SWEET SAVINGS
I tasted supermarket Mars dupes – the winner is three times cheaper and you’d struggle to tell it wasn’t the real thing
The budget bars had a pleasant caramel flavour that rivalled the real deal
WITH the cost of food at record highs, we’re all looking for ways to save money on the weekly shop.
Swapping branded products for supermarket own-brand versions is a great way to save money.
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But can you get the same quality at a cheaper price?
We tested how supermarket own-brand versions of Mars bars compare to the real deal to find out which is the best quality and value for money.
All the chocolate bars were tasted and given marks out of ten for taste, as well as taking into account how healthy they were based on levels of sugar and saturated fat.
Then we gave a separate score out of ten for value money.
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Here’s how the chocolate bars scored out of 20 overall:
Mars
- £1.75 for 4 x 39.4g bars
- Price per bar = 44p
- Sugar content = 61% / Saturated fat content = 7.5%
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The classic Mars bar was everything you would expect, with soft, chewy caramel and lightly whipped nougat. It had the highest sugar content and the lowest saturated fat content of all the bars we tested, which might help explain why it felt light and sweet.
But at £1.11 per 100g, these were more than twice as expensive as the cheapest products we tried – and not twice as good.
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- Taste 8/10
- Value for money 5/10
- Total score 13/20
Tesco Dreamy Caramel
- £1.15 for 6 x 40g bars
- Price per bar = 19p
- Sugar content = 57.4% / Saturated fat content = 11.1%
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Tesco’s version was noticeably softer and mushier in texture than original Mars.
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The bars had a creamy, sweet taste but left a greasy feeling in the mouth. But the chocolate was bigger and you got more in the pack for your money, so they worked out at just 48p per 100g - less than half the price of the brand.
- Taste 6/10
- Value for money 8/10
- Total score 14/20
Asda Caramel Chews,
- 99p for 6 x 38g bars
- Price per bar = 17p
- Sugar content = 57% / Saturated fat content = 11%
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The Asda bars had a pleasant caramel flavour. Although the nougat was denser and less fluffy than Mars, you would struggle to tell the two apart in a blind taste.
At just 43p per 100g – the joint cheapest we tasted – these were nearly three times cheaper than the brand.
- Taste 7/10
- Value for money 9/10
- Total score 16/20
Sainsbury’s Chewy Caramel
- £1.10 for 5 x 36g bars
- Price per bar = 22p
- Sugar content = 56.1% / Saturated fat content = 11.7%
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These Sainsbury’s bars had a nice chocolatey taste, alongside the caramel and nougat. They were a pleasant alternative to Mars.
Unfortunately there were fewer bars and the bars were smaller than other supermarket multipacks, but at 61p per 100g, they were still nearly half the price of the brand.
- Taste 8/10
- Value for money 7/10
- Total score 15/20
Morrisons Apollo
- £1.15 for 4 x 38g bars
- Price per bar = 29p
- Sugar content = 57.4% / Saturated fat content = 11.1%
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The Morrisons’ bars tasted like a sweeter, less intense version of Mars but had an unpleasant grainy texture.
At 76g per 100g, these were the most expensive supermarket versions we tasted but didn’t taste any better than cheaper versions.
- Taste 6/10
- Value for money 6/10
- Total score 12/20
Aldi Dairyfine Titan
- 99p for 6 x 38g bars
- Price per bar = 17p
- Sugar content = 57.4% / Saturated fat content = 11.1%
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Aldi’s bars contained a very stretchy caramel and dense nougat. They had a slightly synthetic, plastic taste and left a greasy feeling in the mouth.
Although these were the joint-cheapest we tested, at 43p per 100g, they didn’t compare well with Mars.
- Taste 5/10
- Value for money 8/10
- Total score 13/20
Lidl Mister Choc Caramel Bars
- 99p for 6 x 38g bars
- Price per bar = 17p
- Sugar content = 57.2% / Saturated fat content = 11.1%
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Unlike the other supermarket brands, the packaging on Lidl’s version said they contained a 'candy crème' instead of nougat – but it didn’t taste noticeably different.
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Overall, Lidl’s bars were very similar to Aldi’s and also had the same greasy aftertaste.
- Taste 5/10
- Value for money 8/10
- Total score 13/20
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.