I usually make my own soup, but this evening after I'd put the kids to bed, I was a little peckish and so helped myself to some of the Heinz Classic Cream of Chicken Soup that was in the cupboard. I haven't had this since I was a kid, but I get it because my daughter is really found of soup and sometimes its the only thing I can persuade her to eat - and so I usually have some hanging around in the cupboard.

The can of soup contained 290g and cost me 64p from Tesco. I don't actually think that 64p is great value for money as I can imagine how little this soup is produced for, but it is an average cost of a tin of soup and so from that point of view its not a bad price. It comes in a typical can with the Heinz logo and pieces of chicken on the label. On the back of the label is the nutritional information and easy to follow instructions for heating the soup (although I'm not sure why anyone on the planet would need instructions!).

The can has a ring pull on it and so opening it is easy. To heat, I simply poured it into a saucepan and heated through for about four minutes until the soup was bubbling. Once warmed I poured it into a bowl and was ready to go. Preparation really couldn't have been easier.

The first thing I noticed about the soup was that it did have an aroma, but I wouldn't say that the aroma reminded me of chicken. The only way I can describe it is to say that it smelled like canned chicken soup smells - which is a unique smell - but it's definitely not one of chicken! The soup is an off-cream colour (kind of a yellowy white) and is very thick and somewhat gelatinous. I didn't think it looked too bad because although thick, it looked relatively smooth and non-greasy. There were tiny bits of chicken in the soup - but these were very small and few and far between. Interestingly and perhaps surprisingly, chicken was the highest ingredient in the soup after water - but yet it only comprised of 3% of the total contents which really is very little. On tasting the soup, it is.....okay. I wouldn't say it was disgusting and I wouldn't say it was very tasty - I would simply say it is edible, but that it isn't something that I would look forward to eating. It is creamy but tastes processed and very salty (it contains 1.9g of salt), but it is filling and warming and so does serve a function.

I think this soup is okay to have in the cupboard for emergencies - but really this is only for emergencies when the munchies strike and there is nothing in the fridge (or for moody teenagers who believe that the soup is the only thing that can pass their lips!!).