Hearty, nutty and rich, there’s nothing that a comforting bowl of hot butternut soup can’t fix. Well at least a good butternut soup, that is!
Where good butternut soup is concerned, the texture should always be luxuriously smooth, the consistency should be wonderfully thick, and, most importantly, it should be super creamy with just the right amount of butternutty wholesomeness!
Only a perfect balance will do – the sweet notes shouldn’t outweigh the earthy savouriness and, while we’re on the topic of flavours, it should most definitely taste like butternut! Any added flavourings should only ever serve to highlight the flavour of the butternut, never overpower it.
So, we rounded up four heat-and-eat butternut soup finds from major retailers across South Africa and set out to blind taste and rate each sample to determine which butternut soup is souperier!
As expected, the samples were soup-ercharged (sorry, we just can’t help ourselves!) with butternut squash goodness. Some were wonderfully creamy while others offered more of a cinnamon overload, but as with any Taste Test, there can be only one winner. And after tasting all samples, we were able to find the Food24 tasting panel’s favourite heat-and-eat butternut soup.
Results
1. Woolworths butternut soup
Coming in first spot was the butternut soup sample from Woolworths.
Not only did all but one of the tasting panel pick this soup as the sample they would buy again, but tasters found that this sample really delivered on all those aspects that make a good butternut soup so special, noting factors such as: “Tastes like butternut heaven,” and “The creaminess was impressive!”
Overall, the tasting panel shared rave reviews, leaving other comments such as: “Had a beautiful rich and creamy flavour, well balanced between the butternut and cinnamon. I would highly recommend this,” and “Creamy with a good consistency. Sweet butternut flavour comes through but also has a nice savouriness to it. Definitely my favourite sample.”
Cost: R42.99 for 600g
2. Checkers butternut soup
Coming in a close second place was the sample from Checkers.
Although tasters weren’t by any means unhappy with this sample, some noted that they would have preferred the sample to be creamier, saying: “I really liked this, although it could be slightly creamier,” while others would have preferred the butternut flavour to shine more, noting: “It was thick and creamy, and less subtle on the butternut flavour. Not a bad sample, but also not my favourite.”
But if you love a butternut soup with more spice to it, this is definitely the sample for you!
Other comments tasters left: “There was a lot of nutmeg or cinnamon in this sample. Not the best, but certainly not the worst I’ve had,” and “The taste was good, creamy and consistent in texture. The taste was more cinnamony than butternut.”
Cost: R39.99 for 600g
3. Pick n Pay butternut soup
This sample divided the tasting panel somewhat. Some were very fond of the sample, noting: “Deeeeeelicious! I’m thinking of adding crispy bacon to this one and calling it a day! Love it!” while others felt it was too heavy on the cinnamon, noting: “There was a bit too much cinnamon coming through this sample, which overpowered the other flavours.”
Overall, tasters would have preferred the butternut flavour to stand out more and found the sample to be very average.
Other comments tasters left: “My second favourite of the samples. Balanced flavours,” and “Tasted like it had a spicy aspect to it, which overpowered the butternut flavour for me. Very subtle butternut soup,” and “The taste was satisfactory. It was slightly sweet but creamy.”
Cost: R42.99 for 600g
4. Food Lover’s Market butternut soup
Some tasters found the flavour of garlic to be a tad overwhelming in the sample, while others found the sample to be more savoury and stock heavy, noting: “Felt a little thinner than the other samples but consistency still good. It’s savoury with a hint of butternut at the end.”
Other comments tasters left: “More of a smoky curry flavour and lacked butternut flavour. Not my favourite,” and “What’s with the excessive use of garlic here?”
Cost: R34.99 for 600g
Prices correct at time of publishing
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The rules of Food24 Taste Tests:
– All tasters tasted and scored all samples. Each individual taster’s preference impacts the score they give.
– The samples were tested without packaging and were not easily identifiable.
– The samples were not labelled and were tasted in random order.
– This article is not sponsored in any way, and Food24 was not paid to come to any particular result.
Our taste tests are always unbiased and intended for your information. You may, however, have come to this article through various paid-for advertising.