This week, Value for Money compares four sliced white pans

Connell Bakery from Lidl

45 cent for 800g

There is no escaping the fact that this is a remarkable price to pay for a sliced pan. In fact, it is less than 3 cent a slice – there are 18 in each loaf including the crusts. Although the individual slices are on the thin side, the bread is surprisingly solid and it doesn’t fall apart when buttered. It is quite doughy and chewy and – like many white breads – is almost completely tasteless, although it does make a fine slice of toast. We are ever so slightly bemused by the presence of vinegar among the ingredients – not that we could taste it, mind you.

Verdict: Excellent value

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Thunders Bakery

€2.09 for 800g

This bread, sourced directly from a local bakery (there are a number of branches on Dublin’s northside), gives you the option of having it sliced or non-sliced; the staff will do the needful on the spot if required. It is lightly dusted with flour which lends it a freshly-baked appearance. It is very old-school, fresh and light, and it actually tastes of something – although that something may be salt. It is undoubtedly dear and will be difficult for many people to lay their hands on.

Verdict: Good old-fashioned bread

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Brennans Bread

€1.45 for 800g

This has become an almost iconic brand in Ireland thanks to the incessant radio ads starring old Mr Brennan. We like the waxed paper it comes wrapped in – it’s very old school – and are mildly impressed by the little rosette which says it has come first for freshness, taste and quality. It looks like a very makey-up rosette to us. The bread is light and airy and has a nice texture and does not turn into a doughy mass at the first mouthful. It is widely available and while it is on the pricey side, it tastes better than your average slice.

Verdict: Fresh and tasty

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Irish Pride

€1.45 for 800g

While we can just about handle splashing out €1.45 on old Mr Brennan’s bread because it tastes pretty good, this option from another old stalwart of the Irish bread-baking scene seems just a little overpriced, largely because it is so tasteless. The square slices fit perfectly into any toaster and it has slightly less salt than either the Brennan’s or the Lidl bread, but it was way too dry and ordinary.

Verdict: Dear and dull

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