'I compared Asda Just Essentials with Extra Special and the result was quite unexpected'

As shoppers face a continuous battle against rising bills, more and more are opting for supermarket budget ranges. One that's been in the headlines more than most is Asda's Just Essentials.

Effectively it's just a rebrand of the former Smart Price, but the controversy over its bright yellow packaging at a time when families have been trying to cut their spending, thrust it into the spotlight at just the right moment - for the retailer as much as anyone else.

It's been so popular in fact that Asda has been forced to put a temporary limit on how many products shoppers can buy, restricting them to no more than three of each item.

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But how good is the range? And how does it compare to Asda's Extra Special? We decided it would be good to find out.

I set out to do a typical family shop, not a big shop, just some of the regular products most people buy each week - like bread, meat, potatoes and the like. And I was obviously limited to what is available in each range.

Extra Special isn't really something I've ever looked at before. Like Tesco's Finest, the very name of it suggests it will be 'Extra expensive'.

All in the line of duty though, so I tried not to have too many palpitations as I reached up to the highest shelves - it's all part of their shopping psychology isn't it, those winning at life riding high, leaving the poorer folk kneeling down for their budget beans.

For once I wasn't buying beans, budget or otherwise. They don't even have a tin of beans in the Extra Special range, which gives an idea of the intended audience here.

They do have a rather wide selection of products though and I was surprised - shocked even - at how