I tried supermarket coleslaw – the surprise winner costs just £1 and it’s not Aldi or Lidl
COLESLAW is the ideal side dish for a summer BBQ, made up of light sliced salad and a creamy mayo base.
The dish originates from the Dutch word “koolsla”, meaning cabbage salad, and it arrived in the UK via the USA.
White cabbages are usually used because of their crunchy texture, but some contain purple cabbage instead, giving the dish a nice pop of colour.
Lynsey Hope tried the full range of supermarket own-brand coleslaws to find the one we should all be purchasing to pair with our alfresco dinners.
Here’s what she thought of each.
Tesco Coleslaw (500g)
- £1.50
- 30p per 100g
I found the consistency of the Tesco coleslaw a little bit oily and runny.
However, it did have plenty of crunchy cabbage, which made up around 47% of the ingredients.
The vinegar made it quite sharp and the onion flavour was quite potent in this dish, too, while the touch of lemon added a nice zing.
The price makes this one a good get at £1.50. But it wasn’t my favourite of all the packs I tried.
- Taste: 6/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 12/20
Waitrose Deli Style Coleslaw (300g)
- £1.75
- 58.3p per 100g
Waitrose has added chives to its coleslaw, which really elevated the taste, and I liked the red onion too.
There is less cabbage than some rival dishes (40%) so it wasn’t as crunchy.
However, it was much more creamy than others – the mayonnaise is indulgent and almost like a whipped cream sauce.
This one is enjoyable to eat overall.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 16/20
Traditional Coleslaw by Sainsbury’s (180g)
- 85p
- 47p per 100g
Bright and colourful, Sainsbury’s own-brand crunchy coleslaw didn’t scrimp on creaminess.
It had a generous amount of cabbage, and the veggies had the perfect crunch.
It felt quite luxurious and the carrots in particular were very sweet and flavoursome.
While this is a much smaller pack than some rivals offer, it is also cheap at just 85p.
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Not the cheapest own brand, but delicious.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 16/20
Coleslaw by Asda (300g)
- £1
- 33.3p per 100g
Wow, this was a surprise. The tub looked a little bit cheap and underwhelming, so I wasn’t expecting much, but actually this was bursting with flavour – so I guess don’t judge a book by its cover!
The texture was enjoyable, being neither too thick nor too watery.
There was a very decent amount of salad, while the sauce was rich and creamy with tangy notes.
It’s very good value too at just £1 for 300g, beaten on price only by Aldi and Lidl.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 19/20
Morrisons Crunchy Coleslaw (300g)
- £1.10
- 36.7p per 100g
To be honest, this side was quite watery and lacking in flavour.
The cabbage was plentiful but there wasn’t enough carrot, there was too much onion and the sauce wasn’t as creamy as you’d expect.
I did like the resealable lid which made it so much easier to open and store, and it saved on clingfilm.
But overall, quite a bland dish.
- Taste: 4/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall score: 8/20
Lidl Meadow Fresh Creamy Coleslaw (600g)
- £1.19
- 20p per 100g
This coleslaw was quite watery and contained unpleasantly large chunks of veg.
I didn’t like the thin, tasteless and sweet liquid they were swimming in either so even though this is a good price (joint cheapest with Aldi in fact) I wasn’t impressed and wouldn’t buy this again.
- Taste: 3/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 8/20
Aldi The Deli Creamy Coleslaw (600g)
- £1.19
- 20p per 100g
Fabulously crunchy, the thickly sliced vegetables in this tub added lots of flavour.
It was very creamy – and contained 2% double cream – and had more carrot than most.
It tasted like a premium produc, but it was actually joint cheapest. It was fresh tasting with tangy notes and a subtle sweetness.
Overall a delish side dish.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 19/20
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