Value for money

Luxury christmas puddings are reviewed this week

Cole’s Black Cherry Amaretto €9.99 for 450g, €22.20 per kg

This slightly different take on the plum pudding is made with 29 per cent cherries and is topped with a layer of pleasingly crunchy almonds, which both taste and look nice. It is incredibly moist – another way to put that might be “gooey”. It is very fruity, and the amaretto shines through. While it might be to many people’s tastes, we found it very sweet – although it does not have a huge amount of sugar listed among the ingredients. The sweetness is not too big a deal, though, and would probably be offset by a huge dollop of cream or brandy butter. It is very rich, which is probably what you would need to be to afford it.

Verdict: Unusual, dear ***

Byrne’s (Aldi) €4.99 for 484g, €10.99 per kg

Earlier this year, this Irish pudding won a gold medal at the highly regarded British Great Taste awards. While it does not take top prize in this test, it is certainly very good and would not be out of place on even the most upmarket Christmas table. It is made with 34 per cent “vine fruits” (though Aldi just calls them what they are), 8 per cent “Irish stout” and 5 per cent whiskey. The whiskey comes through very strongly, as do the nuts. In terms of texture, it is denser than the rest, which might mean you need to eat less.

Verdict: Not great but very good ****

Tesco €5.50 for 454g, €12.11 per kg

Tesco makes much of the fact that this contains Irish stout and whiskey although, in truth, there isnt enough of either to give it anything by way of an alcohol kick. In addition to 3 per cent stout and 2 per cent whiskey, it has 32 per cent “vine fruits” – we’re starting to like that phrase. This pudding is very sweet and just a quarter of it contains 61 per cent of your daily allowance of sugar and 20 per cent of your calorie allowance – so if you value your waistline you might want to go easy on it. It is slightly drier than the competition – something we quite liked.

Verdict: Absolutely fine ***

SuperValu Supreme €7 for 908g, €7.70 per kg

We love this. It is made with 33 per cent vine fruits – sultanas, raisins and currants to me and you – 5.5 per cent sherry, 5.3 per cent brandy, 3.5 per cent cider and 1.3 per cent rum. This combination makes it nicely fruity and ridiculously boozy. At 908g it is also very large and will feed a family of nine based on SuperValu’s portion sizes. Alternatively you can eat as much as you like and the rest will knock about the kitchen for days after Christmas before ending up in the bin – which would be a crying shame, because it is incredibly moist and has a richness that took us by surprise.

Verdict: Top notch *****

Is there something you would like us to test? e-mail your suggestion to pricewatch@irishtimes.com