Rsp: £1.99
Competition: Napolina
The sell: The premium-priced sauces are aimed at encouraging current pasta sauce users to trade up, as well as recruiting new users from the brand’s restaurants.
The consumer
I was very impressed with the Pizza Express tomato and basil pasta sauce. It could potentially even be passed off as homemade to an unsuspecting guest. The sauce contained decent chunks of tomatoes and the flavour was strong but not overpowering as some pre-prepared sauces are. My husband is not a fan of tomato-based sauces but he thoroughly enjoyed it and has asked to try the other sauces in this range - praise indeed! Four stars (out of five)
Emma Dickin, head of customer training, Farnham
The retailer
The sauce was enjoyable, but perhaps a little bland as it did not have enough basil, and the label may cause confusion as consumers often prefer to read 'tomato and basil'. The Pizza Express logo will, however, catch the eye. Cooking sauces is a very saturated market so this range would struggle against the bigger brands. It will need to be supported by innovative marketing to win listings. Three stars
Tracey Redfearn, trading controller, Nisa-Today's
The Grocer
I loved this! Pasta is my favourite dish and it's always so difficult to find a ready-made sauce to match. They're either too sweet, too tangy, too thick or too watery. Pizza Express' Pomodora Basilico comes pretty close to perfect. It had a great consistency and flavour both light and natural. The only criticism I'd have would be the size of the jar it's small for £1.99. Pizza Express isn't a premium restaurant, so I'd have expected a lower rsp. Five stars
Beth Phillips, deputy news editor
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