Houmous is incredible. Children love it, adults love it and even seagulls love it. But in order to make houmous even more enjoyable, I decided to conduct a 100% scientific study of supermarket own brand versions. The rules were simple: all candidates were bought in St Andrews, classic flavours only and all were to be eaten with the same batch of pitta bread.
To kick off the experiment, after having dashed around St Andrews to purchase my 6 eligible bachelors, I grabbed 3 houmous-obsessed friends and forced them into a blind tasting to find the answer, making sure to perfect the houmous to pitta ratios. Without further ado, I present you the winners and losers of the St Andrews houmous scene.
6. M&S Houmous with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 3/10
“Extra oil” is clearly the main feature of this houmous and according to an actual houmous expert; oil is unnecessary. Maybe somewhere outside of KY16 there is a non-extra virgin olive oil houmous living on the shelves of an M&S Foodhall, but until it becomes more houmous and less oil this one will have to accept its place as the worst contestant.
5. Morrisons Classic Houmous
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 4/10
As we attempted to dip our pittas, we found them sinking in the watery abyss. Clearly something wasn’t right, as those pitta bread canoes aren’t meant to be sinking. To add insult to injury, you’re left with a horrible aftertaste. Umm no thank you, I think I’ll pass.
4. Houmous by Sainsbury’s
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 5/10
The best thing going for this houmous is that it is “good if you’re not the greatest lover of houmous”, as my friend beautifully pinpointed. It’s just got a bland taste with nothing exciting happening, good or bad.
3. The Deli Classic Houmous (Aldi)
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 7/10
This one looked quite promising; it definitely has a bit of colour – consider it a healthy glow – and a chunky texture, which gave it a bit of a homemade feel. The flavour was unfortunately just a let down. Unlike Mr Sainsbury it certainly had one, but it just wasn’t quite there yet.
2. Tesco Houmous
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 8.5/10
This one was very quickly a favourite of ours. It seemed to have the right balance of flavours and spices going on, blended into perfection. However there was just something that didn’t seem quite right – maybe it had just been blended a little bit too perfectly.
1. Tesco Organic Houmous
Photo by Carla Neiss
Rating: 9.5/10
Mr Organic Houmous is the most eligible bachelor in St Andrews with all the right variables: a good thickness for consumption with pitta and a nice texture with a hint of chunkiness that placed it in front of its non-organic sibling. Congratulations to all organic eaters, you officially have the nicest houmous.
So there you have it. Next time you crave some houmous, there is no need to trek all the way out of town. The best one is waiting for you right there on Market Street. If you don’t want to take our word for it, take trust in the fact that Tesco sells over 30 million pots a year so they’re clearly doing something right.
Discover more houmous fun here:
- 4 Easy Recipes to Take Your Hummus Up a Notch
- 25 Signs You’re in a Romantic Relationship With Hummus
- 7 Fall-Flavored Hummus Recipes That Taste Better Than They Sound