our tasters weren't impressed. £4.55 for a 227g jar (£2 per 100g). Available from Ocado.
*Unfortunately, we weren't able to confirm the ongoing availability of Lidl strawberry jam, so we weren't able to include it in our test.
Tomato soup taste test – discover which cheap supermarket tins beat Heinz in our consumer taste test
Is jam unhealthy?
Jam is infamous for being full of sugar, so eating it by the spoonful straight out of the jar won't win any health prizes.
Unsurprisingly, NHS guidelines confirm that jam falls into the high-sugar category. It has negligible protein and fat content and, despite the high fruit content, you can't count it as one of your five a day.
But, spread thinly over some toast or a teacake, jam is a sweet treat that won't have a huge impact on your calorie intake.
On average, a tablespoon of jam contains 8-9g of sugar and between 35-40 calories. This makes it similar to popping a couple of teaspoons of sugar into your morning cuppa.
Jam vs conserve vs fruit spread vs jelly: what's the difference and does it matter?
If you're browsing the supermarket shelf, it's worth knowing your jam from your jelly to get value for money and the taste or texture you expect. These are the key differences between the types:
- Jam – a mixture of mashed-up fruit and sugar cooked to a pulp. It should hold firmly together but also be easily spreadable.
- Fruit conserve – most of the products in our taste tests that you might think of as jam are actually fruit conserves. These have a higher fruit content than jam and are often made using more than one type of fruit.
- Fruit spread – fruit spreads are made of cooked fruit, but have no added sugar. This gives spreads a different flavour, sweetness and consistency. For example, St Dalfour Strawberry Spread (£2.70 for 284g jar, available from Morrisons, Sainsburys and Ocado) uses unsweetened fruit juice concentrate and contains only naturally occurring sugars. Our tasters thought this had a milder flavour compared to the conserves we tested. They also found it paler, smoother and more runny than the traditional jams. Bear in mind that sugar, ultimately, is still sugar, whether from fruit juice or otherwise.
- Fruit jelly – still mostly fruit and sugar, but the cooked mixture is strained to make a smooth, transparent paste, with no seeds, pulp or fruit bits.
How to make jam
Making your own jam is a great way of using up a glut of fresh fruit (or clearing out the freezer), but it takes a little patience. Some recipes recommend you leave the mixture of fruit, sugar and lemon juice to marinate overnight.
Try out the BBC Good Food strawberry jam recipe to make jam that should keep for up to six months.
To avoid mould ruining your homemade jam, it's important to sterilise the jars and also to pop a wax disc on top of the jam before putting the lid on.
Should I store jam in the fridge?
Consult the jar of your newly opened jam or conserve and it'll probably say to store it in the fridge after opening. But do you really need to?
The high sugar content in traditional jam is enough to stop most bacterial growth, but mould will start growing on it after a while. It'll happen sooner if the jam is kept at room temperature, if the lid is removed often or if buttery, crumb-laden knives are put into the jar.
Storing your jam in the fridge will delay mould taking hold. But if you get through your jam quickly, you'll likely never see mould if you store it in a cool cupboard.
How we tested strawberry jam
The strawberry jams were assessed in October 2022 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume jam.
The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. Each jam was assessed by 72 people.
The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each jam and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.
The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they sampled the jams was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each panellist had a private booth, so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.
The overall score is based on:
- 50% flavour
- 20% appearance
- 15% texture
- 15% aroma.
These weightings are based on consumer rankings of the importance of different jam attributes.
How to recycle jam jars
Glass jars can usually be recycled with your household recycling. Rinse out the jar and replace the lid before popping it in the box or bin.
If you're planning to make jam, give the jars a thorough clean and sterilise them.
Wash the jars in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. Next, place in a cool oven (around 140C) to dry completely, then fill the warm jars with your homemade jam.
*prices correct as of 19 October 2022.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/best-strawberry-jam-revealed-in-consumer-taste-test-aWKWz7B1iCHC