I absolutely love cup a soups! I like easy to make up soupy drinks that I feel are a quick snack for me after the gym and for when I can't be bothered to faff about! I saw these in my local Sainsbury's stores and put down my usual preffered option to give these a go as at the price they cost I was curious but to be honest but didn't hold out much hope for them in the taste stakes, however like I say I was curious!

The Packaging....

White box and on the front in white and orange writing I'm told they are Sainsbury's 'Basics' Vegetable Soup In A Mug, there is a scribble of a mug on there, and at a glance nutritional chart is displayed and I'm told to simply add boiling water and that they're suitable for Vegetarians and on the flap at the top of the box the best before date is clearly stamped on in black ink. On the back of the box I'm given a full nutritional rundown, ingredients and allergy advice is given, I'm told how to make the soup up and storage advice is listed as are contact details for Sainsbury's and I'm told the size of the product (72 gram, 4 x 18 gram) and finally on the side of the box there is a bar-code on there. This is really economy packaging of course but it is informative enough and the 5 soups come in white large square foil packets and stamped on them I'm told they are Sainsbury's Basics, Vegetable, so if you like them no one will know your a 'Basics' fan and in my view that's a bonus lol.

My Experience With The Soups.


Horrible! To make them up is simple enough though. You simply add the contents to about 1/3 of a pint of boiling water and really stir well. The mix is a dry creamy coloured powder with flecks of carrot in it and when you make it up no matter how much you stir you can't seem to prevent lumps appearing to the top of it but it does smell pleasant and like a vegetable soup. Now the less water you add the thicker the soup becomes and I like mine a bit thicker so use a smallish mug and what you end up with is a cream coloured (n my case rather thick soup) with bits of the carrot floating in it and some visible flecks of green and dried parsley.

Your best to drink this immediately if you don't like creamish coloured gloopy looking sludge to the bottom of your mug when you get there but over-all this just tastes like watery, unseasoned and rather flavourless soup really!

It has a powdery feel to it and very little flavour. The carrots have no taste to them at all, there is no seasoning my taste-buds can detect and even the parsley you can visibly see adds nothing flavourwise to the mix. I'm told there are peas and onions in this (according to the ingredients list) I don't like to argue (lol) but I've never tasted them ingredients or spotted them within the soup at all.

Verdict....

Like drinking either watery veg stock or thick and gunky soup (still with no flavour) depending on how you make it up. I'd avoid this like the plague if I was you! I've only used one sachet and the rest are going in the dustbin!

Allergy Advice....

Contains milk & celery.

Nutritional Information per Sachet Provides....

Calories: 69
Fat: 1.7g
Saturated Fat: 0.9g
Salt: 1.3g
Total Sugars: 1.6g

Only available in Sainsbury's stores priced at 20p a box.