Strawberry jam.
This week, our Taste Test panel of Taste Buddies sampled strawberry jam, one of the most popular jam flavours in South Africa.
Tasting loads of sugary jams was hard work, but the results were surprising and worth the effort.
To summarise, all jams are very sweet due to the high sugar content, and what distinguishes a good jam is the fruit content, texture (whole chunks of fruit help) and appetite appeal. Naturally price will play a key role also.
The jams we tested are listed below, with the Taste Buddies comments amalgamated, and details on price and size of product.
1. Hillcrest Berry Orchards. R32.99 for 300G. Fruit content 50g per 100g. Score 4/10.
Lumpy and sweet.
2. Bonne Maman Preserve. R35.95 for 370G.Fruit content 50g per 100g. Score 5/10.
Nice strawberry taste but a sour note cuts through.
3. Pick n’Pay. R34.95 for 907G. Fruit content 45g per 100g. Score 7/10.
Lovely taste, substantial. Nice fruit chunks, good flavour.
4. St.Dalfour. R30.99 for 282g. Fruit Content 50g per 100g. Score 3/10.
Sickly sweet.
5. Woolworths Organic. R34.95 for340g. Fruit Content 55g per 100g. Score 4/10.
Good taste but funny colour.
6. Woolworths Reduced Sugar. R34.95 for 283g. Fruit content 54g per 100g. Score 5/10.
Too sweet, funny colour and consistency.
7. All Gold. R24.99 for 320g. Fruit content 45g per 100g. Score 4/10.
Fruity taste but far too sweet.
So the clear winner is Pick n’Pay Strawberry Jam. It scored the highest on the blind taste test, has good fruit chunks, smelled of fresh strawberries, and you get a hell of a lot for your money – 907g for R34.95. That’s nearly three times as much as the average jar! It just shows you that an own label brand can beat all the posh branded stuff. Well done Pick n’Pay!
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