CONOR POPEreviews a selection of vegetable spring rolls
Dunnes Stores vegetable Spring Rolls€1.99 for 200g, €9.95 per kg
HIGHS
Stuffed with remarkably fresh and crunchy shredded cabbage and carrot as well as a decent sprinkling of chilli. The pastry is filo-like in its crumbliness and not greasy
LOWS
Over-reliance on cabbage and carrot. Flaky pastry makes it hard to eat with any dignity
VERDICT
Very good
*****
M&S Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls€2.79 for 210g, €13.28 per kg
HIGHS
Strong ginger flavour which tended to dominate the vegetables. Soya beans are pleasingly exotic and have a nice crunch to them
LOWS
The batter was a little on the thick side and it did not crisp-up particularly well. Pricey
VERDICT
Nice but pricey
***
Tsingtao Spring Roll€3.80 for 750g, €5.06 per kg
In terms of authenticity it’s hard to beat these Chinese-produced spring rolls. They are the cheapest and taste fine
LOWS
The filling is on the mushy side and the instructions call for them to be deep fried, which is a bit of a pain
VERDICT
Nice and cheap
***
Lidl (Vitasia) Spring Rolls€2.79 for 400g, €6.97 per kg
HIGHS
These frozen rolls are cheap and, according to the packet, contain the highest concentration of vegetables
LOWS
The vegetables were soggy, the pastry chewy and the whole package a little bit greasy. The list of ingredients is worryingly long
VERDICT
Left us cold
**
Excellent *****
Great ****
Fine ***
Below Par **
Awful *
