Vegetable Soup

Knorr Gourmet Farmhouse Vegetable Soup €1.31 for 75g, €17.46 per kg

Highs: This is a well-known and widely available Irish-made brand. It is also the cheapest-per-kg cuppa soup tried. A pleasingly wide range of vitamins and folic acid are among the ingredients and although there aren't that many vegetables listed - just 8 per cent - those that are present look surprisingly real when introduced to water.

Lows: Quite what gourmet and quick soup are doing in the same sentence on the box is a mystery which is not cleared up after eating this soup. It's hot and soup-like, certainly, but gourmet it certainly is not. It is bland and dull and the croutons are soggy and taste horrible.

Verdict: Cheap but far from gourmet.

Star rating: **

WeightWatchers Vegetable Soup 1.29 for 54g, 23.88 per kg

Highs: This tastes and smells, weirdly but not entirely unpleasantly, of popcorn. It is hot and, at just 57 calories per sachet, is certainly an option for the weight-conscious.

Lows: It might not be such a good option for the taste-conscious, however. Apart from the popcorn taste (caused, no doubt, by the presence of corn starch in the mix), there is nothing much to distinguish this insipid offering. It's a little watery and a lot forgettable.

Verdict: Gruel, anyone?

Star rating: **

Campbell's Crunchy Country Vegetable Soup 99 cent for 38g, €26.05 per kg

Highs: This shows that it is actually possible to make cuppa soup taste nice. The croutons, which are filled with flavour, are served in a separate sachet and are all the crunchier for it. The soup is rich, creamy and substantial. As it is sold in individual sachets it is ideal for desk-bound office workers looking for a warming lunch. You get 230ml in each serving, which is about 10 per cent more than its closest rival offers.

Lows: At 99 cent a packet, it is dearer than the other soups and it is hard to escape the feeling that we are being asked to pay an additional novelty value charge.

Verdict: Tastes good, but at a cost.

Star rating: ****

Dunnes Stores Vegetable Soup 1.02 for 47g, €21.70 per kg

Highs: This has the highest proportion of vegetables in the mix and tastes pretty good too. It is nice and thick and is quite comforting on a winter's evening. It also has fewer calories than even the WeightWatchers option.

Lows: While it has more vegetables than the rest, they look in a sorry state by the time they are reawakened by hot water.

Verdict: Surprisingly cheering.

Star rating: ***

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