DUNNES STORES SUMMER FRUITS
€1.99 for 500g, €3.98 per kg
Dunnes Stores breaks down the percentage of each fruit in the bag: we get 30 per cent redcurrants, 25 per cent blackcurrants, 20 per cent strawberries, 15 per cent blackberries and 10 per cent raspberries. The fruit is very good and full of flavour, and the price is right too.
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Verdict: Very good and very good value.
Star rating: *****
FOUR SEASONS BLACK FOREST (ALDI)
€1.99 for 500g, €3.98 per kg Do grapes really grow in the forest? We wouldn't have thought so but Aldi clearly does, as there are quite a few of them in our bag. Provenance aside, they are perfectly pleasant. We are slightly less impressed with the cherries – and there are plenty of them, both sour cherries and "dark sweet cherries". Added to the mix are a handful of blackberries and blackcurrants. While the bag is a little cherry-heavy, the price more than makes up for it, and we would happily buy these again.
Verdict: Close to the best.
Star rating: ****
NATURAL COOL BERRY MIX
€4.95 for 300g, €16.50 per kg
This small bag contains 300g of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, redcurrants and strawberries, all of which are organic. There is no faulting the mix or the quality of the berries, and the fact that they are all organic is to be welcomed. But there is a but. And it is a big one: we found these selling on the shelves of Fallon & Byrne in Dublin, and, try as we might, there is no way we can justify this price. They are more than three times dearer than their frozen rivals, and we can’t identify anything that sets them apart.
Verdict: Far too dear.
Star rating: *
THE FRESH OPTION
€6.77 for 500g, €13.54 per kg
It might be comparing apples with oranges – so to speak – but still we can see how a fresh fruit mix would compare favourably with the frozen options on our shelves. A 500g mix of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries comes in at €6.77; this is dear, certainly, but it is still cheaper than the Natural Cool Berry Mix. The fruit, sourced in Tesco, is nice, but is not exactly bursting with summer goodness (hardly surprising given it's January), and shelf life is a problem.
Verdict: Eat it fast.
Star rating: **
