Cheap for your Chips! (Oak Lane Tomato Ketchup)

Member Name: sewbizzie

Product:	Oak Lane Tomato Ketchup
Date:	05/11/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great taste and smell, good thick consistancy, CHEAP

Disadvantages: None from my family

As we are budgeting at the moment we have started to notice more different brands being added in Tesco as we don't just pick up the usual. I am pleased that we have noticed and indeed started trying them out as we have come across some really good bargains n the process and this is definitely one of them.

Oak Lane is a new brand which Tesco have introduced and they have a little yellow label stuck on the products which claim to be 'Discount Brands at Tesco'.

~~THE BOTTLE~~

The ketchup comes in a plastic bottle and is exactly the same as other shaped squeeze bottles. The bottle is clear so you can easily see how much of the ketchup is left inside. The front of the bottle has a red label with a picture of some tomatoes and the product name in white lettering. At the top of the this label is the oak Lane logo. Around the neck of the bottle is the discount brand label.

The back of the bottle has a white label which contains all the info about he product including, nutritional info, ingredients, and a bit of additional info about the ketchup.

On the top of the bottle there is a white flip lid which enables the ketchup to be easily squeezed out and then closed to keep the remaining ketchup fresh.

~~USE AND TASTE~~

The ketchup is very easy to serve as you just have to lift the flip lid and tilt the bottle and squeeze. Before your first use you will have to unscrew the lid and remove the seal which covers the bottle but this is very easy to do. I do recommend that you shake the bottle before use to make sure that there is no runny water like stuff on top of the ketchup.

The ketchup does have a great taste and for me is one of the best cheaper brands I have had for a good few years. There is a nice and not overpowering flavour which does actually taste of tomatoes. It is quite thick unlike other cheap brands which means it will not run all over you plate and run off the food which you have dipped into it.

There is a smell to the ketchup which is apparent when flipping the lid. It is not too strong to put you off from the ketchup but it is very pleasant and it smells just like other ketchups. I think the closest I can describe it to is the one which you get from McDonalds. I think it also has a fruity edge to the smell as well.

One problem which I have with the squeeze bottle is being able to get the ketchup from the bottom of the bottle. I have manage to overcome this problem by storing the ketchup upside down when it gets below the ¾ mark and this makes sure I can get as much and possibly out of it.

~~RESULTS~~

I did not tell anyone when I first bought this ketchup as I wanted to see if any of my boys or hubby would notice. They did actually notice when I first gave it to them and commented how nice it was. We previously used Tesco's own brand but everyone in my house does prefer this one. I have now actually had to ration the ketchup and only allow it with chip meals as my eldest would have it on everything and about 3 servings in the process!

~~INFO~~

The nutritional information about this ketchup is listed below for those who wish to know it.

Values are for a 15g (tablespoon) serving of the ketchup

Energy-15 Kcal
Protein - 0.2g
Carbohydrates - 3.5g
Of which sugars - 2.9g
Fat - trace
Of which saturates - trace
Fibre - 0.2g
Sodium - 0.1g
Salt equivalent - 0.2g

The ingredients to this ketchup are:-

Tomato Puree, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Maize Starch, Salt, Rice Flour, Milk Sugar, Tomato Powder, Dextrose, Clove Extract, Citric Acid, Colour (Beetroot Powder), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Prepared with 157g of Tomatoes per 100g of product.

This ketchup does contain milk and it cannot guarantee that it has been made n a nut free factory so I do advise caution if you suffer allergies to these two products.

Once the ketchup- has been opened it must be stored in a cool and dry place and preferably refrigerated. It is advised that it is eaten within 6 weeks of the initial opening.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

As I shop in Tesco then this is where I got my bottle from and I am unsure if it is sold in other supermarkets. I doubt if it is as Tesco claim that Oak Lane are their new discount brand. The bottle comes in a 730g size which for me now I have rationed it lasts about 3 weeks. The bottle costs 68p which I feel is a great price.

~~OVERALL~~

I really do arte this ketchup highly as it has a really great consistency, taste and smell and it is just so much cheaper than the leading brands. I think you should try and give it a go and save yourself a few pennies which can be spent on other things.

Summary: A good discount brand ketchup