Top Of The Pesto Pops

The Three Candidates

Ruqayya and I both love Italian food and I bet you do to. Tasty, hearty, warm, big bold flavours.

Some of the tastiest dishes can often be the simplest to prepare. I'm talking about basil, cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, but who has the time to make a decent sauce from scratch?

I know we always have a jar of shop-bought pesto in the refrigerator for those emergency meals when all you can muster is a bowl of hot spaghetti and a dollop of luscious green pesto.

We've found the quality of these shop bought pestos to vary quite a lot, so I thought I'd let you know our findings while living down under. Read on for the results.

3rd Place - Leggos Traditional Basil Pesto

This pesto was gloopy. Somewhere between basil flavoured baby food and wallpaper paste. This pesto finds it's way on to most supermarkets and convenience stores here in Australia. Not sure why though. Too much salt, and not enough quality ingredients put this pesto in last place.

Verdict: 2 out of 5 basil leaves.

2nd Place - Coles Own Brand Basil Pesto

A contender here from one of the largest supermarket brands in Australia. This is a more authentic pesto than the Leggo's offering. The sauce is full of basil flavour however the ingredients do mention 'basil flavour' on the list. What's wrong with real basil? 

Another detractor is the amount of oil in the pot, the consistency is quite loose, but at least it has real olive oil in it.

Verdict: 3 out of 5 basil leaves. 

1st Place - Sacla Classic Pesto

Ok, now Sacla are probably the biggest producers of pesto I know of. I have bought their products in the UK and also seen them in other countries around Europe. I wouldn't normally advocate patronising such a huge brand, but as far as the ready made pestos go - these guys have it cornered and for good reason. The pesto was rich and tasty, full of fresh basil and cheese flavours. Not too thick, not too runny, mixed well with the hot pasta.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 basil leaves.

In the next post we will give you a recipe for a fresh home-made pesto. With a few fresh ingredients you can make something worthy of an Italian table without much fuss. Be sure to catch our next post.

Which pesto is the best where you live? Send a message or photo to show our other readers.