Are you obsessed with Jason’s Sourdough? If so, you’re not alone. The supermarket bread has become a bestseller and cult hit in the UK. Latest Kantar figures reveal that Jason’s is still growing at more than 100 per cent year-over-year.
After seeing people rave about it online — mainly TikTok — I decided I needed to know what the fuss was about.
When I posted about my curiosity about Jason’s on Instagram, I was inundated with replies. People came out of the woodwork to express their love for it. “It comes sliced and it’s sooooo delicious” wrote one user. “This is hands down the best bread” wrote another.
I wanted to know two things. When did everyone decide this was the best bread, and is it worth the hype?
What’s so good about Jason’s sourdough?
The sourdough bread has no additives, is low in ingredients and low in gluten, which makes it the ideal choice for health-conscious types. It’s also priced very reasonably at the £2.30 mark, making it significantly cheaper than most other supermarket sourdoughs and artisans.
The brand launched in 2020 a few weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown. Pretty smart timing; everyone was in the peak of their sourdough craze, whether it was making it or consuming it. Four years later, and it’s still increasing in popularity.
Jason Geary is the fourth generation master baker in the Geary’s bakery family business. Geary told the Standard: “Our sourdough is proper sourdough, made with no added yeast and made using our own starter culture.
“We bake using the simplest of ingredients – flour, water, salt and fermented wheat flour. Consumers can trust they are buying bread that has the best quality ingredients without any added preservatives, additives, emulsifiers, sweeteners or oils.”
Geary went on to explain that “more people are very conscious of the ingredients in their food and not wanting to consume too much ultra-processed foods”.
Jason’s range, sold out
Katrina Mirpuri
The first challenge is finding somewhere that sells it. I headed to my nearest Tesco, and to my surprise all four shelves of Jason’s range were sold out. The woman working there told me that it sells out every day. “People are crazy about it,” she said.
I tried again the following day, and luckily there were two loaves left. I picked up the 08 Ciabattin and the 01 The Great White. I’m told these are extremely popular choices, and both are sliced white sourdough. I was surprised to see that the 08 Ciabattin has one great taste star. This is usually a great sign as it appears on premium products which have been approved by experts.
I went home and decided to try a slice of each. One straight out of the packet and one toasted. First up was the 08. The bread was thick and had some serious weight to it. I slathered some butter onto the toasted slice and watched it sink in slowly. The bread was dense and delicious, and had a very similar cosiness to potato bread.
The sourdough flavour was pleasant but not too strong, and it had a satisfying chew to it. Great on its own too. It’s the perfect bread for a hearty lunchtime sandwich, and I instantly wanted another slice.
Jason’s Sourdough 01 The Great White
Jason’s Sourdough
Next up was the 01. The slices are longer and look more like a traditional sourdough bloomer. On its own, I found it to be on the dry side but the flavour was great. Is it as good as a fresh loaf? Not quite. The bread was a bit on the dry side, and texture-wise it doesn’t have the big spongy craters you’d find from an artisan loaf. When toasted and buttered, it was delicious, the exact type of bread you’d want to use for a nice cheese toastie.
It’s also worth mentioning that both of the packets were incredibly easy to seal, which is always a bonus.
So, is it worth the hype?
With eight varieties of the bread available, it’s hard to lump them all together and definitively give an answer, but the short story is: yes. For the price point and taste, this bread is worth investing in. Would I serve it at a dinner party? Probably not, as I’d prefer to opt in for a more artisan loaf, but the 08 Ciabattin will definitely be a staple in my house from now on.