This week, Value for Money judges a range of Blueberry Yoghurt.
Tesco wild blueberry yogurt
€0.92 for 150g; €6.13 per kg
Highs: This is an incredibly rich and creamy yoghurt, which is hardly surprising given that 12 per cent of it is made with Channel Island cream. It also contains 18 per cent wild blueberries, which retain a great deal of their shape and bite. It has a nice smooth texture and, if was decanted into a glass bowl, it would easily be sweet and creamy enough to serve as an upmarket desert.
Lows: While we did like it a lot, it is a bit too sweet - it lacks the sharpness of a good yoghurt and, alarmingly, a single tub of this makes up 21 per cent of an adult's daily allowance of sugar. It is also loaded with calories, so if you had planned to eat this as part of a healthy, feel-good diet, you might want to think again.
Verdict: Lovely and creamy but very sweet
Star rating: ***
M&S low fat wild blueberry yogurt
€0.79 for 170g; €4.64 per kg
Highs: We don't get to say it a lot about M&S, but this weirdly purple yoghurt is the cheapest of the products we reviewed by a long distance. It is very creamy and retains a nice tartness. It has just 145 calories per pot - significantly less than the competition from Tesco, which makes it a genuinely healthy option.
Lows: A quick look at the packaging reveals the selling points M&S thinks are strongest - the words organic, low-fat and wild all appear on the packaging before blueberries. While they might all be good things, many people won't care a jot about any of them and will be more concerned about the taste, which is a just a tiny bit bland.
Verdict: Great value
Star rating: ****
Killowen blueberry yogurt
€3 for 250g; €12 per kg
Highs: This yoghurt comes from a farm in Enniscorthy and is quite wonderful. It is wonderfully sour and the sweetness of the blueberries contrast beautifully with its sharp flavours. While some yoghurts make the fruit play little more than a supporting role, the blueberries in Killowen's finest are an absolute star. It is made with 18 per cent berries and they are so fresh that it was almost as if we'd picked them ourselves.
Lows: It will almost certainly be a little trickier to source than the competition - we happened across it by accident in a farmers' market. It is the most expensive option we came across at nearly twice the price of the second best brand. The size of the tub is also a bit odd - a little too much for one and not enough for two.
Verdict: Excellent
Star rating: *****
Glenisk Blueberry Underground
€0.95 for 150g; €6.33 per kg
Highs: This is undoubtedly a fine product. The rich, thick blueberry puree sits under a thick layer of organic, low-fat pro-biotic vanilla yoghurt that is very nice indeed. It is dark in colour, thick textured and pleasingly sweet. It also has a very prominent vanilla kick which was quite pleasant. The yoghurt, which was once something of an artisan's product, is also increasingly easy to get.
Lows: While we liked the vanilla yoghurt, it might be a little too strong for some tastes. The percentage of fruit was surprisingly low at 5.3 per cent (and additional 1.5 per cent is made up of blueberry juice) and there were no whole berries in the pot, which was mildly disappointing.
Verdict: Very good
Star rating: ****
Müller blueberry Fruit Corner
€0.96 per 150g; €5.48 per kg
Highs: This is the most mainstream of the yoghurts and the one which will be easiest to find everywhere, from the largest supermarket to your local convenience store. It's not at all bad and is made with a surprisingly high - 13 per cent - percentage of blueberries. It is also one of the cheapest brands we reviewed.
Lows: Despite the high fruit content, it lacks just a little flavour and was found to be a bit too sweet. While the fruit corner allows you to determine just how much fruit compote goes into the yoghurt, we did think it was a little on the fiddly side. Its consistency is a bit watery and it really isn't a patch on some of the better options we came across.
Verdict: Okay
Star rating: ***
