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It's all too easy to fall into the habit of reaching for familiar brands, assuming they must be better. However, having put a wide range of supermarket own-label products to the test over recent months in a bid to trim my grocery bills - including baked beans and ketchups - I've been genuinely surprised by the results.

These trials have led me to now exclusively purchase certain own-label items, including olive oil, baked beans and dishwasher tablets. Switching to supermarket alternatives has reduced my outgoings without any sacrifice in quality, and in some instances, I've actually found them preferable. It's taught me that loyalty to branded goods doesn't always guarantee a superior product; sometimes, it simply means paying over the odds.

I made the switch to own-label baked beans last year, and I honestly cannot understand why I didn't do it sooner.

After years of automatically grabbing Heinz off the shelf, I decided to give Asda's version a go - and it's now my firm favourite.

Not only are they considerably cheaper, which makes a real difference to the weekly shopping bill, but I genuinely prefer the taste.

The sauce is rich and well-balanced, and the beans themselves have a wonderful texture.

For a 410g tin, Asda charges just 42p, compared to the £1.45 Tesco charges for Heinz.

I'm also rather partial to Sainsbury's own-label baked beans, though if I lived closer to an Asda, they'd be my first port of call.

I've done exactly the same with olive oil. I used to buy Filippo Berio, convinced it was the better option, and hadn't considered any alternatives after years of loyally sticking to well-known brands.

Recently, I made the switch to Sainsbury's own-label olive oil, and I have to say I couldn't be happier.

It's substantially less expensive, which is a huge bonus, yet it works in exactly the same way.