Filled pasta, tested by Conor Pope

Buitoni Ricotta e Spinaci Tortelloni, €3.60 for 250g,

€14.40 per kg

Highs: Although nutmeg is to be found in all the products we tried, it appears to be more pronounced in this pasta, which is all the better for it. This brand is widely available and easy to recognise. It is made with 20 per cent ricotta, which should make it cheesier than most of the competition.

Lows:It should make it cheesier, but it doesn't. The filling is dull and, nutmeg aside, pretty tasteless. It is possible that this flavour deficit might not be down to the ingredients but to the fairly small amount of filling in each pasta shell. Speaking of the pasta, we followed the instructions to the letter but still found it on the slimy side. While it is nowhere near as dear as the most expensive options we tried, it is more expensive than its principal rivals.

Verdict: Pricey and flavourless

Star rating: **

Tesco Spinach and Ricotta Tortelloni, €2.69 for 300g,

€8.97 per kg

Highs:This was the cheapest of the brands we tried, so, at least on first impressions, it scored highly. The pasta had a nice texture and the ingredient list is pleasingly free of artificial additives. Weirdly, it comes in a microwaveable packet - is anyone really so busy that they have to microwave their pasta? Of course, being microwave-friendly means you don't have to use a pot, which makes it friendly for an office-based lunch.

Lows:In your office, you're unlikely be able to whip up an accompanying sauce, which this needs as it is on the dull side. It is also very salty, with half a pack making up a quarter of your daily allowance.

Verdict:Cheap but dull

Star rating: ***

The Fresh Pasta Company Percorino and Asparagus Tortelli, €6.95 for 250g, €27.80 per kg

Highs:By a substantial margin this pasta, which we found in Avoca, is the best-tasting of the brands we tried. If we were served it in an Italian restaurant we'd be delighted. It has a lovely home-made taste and is in a different class from the competition. This is at least partially down to the fact that it is made with high-grade flour. We were sceptical that half a pack would feed a hungry Pricewatch, so we ate an entire pack, after which we were fit to burst. The Pecorino has a nice sharp tang and we reckoned that with a product as good as this there is no need for any sauce - just serve it with melted butter and grated Parmesan.

Lows:The individual parcels opened, spilling fillings into the boiling water. It is very expensive, and also easy to overcook.

Verdict:Double the price, but twice as nice

Star rating: *****

MS Italian Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli, €4.19 for 250g, €16.76 per kg

Highs: This is an excellent pasta, made in Veneta by one of Italy's oldest pasta companies, although this fact is something we have to take as a matter of trust because the MS packaging doesn't say who this pasta company is. It has a beautifully rich, creamy and smooth filling that is bursting with flavour.

Lows:While it tastes great, there is a big downside: half a pack provides a third of daily salt intake and 37 per cent of saturated fat, thanks, presumably, to the ample helpings - 17 per cent - of fresh cream that have been added to the mix, so you really would not want to be eating it too frequently. The packaging promises tangy flavours, but we were unable to detect anything remotely tangy.

Verdict:Good, but hardly good for you

Star rating: ***

Centra Simply Cook, €2.99 for 250g, €11.96 per kg

Highs:This is widely available, surprisingly cheap and surprisingly nice. It is made with 8 per cent spinach, which might explain why the filling actually tastes of spinach (in some of the other brands, it serves more as colour than anything else). It is also nowhere near as salty as the competition, which, we think, is very much to its credit. Its fat content is also comparatively low, which might make it the best option for the health-conscious. The pasta is good and, while it is nowhere near as nice as the most upmarket option, it is not at all bad.

Lows:The cheese lacks flavour, and while we were impressed that it is lower in salt and fat than some of the competition, it does surrender a bit of its flavour as a consequence.

Verdict:Fine, and good value

Star rating: ****