Switch to Better Brands of Tomato Ketchup
River Cottage is a Devon brand of organic ketchup.
Tomato ketchup is a cupboard classic, loved by families across England. It gives chips, veggie burgers and whole lot more that familiar kick. Did you know it was invented in Asia, and used to be made from fish?
But not all ketchup is created equal. Some pack more flavour with better ingredients. And don’t believe the marketing – the brand leader has way less tomatoes than other brands.
Keep ketchup away from pets, due to sugar, salt, garlic and onion. Read more on food safety for people and pets.
Ketchup is just a simple mix of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and spices (you can add extras like beetroot, which makes it sweeter and more earthy).
The brands below pack in way more tomatoes (some are organic) and are sold in glass jars or squeezy bottles (you can recycle these at kerbside or at supermarket bag bins).
In blind taste tests, many of these beat the top ‘brands’, proving that ‘good ketchup brands’ is just marketing. And it’s nicer to support artisan homegrown brands. Listen to your taste buds, not TV ads. The belly has no ears!
Stokes: Rich Flavour Meets Real Ingredients
Stokes stands out for richness and depth. This British brand uses over 200g of tomatoes in every 100g of ketchup, which is almost double the typical amount. The result is a thick, hearty texture and bold tomato tang.
Stokes skips artificial sweeteners and keeps things natural, using unrefined sugar and proper cider vinegar. It’s a strong pick if you want ketchup that tastes like it came from a country kitchen, not a lab.
Mr Organic: Goodness for People and Planet
Mr Organic draws in those who care about both flavour and ethics. Every tomato is grown on the company’s own Italian farms, always organic, never sprayed with chemicals. The ketchup is gluten-free, vegan and skips refined sugars.
It’s sweetened with apple juice, so the taste is bright but not too sharp. Packaging is recyclable and the brand works hard to cut waste in every part of its business. This one appeals if you like to know your food is kind from seed to shelf.
Real Good Ketchup: Health Without the Fuss
Some ketchup brands try to mask lower sugar content with strange aftertastes. Real Good skips the odd flavours and sticks with things you know—sun-ripened tomatoes, natural seasoning and less salt and sugar.
It’s made without allergens, gluten or artificial colours, so it’s a favourite for parents and anyone with dietary needs.
There’s a steady, classic taste that still feels special, which shows good ketchup doesn’t need to be loaded with sugar or synthetic stuff.
Hunter & Gather: No Junk, All Flavour
Hunter & Gather makes ketchup for those who want things clean and simple. The recipe uses tomatoes, vinegar, spices and nothing else. No added sugars, no thickeners and no preservatives.
This suits people following keto, paleo or low-carb diets, but it’s just as good for anyone who wants less fuss in their food. Despite the stripped-back list, the ketchup is rich, slightly tangy and matches well with all the usual favourites.
Dr Will’s: A Chef’s Touch to Ketchup
Dr Will’s takes what’s great about classic ketchup and gives it a twist. Created by a doctor and a chef, this brand puts health first, using only natural ingredients, British tomatoes when possible, and no added sugar.
Their ketchup is sweetened with dates, which adds a gentle richness without overpowering the tomato. There’s a smart balance of sharp and sweet, making it a standout for kids and adults who like bold, fresh taste.
The Politics of Tomato Ketchup
Tomato ketchup has recently become a political hot potato. One major brand recently pulled its ketchup from a supermarket, as it would not increase prices to its customers. Yet it seems happy to often charge a fortune for more ‘ethical foods’.
Food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe (a successful chef who once lived on £10 a week to feed herself and her daughter) recently created the Vimes Index.
This is an alternative to the usual ‘loaf of bread, pint of milk’ used by economists, saying that supermarkets have recently upped the price of daily staples like apples, but left luxury goods like champagne intact.
She was recently contacted by an elderly gentleman, who had eaten a teaspoon of toothpaste for his dinner, to fool himself into thinking he had eaten something.
Of course supermarkets (and MPs) now keep saying that prices prices on everything (from food to energy) are due to the Ukraine war. But that’s not true.
Because if people shopped locally in walkable communities, we would not eat oil to power the lorries, central distribution houses, plastic (made from oil) to wrap goods, all-night lighting for 24-hour supermarkets etc.
Palm oil is in most ready-made foods, flown to England from Indonesia on a plane (oil) to make bigger profits for industry.
The Vimes Boots Index is a warning shot to retailers who keep their £7.50 ready means and £6 bottles of wine at the same price for a decade, while quadrupling the price of basic stock cubes and broken irregular grains of white rice.
This issue isn’t going anywhere, and neither am I. Jack Monroe
Make Your Own Tomato Ketchup
It’s easy but to avoid botulism and other nasties, it’s really important to sterilise the jars, before you bottle it:
Run glass bottles on the highest dishwasher setting or wash in hot soapy water, then dry (no tea towel) in the oven. Sterilise rubber seals, by soaking in a jug of boiling water.
Make use of seasonal produce with this beetroot ketchup (The Veg Space). Perfect for dunking chips, you can leave out the chilli for children or milder palates. Wonderful also on a veggie burger, or as part of a ‘Full English’ veggie breakfast.
Prefer Brown Sauce?
Many people abroad don’t even know what brown sauce is, or that it’s so yummy. Biona organic brown sauce is widely sold in health shops.
