Pizza

Marks and Spencer Mozzarella and Tomato Pizza €5.99

This certainly looks the most appetising, with the large blobs of mozzarella dotted about liberally about the top of it. The very thin base is lovely and crisps up well, while the dough is nicely flavoured too. We also learned on the packaging that the base is “inspired by Naples”, whatever that is supposed to mean – not a lot, we suspect. While the balls of mozzarella are nice, there’s not many of them and gaps between the cheesy bits are a bit tasteless, thanks largely to the tomato sauce which we found to be a little disappointing. We would have liked more sun-dried (or sun- blush) tomatoes as they were particularly moreish. While the sauce may not be amazing, this was still the pizza we kept returning to during the tasting.

Verdict:Ciao bella

Star rating: ****

Primafresca €4.59

Really, life is too short to be annoyed by pizza but that is exactly how we felt after eating this, a fact which displeased us greatly. It has a number of problems which we found impossible to ignore. The base is very doughy and chewy and devoid of flavour, while the topping is of little merit too. We felt this was reminiscent of the frozen pizzas of our youth and it has little going for it except, perhaps, for the nine pieces of fresh tomato we found on top of it. The sauce is bland and the cheese irrelevant. As we said: annoyed.

Verdict: It made us cross

Star rating: **

Milano Margherita €5.01

Milano is a highly regarded pizza joint and makes some very fine pizzas indeed. While this is nice, it is probably not as nice as the pizzas that can be bought in the restaurants – but that is to be expected, given the relative freshness of both options. That is not to say this isn’t fresh, it most certainly is, but some elements disappoint. It is very small – there are larger sizes available – and very herby, and we liked the tomato sauce a lot. The cubes of mozzarella on the other hand were ever so slightly tasteless. The base was excellent and full of flavour. It is on the pricey side, mind you.

Verdict: Very good

Star rating: ****

DIY Pizza €3

There are two ways to go about making a DIY pizza – you can make the dough from scratch or buy the bases and go from there. Making the dough from scratch is incredibly cheap but messy, so we opted for the bases. All told our Margherita pizza comprising passata, salt, pepper, herbs and cheese cost less than €3, which makes this the cheapest option. It is also the most fun to do and the freshest – and the best for you which makes it impossible to beat.

Verdict:Brilliant (and not just because we made it!)

Star rating: *****

Tesco Classic Stone Baked Margherita €4.35

This pizza is made with both mozzarella and mature cheddar cheese and while that may appeal to some people, it is hardly the most authentic pairing we have ever come across on a pizza. It looks nice, which is why the first bite was so disappointing. We were promised an “improved base” but what we got was a tasteless one and a topping which was a million miles away from the rich, flavoursome pizzas we have found elsewhere. It is relatively cheap and widely available, but we were left wondering what the point of it was.

Verdict:Dull

Star rating

: **