PORRIDGE is a cupboard staple for families all over Britain, but it can be pretty pricey.
It's a healthy and filling breakfast so it's always handy to have a box on standby.
However, as is the case for many everyday groceries, prices are rising.
A box of Quaker Oats porridge sachets now costs an average of £3.49 across the leading supermarkets, according to Trolley.co.uk.
But will a cheaper supermarket version taste as good?
We tried some of the original flavour porridge sachets on offer to see if their know-off versions tasted just as good.
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We rated each bowl of porridge a score out of 10 for taste and price – here are the results.
Quaker Oat So Simple Original Porridge Sachets
- £3.50 per box
- 10 x 27g sachets
As you'd expect, the branded porridge tastes great and makes a good quality, filling breakfast.
It was pretty tasty and I didn't need to add any fruit or syrup to make me want to keep eating.
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But at £3.50 a box, the branded products cost much more than the cheapest alternatives on offer at budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl.
- Taste: 9/10
- Price: 2/10
- Overall: 11/20
Asda Original Porridge Oats Sachets
- £1.20
- 10x27g
Asda's version was a bit too savoury for my liking and it became boring quite quickly.
The taste wasn't bad or anything, it was just forgettable among the other supermarket options.
But at £1.20, it's still just a fraction of the price of the branded porridge.
- Taste: 5/10
- Price: 7/10
- Overall: 12/20
M&S Traditional Whole Oats
- £2.90 per box
- 10x36g
Marks and Spencer's offering was the most expensive of the supermarket versions and it didn't live up to its price tag.
Even after a couple of minutes in the microwave and a dash of milk, the oats were still chewy and it made the porridge lumpy.
This meant the bowl was unpleasant and tasteless.
There are definitely better and cheaper supermarket alternatives out there.
- Taste: 2/10
- Price: 3/10
- Overall: 5/20
Tesco Easy Oats Original
- £1.20 per box
- 10x27g
Tesco's oats were really powdery and dust went all over my work surface when I opened the packet.
After two minutes in the microwave, they were still still really watery.
I popped the bowl back in for another minute and stirred for a little while, and it just didn't thicken.
The taste was also quite bland and reminded me of cardboard.
- Taste: 3/10
- Price: 7/10
- Overall: 10/20
Lidl Crownfield Original Oats in Sachets
- 95p per box
- 10x27g
Lidl's product was a decent copy of Quaker's porridge – it tasted similar but it was a little bit more chewy.
At just 95p a box too, this was the joint cheapest product that I tested.
Despite the slight difference in texture, it is definitely worth going for this over the branded version and saving yourself some cash.
- Taste: 9/10
- Price: 10/10
- Overall: 19/20
Aldi Harvest Morn Instant Oats Original
- 95p per box
- 10x27g
Aldi's porridge tasted just like the real thing, if not better.
It tasted very wholesome and healthy, but also had a nice sweetness to it too.
I could definitely wake up to a bowl of it every morning and not get bored.
Plus, at just 95p a box, you can't go wrong.
- Taste: 10/10
- Price: 10/10
- Overall: 20/20
Overall verdict
It's easy to become dedicated to one particular brand, but having tasted the alternatives, there's no need to stay loyal.
Nearly all of these own-brands had their good points, whether that's on taste or value for money.
Often you have to fork out a little more for something that's top quality.
But that's not always the case – Aldi was my favourite and it was the best of both worlds – cheap, tasty and filling.
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We also tested supermarkets' own milk chocolate – and a 36p bar is better than Cadbury.
Plus, we tried the sell-out Prime sports drink from KSI and Logan Paul – but it turned out to be a bit of a flop.
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