Value for Money

Conor Pope reviews chutney.

Avoca Pantry Aubergine, Apricot & Tomato Chutney €4.75 for 300g, €15.82 per kg

Highs: This upmarket, chunky chutney smells fantastic and tastes almost as good. It has an interesting ingredient list, looks almost like a home-made ratatouille and the vegetables are easy to identify. It has a pleasantly spicy kick to it and is good enough to eat all on its own - although be careful as there might be a touch of the Homer Simpsons about just sitting there spooning it into yourself. Whatever about that, it would certainly go well with the finest of curries.

Lows: It is pretty expensive, so you might want to think twice about using it liberally on any old sandwich. And although there are a growing number of Avoca outlets about the place, it will prove tough for many to track down.

Verdict: Nice and spicy but a little pricey

Star rating: ****

Jan's Old Fashioned Tomato and Apple Chutney 2.69 for 300g, €8.97 per kg

Highs: This heavy-set, smooth-textured chutney tastes fine - if a little vinegary - and is comparatively cheap. It would work well instead of ketchup on an upmarket burger. Stocked by Dunnes Stores, it is also widely available. The list of ingredients is certainly very traditional and it's admirably free of artificial colours and preservatives.

Lows: The packaging is a little dull and is old-fashioned in a 1970s rather than olde worlde sense. While it is Irish-made, the only clue to its origins is a Dún Laoghaire PO box number, which is somewhat mysterious. It lacks the spiciness of the competition and might be too ketchupy for some tastes.

Verdict: A saucy option

Star rating: ***

Baxter's Tomato Chutney €1.60 for 312g, €5.13 per kg

Highs: This Scottish brand is the cheapest of the chutneys by a fairly massive margin and is almost certainly the most widely available and instantly recognisable too. The smell of red peppers that wafts out when the jar is opened is lovely.

Lows: While it might smell strongly of red peppers, it doesn't taste much of them and the strongest flavour that comes through was of gherkins. The taste is not at all unpleasant but it made it more like a pickle than a chutney - the appearance of carrots among the ingredients was also something of a surprise. While this would be ideal for a hot dog it might be a little out of place on your posh cheese board.

Verdict: The low cost option

Star rating: ***

Janet's Country Fayre Ploughman's Chutney €4.99 for 225g, €22.68 per kg

Highs: This tastes absolutely fantastic with the fruit and vegetables keeping their flavour - and their shape - remarkably well. The addition of fresh ginger gives it a refreshing and unusual zing that the others lack. All the flavours coalesce wonderfully without any single one dominating. It has, the jar proudly tells us, been "handmade in the Country", the country in question being Ireland - it comes from Kilmacanogue, the same village where Avoca is based.

Lows: It's great, but at a cost. It is the most expensive of the brands tried and 4.99 is a hell of a lot of money to spend on a small jar of chutney, no matter how good it is.

Verdict: If money's no object . . .

Star rating: *****

Cottage Delight Old Yorkshire Chutney €3.60 for 310g, €11.63 per kg

Highs: This chutney is the only one not to feature tomatoes as a constituent ingredient and it scores points for the unusual combination of apples, rhubarb, real ale and cider, among many other tempting ingredients. It has a thick, jam-like consistency and smells pleasingly of vinegar and brown sugar. The spices have a fairly hefty kick and you'd not go far wrong serving this with some very strong English cheeses.

Lows: It is very sweet and the expected sharpness of the rhubarb never materialised. It is not at all as fruity as it sounds.

Verdict: Heavy set and sweet

Star rating: ***