Value For Money

Price Watch tests creme brulee

Marks & Spencer creme brulee€3.99 for 160g, €24.93 per kg

HIGHS

M&S tend to package their desserts to make them look amazingly gorgeous so some, inevitably, disappoint on the tasting – this, however, is not one of them. It is great – light and smooth, with a creamy consistency and a delicate vanilla flavour

LOWS

The ramekins start to pike up after a couple of months and there is a danger you’ll want to eat two of them. It’s also pricey

VERDICT

Excellent *****

Bonne Maman creme brulee€3.19 for 200g, €15.95 per kg

HIGHS

This is very good. It’s wonderfully creamy and has a commendably pure ingredient list. It is light and not as custardy as some of its rivals and comes with a sachet of caramel if you can’t be bothered burning the sugar yourself. It’s cheap too

LOWS

It might be lacking ever so slightly in the flavour stakes and the caramel seemed a little pointless to us

VERDICT

Good value ****

Rians L'authentique creme brulee€3.55 for 200g, €17.75 per kg

HIGHS

This is made with 68 per cent cream and 12.9 per cent egg, and the natural vanilla which is listed among the ingredients gives it a nice flavour

LOWS

It’s not far from traditional Irish custard. Its dense texture takes away from its creaminess and the knowledge that it’s as cheap as chips in French supermarkets stripped it of its exoticism

VERDICT

A bit thick ***

Superquinn creme brulee €3.99 for 180g, €22.16 per kg

HIGHS

This recently launched product is an Irish take on the classic French dessert. It tastes perfectly pleasant, is not excessively sweet and had a lightness not to be found elsewhere

LOWS

Made with a lot less cream than its French counterparts. Odd powdery texture. Lacks the vanilla flavours of other brands

VERDICT

Pretty good ***