EVER bought a pot of basil from the supermarket only for it to die before you have finished using it?
A savvy shopper left frustrated with it happening decided to put different shops to the test to see which basil plant lasts the longest – and the results may surprise you.
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Grace Forell, also known as The Sustainable Spender, compared eight potted basil plants from Morrisons, M&S, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.
She put them head to head to see which stayed the freshest and which ones deteriorated the most over one week.
On her @graceforell account, she documented the process and explained: “Some supermarkets only had one size; when they had two I went for the smallest to keep it as consistent as possible.
“Every plant had their sleeve removed, and was placed on identical saucers in my kitchen.
“I rotated them every day to make sure they got a fair share of sunlight and I watered them sparingly from the bottom as per their instructions.
“The light was pretty consistent, but I moved them around each day to keep it as fair as possible.”
First up was Sainsbury’s, which didn’t impress Grace as it had “rotting dead leaves from day one.”
Next up was Morrisons, and she said it was a “similar story”, “despite it being one of the more expensive pots at £1.50.”
She added: “Also, it only has a one-day freshness guarantee online, which includes the day of delivery.”
Grace, who has previously shared her sustainable tips on ITV‘s This Morning, shared how the “saddest of the bunch” was Lidl’s, which was the smallest, and also the joint cheapest basil plant with Aldi’s.
She added: “It was sparse and virtually keeling over, but it did only cost 79p.”
Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, she was impressed with Waitrose and Tesco, which were both “large and luscious.”
Grace wasn’t entirely shocked at this, given Waitrose’s was the most expensive at £1.70.
But which was the best?
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How to make your basil last longer
IT can be frustrating when your basil plants dies before you have finished it. Here are some tips to help yours last longer…
- Give your plant ample water, especially during hot periods
- Make sure it has shade during the hottest hours of the day
- Consider doing regular pruning, especially before flowering
Winning basil
Surprisingly, the Asda basil plant, which cost just £1, was the best of the brunch.
She said: “The winner was Asda.
“Look how perfect it is!
“And at only £1 it was one of the cheapest plants as well, proving that brilliant basil doesn’t have to be expensive.”
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Grace shared how her official ranking (from best to worst) was Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and finally Lidl being her least favourite.
She added: “Did these results surprise you?”
People were quick to comment on her clip, with one saying: “My Lidl basil was awful!”
Another added: “I got basil from Sainsbury’s, split them up, planted them in individual pots. I still have them and doing well a year later.”
Previously, Grace tested £1 daffodils from 8 different supermarkets to see how they lasted.
What is the UK’s cheapest supermarket?
WE’RE all looking for ways to save on our supermarket shops. But which store should you go to if you’re on a strict budget?
According to Which?, who compare thousands of prices at the top eight UK supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – every month, there’s one place that outweighs the rest in terms of being budget-friendly.
In April 2024, Aldi was at the top of the list, with Which? comparing 67 popular groceries costing an average of £112.90.
Lidl isn’t far behind, at £115.23, followed by Asda in third place with a bill of £126.98.
Tesco was next, at £128.17, while Sainsbury’s rounded out the top five with £131.02.