Value for Money

Chocolate Swiss Rolls with Conor Pope

Tesco Double Chocolate Swiss Roll

€0.79 for 200g, €3.95 per kg

Highs:This densely packed roll has a gorgeous, rich, chocolatey smell which promises much despite its very low cost. It is very sweet and a whole lot cheaper than the competition.

Lows:Of course, cheap does not always mean good value and this really is anything but. It presumably lists "chocolate-flavoured filling" amongst the ingredients because "cheap and nasty cocoa-flavoured filling with an unpleasant and lingering aftertaste" couldn't fit on the packaging . The sponge was too dry and prone to sticking to the roof of the mouth and a single slice contains 15 per cent of the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) of sugar, which seems a joyless way to consume nearly a fifth of your daily allowance.

Verdict:A little grim

Star rating: **

Gateaux Chocolate Swiss Roll

€1.58 for 195g, €8.11 per kg

Highs:This is the original and, for many Irish people who grew up in the 1970s, the only proper Swiss roll on the market. The sponge is surprisingly tasty - just sweet enough and with a nice airiness to it. It also has a decent vanilla kick, is very widely available, instantly recognisable and utterly reliable. It is sure be a hit with kids and they won't be bouncing off the walls after the sugar rush.

Lows:The filling is unnaturally, alarmingly white, like some Hollywood stars' bleached teeth. It actually tastes fine but, alongside its luminosity, it has a weirdly smooth texture that can best be described as yuk. While as a whole the roll tastes grand, it's not really a grown-up cake and is certainly not something we'd rush out and buy.

Verdict:An old-school swiss roll

Star rating: ***

Marks & Spencer Chocolate Swiss Roll

€3.49 for 330g, €10.57 per kg

Highs:Made with fresh cream, this roll towers above the competition. It is beautifully moist and is made with really good quality chocolate. Despite the very rich ingredients, it is surprisingly light, and even though it's filled with chocolate and dusted with sugar, it's not too sweet. We bought two of these - one for eating and one for photographing, and are ashamed to admit that we polished off both and had to seek out a third for the picture.

Lows:While most Swiss rolls will be perfectly happy to spend weeks at the back of your cupboard, this has to be refrigerated and consumed within a couple of days (although it is suitable for home freezing). All this rich, creamy goodness comes at a cost - and a fairly hefty one at that.

Verdict:Top class

Star rating: *****

Hazel's Homebakes Chocolate Swiss Roll

€1.59 for 190g, €8.37 per kg

Highs:We were pretty well-disposed to this at the start when we learned that it hailed from Glenamaddy in the west of Ireland. The tightly rolled roll comes with a nice sprinkling of sugar and is free of artificial additives or flavours. Despite all the sugar it's not excessively sweet.

Lows:While it created a fine first impression, it was sadly downhill from there. We couldn't help but notice that the filling was made with margarine and icing sugar, a combination which tastes as nice as it sounds. Not that there was really all that much filling to speak of - despite the fact that the box said this was made with 44 per cent filling, it seemed to be spread a little thin. The sponge was a little on the dry - and grey - side, too.

Verdict:Not so good

Star rating: **

Cadbury Rich Choc'Roll

€2.19 for 245g, €8.93 per kg

Highs:This is, the box promises us, "smothered in Cadbury's milk chocolate" - and it's not lying. It is more like a chocolate bar than a cake and there is almost no sign of the sponge when the cake is sliced. While it lacks the freshness of the M&S option, it is pretty pleasant-tasting and very filling; unless you have a very sweet tooth indeed you'll probably not manage more than a single slice.

Lows:The sponge is a little dry, but because there is so little of it, it hardly seems to matter. The "buttery cream" filling doesn't taste much of cream or butter and has a long, long list of ingredients, some of which do not sound entirely appetising.

Verdict:Hmmmmm, chocolatey

Star rating: ***