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Supermarket pizzas put through their paces

Aoife Ryan, Ronan Ryan and Orla Broderick taste testing  supermarket pizzas. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Aoife Ryan, Ronan Ryan and Orla Broderick taste testing supermarket pizzas. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Pizza takes up vast swathes of supermarket freezer aisles and chilled food counters. But are any of them any good? We assembled a crack team of tasters to rate them on their appearance, quality and quantity of toppings, base consistency and taste.

Aoife Ryan is a specialist food product sourcer for retail and duty-free and writes a food blog at babaduck.com . Restaurateur Ronan Ryan's latest venture is Pizza e Porchetta in the Malt House in Dublin 2. Orla Broderick is a food writer and author.

M&S Spicy Calabrian Salami & Green Chilli Woodfired Pizza, €7.49

Aoife: Attractive, puffy crust but the salami is thin and a bit oily. Very spicy. Wouldn’t buy it. 3/5

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Ronan: Best in show! Huge hit of chilli, really impressive. Would buy it. 4/5

Orla: Thicker crust than I would normally like. Nice balance of acidity and sweetness in the tomato topping. Lots of personality. Would buy it. 5/5

TOTAL: 12/15

SuperValu Goat’s Cheese a

nd Mediterranean Vegetable Pizza, €2.50

Aoife: Roast veg had great consistency and flavour, but the base was soggy. Would buy it. 3/5

Ronan: Generous toppings, base not great, decent for a supermarket offer- ing. if the base was thinner this would be my favourite. Wouldn’t buy it. 3/5

Orla: The veg is making the dough soggy. The taste is overly sweet, almost ketchup like. Wouldn’t buy it. 0/5

TOTAL: 6/15

Dr Oetker Ristorante Pizza Mozzarella, €3.89

Aoife: Flabby and soggy and the toppings didn’t adhere to the base. Wouldn’t buy it. 1/5

Ronan: Reminds me of the first packet frozen pizza I saw in the early 1980s. Very stodgy, wouldn’t rate this one at all. Wouldn’t buy it, God, no. 1/5

Orla: Flavourless dough, unappetising, too sweet and very processed. Wouldn’t buy it. 0/5

TOTAL: 2/15

Pizza da Pierro base with Don Antonio bruschetta topping, St Tola goat’s cheese and black olives. €6 (base €2)

Aoife: Base consistency is good and it doesn’t sag when you hold a slice by the crust. The sauce has evaporated, but the cheese is tasty. Would buy it. 3/5

Ronan: Not for me at all, could be better if served with more sauce. Olives terrible, only the cheese saves it. 1/5

Orla: I like this thin base. The flavour of the cheese is excellent, but just not right on this pizza. Would buy it. 3/5

TOTAL: 7/15

Chicago Town The Takeaway Pepperoni Plus, €3.50

Aoife: Dreadful. Very sweet sauce, no flavour from the cheese and pepperoni. Wouldn’t buy it (not a chance). 0/5

Ronan: Base is full of oil; stodgy; not nice at all. Wouldn’t buy it. 1/5

Orla: Generous amount of pepperoni, but too greasy and bready. Heart attack on a plate. Wouldn’t buy it. 1/5

TOTAL: 2/15

Tesco Finest Rostello Ham, Chestnut Mushroom and Mascarpone Woodfired Pizza, €6.99

Aoife: Nice thin base with raised crust, juicy mushrooms and herb flavour. Base is good at the e dges, soggy in the middle. Would buy it (acceptable in an emergency). 3/5

Ronan: Looks good, very soft, but edible. Decent offering. Would buy it (probably). 3/5

Orla: Lots of ham, mushrooms a nd mascarpone topping. Tomato paste adds body, but too much makes the sauce overly sweet. Wouldn’t buy it. 2/5

TOTAL: 8/15

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Thanks to Pizza e Porchetta for hosting the tasting. pizzaeporchetta.com