Value for money: chocolate dessert

This week, Value for money compares five varieties of chocolate dessert.

* * * * * Excellent

* * * * Great

* * * Fine

* * Below Par

* Awful

M&S Choc Pot au Chocolat

€4.99 for 180g, €27.72 per kg

Highs: These smooth-textured chocolate pots are exceptionally rich and exceptionally pleasant. The creamy richness can be attributed to the fact that 60 per cent of it is double cream while a further 20 per cent is pretty good quality chocolate – buttermilk and sugar complete the commendably simple ingredient list. It is a solid, heavy-set dessert – one will satisfy the most chronic chocoholic. The little glass ramekins can be reused.

Lows: Those ramekins can take up valuable space in your cupboards because you'd feel bad throwing them out even if you have absolutely no use for them at all. We also found them ridiculously difficult to open – though that is a minor flaw. The price, on the other hand, is a bit more of a concern.

Verdict: Very good

Star rating: * * * *

Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Mousse

€1.25 for 100g, €12.50 per kg

Highs: This mousse is made with West Country Cream and Belgian chocolate, if you're expecting a nice, airy mousse, prepare to be just a little disappointed. But if you're in the mood for a heavy dessert, this will be right up your street – it is so thickly set that a fairly hefty spoon can easily stand unaided in this. It is keenly priced, the chocolaty flavours are very pronounced and it will be a treat for those with a sweet tooth.

Lows: Pricewatch, however, found it just a little too sweet. And it might also be a little too rich for some tastes. Long before we'd got to the end of a comparatively small tub, we found ourselves struggling to finish it, which can be attributed to its surprising stodginess.

Verdict: A bit too sweet

Star rating: * * *

Cadbury Flake Twin Pot Dessert

€0.95 for 90g, €10.55 per kg

Highs: This is the cheapest of the chocolate desserts we tasted and certainly the most recognisable brand. As the name suggests, it is split between two pots, one filled with creamy chocolate and a second one which contains eight or nine tiny pieces of flake which, when added to the main feature, give it a pleasing crunch.

Lows: If we were to be a little snooty, we might say the brand is bit too recognisable; while some of the desserts do just fine at a fancy dinner party, this would be better eaten on your own, in front of the telly. The chocolate was a bit syrupy for our tastes and somewhat reminiscent of a rich chocolate yoghurt. It also had a slightly artificial aftertaste.

Verdict: Cheap and familiar

Star rating: * * *

La Fermière La Crème Chocolat

€2.95 for 110g, €26.81 per kg

Highs: When it comes to ramekins you can hang on to, this dinky little terracotta number beats its plain glass rival from M&S hands down, although, like the one from Marks, we'd struggle to find a use for it once the dessert is finished. It has a subtle flavour and, while some of the competition is intensely chocolatey, this is a whole lot more gentle. It is the lightest of the options we tried and the most liquidy.

Lows: In fact, it tastes just a little like chocolate milk, which might make this more attractive to a child (and, at these prices, they can keep their grubby little hands off it, frankly). It also lacks some of the depth and complexity (and crucially, the strong chocolate flavours) of some of its rivals.

Verdict: Missing something

Star rating: * * *

Rians Le Fondant au Chocolat

€3.75 for 220g, €17.04 per kg

Highs: This velvety textured dessert really is excellent. The good-quality chocolate flavours are complemented by a little tub of Crème Anglais which elevates this above it peers. While creamy accompaniments can often go badly wrong, this is spot-on. It is made with real vanilla pods and is wonderfully fresh-tasting.

Lows: The box was entirely in French, which seemed a little peculiar, and certainly stretched our limited recall of the Leaving Cert. There is more plastic in this than in the competition, and the price and availability might also be a problem for some – for the record, we found it in the always-excellent Fallon Byrne on Dublin's Wicklow St.

Verdict:Non, je ne regrette Rians

Star rating: * * * * *