Choose tinned soup for curry night as a starter, side or light alternative, rather than assuming one can will provide the family’s main meal. Heinz Mulligatawny has curry spices and rice, but its 400g can is labelled as two servings and contains beef, wheat, celery and mustard. For a mixed-diet table, consider a separate vegetable or plant-based soup and check each can’s ingredients, portions and salt information.
The meal role matters more than the flavour alone: a starter for several diners calls for different quantity planning from an individual light meal.
A curry-spiced soup can fit the opening course. Sainsbury’s lists Heinz Mulligatawny in a 400g can with nutrition shown per half-can, so plan the number of cans around the diners rather than treating one can as a family portion.
Tesco lists a Plant Chef Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup, while M&S lists vegetarian and vegan tinned soups. Check the ingredients and allergen statement of the particular can before choosing one for each diner.
Compare salt on a per-100g basis, then look at the portion you expect to serve. NHS food-label guidance explains these two ways of displaying nutrition information; they answer different questions when serving sizes vary.
Decide whether soup is accompanying a separate curry or taking the place of a meal, then compare cans using the portions and labels you will actually serve.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Enough to serve | Check the can size and labelled servings. Heinz Mulligatawny is 400g, with nutrition shown per half-can; allow for the number of diners and the soup’s role in the meal. | Is this a small starter before a curry, or am I expecting soup to be the main dish for everyone? |
| Flavour and meal role | For a curry-spiced soup, Sainsbury’s describes Heinz Mulligatawny as containing curry spices and rice. For a separate vegetable-based option, compare the specific soups listed by Tesco or M&S rather than assuming they taste like curry. | I’d like a spiced starter, but a different soup alongside the curry could suit some diners better. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current can’s ingredients and allergen statement. Heinz Mulligatawny contains beef, wheat, celery and mustard; a vegetable or creamy flavour name does not establish vegan or allergen suitability. | Someone at the table avoids particular ingredients, so the exact recipe matters more than the soup’s name. |
| Salt comparison | Compare salt per 100g, then check the amount for the portion you intend to serve. NHS guidance explains per-100g and per-portion labelling; Action on Salt & Sugar’s February 2026 analysis found salt levels from 0.1g to 1.6g per 100g across 481 UK ready-to-eat soups. | When choosing between cans, I want to compare like with like and account for how much soup each person will have. |
Heinz Mulligatawny is a 400g can labelled as two servings. That portion information does not make it a main meal for several people.
Decide whether soup is a starter, side or main dish, then count cans against the diners and the rest of the meal. If the central dish needs to be curry, plan that separately.
Heinz Mulligatawny contains beef, wheat, celery and mustard, so its curry flavour does not make it a vegetarian or allergen-free option.
Check each current can’s ingredients and allergen statement before serving it to someone with dietary restrictions.
Salt content differs between products: Action on Salt & Sugar’s February 2026 analysis of 481 UK ready-to-eat soups recorded 0.1g to 1.6g per 100g.
Use the per-100g figure to compare cans, then consider the amount in the portion you plan to serve.
The can is the practical place to confirm the recipe, allergens, serving guidance and storage instructions for the soup you will use.
Read its label when shopping and again before serving, especially when a guest needs to avoid an ingredient.
These examples show different soup formats and flavours; suitability still depends on the individual product label.
Sainsbury’s lists Heinz Mulligatawny Soup 400g with curry spices and rice, alongside other Heinz soup flavours.
Tesco’s tinned-soup listings include Plant Chef Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup and chunky soup options.
M&S lists vegetarian and vegan tinned soups, including vegetable, chilli-bean and spiced lentil options.
Tesco lists Campbell’s condensed Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soups in 295g cans.
This mushroom soup is an option to consider alongside a separate curry, rather than a curry-spiced main dish.
Image unavailable
Consider this as a separate soup option alongside curry, not as a curry-flavoured main meal. The product information describes the 400g can as two servings, so plan the quantity for your table; it also flags milk and wheat, making a check of the current ingredients and allergen label important before serving.
Do not assume it can. Heinz Mulligatawny Soup 400g is labelled as two servings; use that guidance to plan how many cans you need, taking account of whether soup is a starter, side or main dish.
Sainsbury’s describes Heinz Mulligatawny as a soup with beef, curry spices and rice. It is not vegetarian and contains wheat, celery and mustard, so check the current can before serving it.
Compare the salt figures per 100g first, then check the portion you expect each person to eat. NHS food-label guidance uses per-100g information for comparison and notes that nutrition may also be shown per portion.
No. M&S Cream of Tomato Soup contains milk ingredients, while Heinz Mulligatawny contains beef. Check the ingredients and allergen statement of the exact soup rather than relying on its flavour name.
Follow the instructions on that can. The listed Heinz Carrot and Coriander and M&S Cream of Tomato soups instruct buyers to transfer leftovers to a suitable container, refrigerate them and eat them within two days.