I tried supermarket honey from Aldi, Sainsbury's and more - two were better than Rowse

Supermarket Honey Taste Test: Two Brands Outperform Rowse in Flavour and Value

A recent taste test of five popular supermarket honeys found that two brands—Hilltop Honey and Co-op's own-brand—offered better flavour and value than the well-known Rowse squeeze bottle. The test, conducted by a journalist from Bristol Post, Essexlive, Gloucestershire Live, Kentlive, Plymouth Live, Somerset Live, and South Wales Echo, compared own-brand runny honeys from Sainsbury's, Aldi, and Co-op with branded versions from Hilltop and Rowse.

The tasting was prompted by a personal comparison: the author's household regularly buys cheap supermarket squeezy bottles costing around £1.50, but a recent purchase of locally sourced honey from a deli—at £9 for 454g—was strikingly more floral, subtle, and much less sweet. That contrast raised a question: is supermarket honey the real deal, and which brands actually taste better?

The Taste Test

The five honeys were judged on taste and value, with each sampled in the same way. Hilltop Honey Blossom Honey (340g, £2.60 at Sainsbury's) emerged as the clear winner. It had distinctive floral notes, was far less sweet than the others, and its label boasts it is a 'carefully sourced and fully traceable blend of non-EU honeys' that has been 'tested for authenticity.'

The Co-op Squeezy Clear Honey (340g, £1.55) came in as a solid budget choice. While sweeter than Hilltop, it retained a gentle floral note, making it good value for money. Its label describes it as a blend of non-EU honeys.

Rowse Squeezy Clear Honey (340g, £3 at Tesco) was the most expensive of the five. In the tasting, it was judged to be too sweet and lacked the subtle floral qualities of the winners. The author noted that Rowse is often discounted via Nectar and Clubcard loyalty schemes.

Aldi's GRANDESSA Squeezy Honey (454g, £1.39) had no origin information on its label. It was described as very sweet and syrupy, with no floral character at all—tasting more like sugar syrup than honey.

Sainsbury's Runny Honey (340g, £1.04) fared worst in the test. It tasted like golden syrup, was very sweet, and left a scratchy sensation in the throat. Its label claims it is 'Pure Honey (100%)' but gives no origin. The Sainsbury's website says the honey is packed in the UK using a blend of honeys from more than one country, including non-EU sources.

Authenticity Concerns Loom

The taste test comes amid ongoing concerns about honey authenticity. In 2023, the European Commission tested 320 honey samples from 18 countries and found that almost half were fake. All 10 UK samples failed the checks, suggesting the presence of unauthorised additives such as food colourings or sugar syrups.

In 2024, The Guardian reported that over 90% of honey products tested from leading British supermarkets failed strict authenticity tests. According to consumer group Which?, the law requires that honey must not contain any added substances, have its pollen removed, or be processed in a way that changes its acidity or damages its natural enzymes.

The British Retail Consortium's food policy adviser, Devina Sankhla, said: "Our members work with suppliers to ensure the authenticity of their honey, conducting regular checks to ensure all honey they sell is as described. Retailers continue to support the development of improved techniques to detect any adulterated honey, so they can continue to ensure customers get the best products on the shelves."

A UK Government spokesperson added: "There is no place for adulterated honey. We work closely with enforcement authorities to ensure honey sold in the UK is not subject to adulteration."

The issue of honey sourcing is also relevant. A 2021 Guardian article found that roughly a third of UK honey imports come from China, with the UK also importing from India, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

The Verdict

Hilltop Honey was the clear favourite in the taste test, offering both superior flavour and reasonable value. The Co-op's own-brand honey proved to be a reliable budget option. The author said they plan to buy single-origin honey in the future and will check labels more carefully for source information—a practice they recommend to other shoppers looking for the best-tasting honey.