Value for money: with Conor Pope

This week Value for Money looks at barbecue sausages

Aldi Deli Continental Bratwurst sausages €2.19 for 540g €4.05 per kg

Highs: Given that Aldi hails from a country known for fine hearty sausages, much was expected of these. They are very, very cheap and, with 82 per cent pork, quite a meaty option. The sausages are very big and a packet should go a long way. They taste all right as well.Lows: All right, but not as good as PriceWatch had hoped and hardly worth a detour to Aldi. While the thick skin is very dry when cooked, the inside is weirdly chewy and not entirely pleasant. Although these sausages look grand cooked, they are a little grim raw - grey and waxy and as unappetising as can be.

Verdict: Big and cheap but mighty chewy.

Star rating: ***

Marks & Spencer Easy BBQ Hotdog sausages

€3.29 for 400g €8.22 per kg

Highs: Made with 80 per cent pork, these sausages have a nice meaty texture. They are undoubtedly a good product and taste absolutely fine. They are, as the packaging promises, easy to barbecue and crisp up well without spitting much fat. They are also quite subtly flavoured.

Lows: Of course, one person's subtle may well be another person's bland and these stand accused of being just that. They are not tasteless by any means but they could certainly do with some extra flavours to give them a lift. You get only four in a pack so you will need to stock up on quite a few - and they're not cheap.

Verdict: A little too subtle?

Star rating: ***

Denny Select Traditional style sausages €3.35 for 410g €8.17 per kg

Highs: These average-sized, easy-to-find sausages are "National BBQ approved", whatever that means. There's nothing fancy about these but they are very tasty - very similar to the traditional Denny sausage that may not have been approved by any barbecue association. Even when almost incinerated they hold their flavour, and are of a size that will appeal to kids and impatient adults alike.

Lows: They are made with just 52 per cent meat - the lowest meat content of the lot - and produce a truly amazing amount of fat when introduced to a barbecue. When cooked they shrink quite considerably and risk falling between the bars of the grill.

Verdict: Easy to get and easy to eat.

Star rating: ****

Hick's Bratwurst

€8.67 for 600g €14.55 per kg

Highs: PriceWatch has long been a fan of Hick's sausages and these illustrate why. Made by a Dún Laoghaire pork butcher who clearly knows his onions, these quite simply are much, much better than the competition. They are a good size, crisp up well and don't have that excessively processed artificial taste.

Lows: Although they taste very meaty, PriceWatch couldn't be sure exactly how meaty they were as there was no pork percentage given. The sausages are tied together as you would expect from a good butcher's sausage but some of the knots of skin were absolutely massive. They are the most expensive of the bunch.

Verdict: A great, dear sausage

Star rating: ****

Dunnes Stores Traditional Style BBQ Sausages

€.29 for 400g 5.72 per kg

Highs: These long, robust-looking sausages are very cheap and taste okay, if a little sweet. They are soaked in a smoky barbecue marinade that smells pleasingly authentic and retain their shape well when cooked. They did not produce a significant amount of fat.

Lows: These are made with just 57 per cent pork and the list of other ingredients is long and not very appetising. While it looked like there was ample marinade, it seemed to disappear upon cooking. These are soft textured and are very unmeaty when compared with most of the competition.

Verdict: Cheap and chunky

Star rating: ***