Rashers

Shaws Traditional Back Rashers
€3.60 for 210 grams, €17.14 per kilo

Highs: It is amazing what a bit of greaseproof paper can do. Shaws wraps its bacon in said material, whack some ould fella with an impressive beard on the packaging and instantly creates ye olde world feel that the other rashers entirely lack. The packaging makes no difference to the taste, however, and there is little to distinguish these from the Denny rashers. They are, however, marginally cheaper than their principal rival. They're fairly meaty too and appear to be slightly more substantial than all but the Hick's rashers.

Lows: Mind you, every single one of these rashers fell apart the moment they hit the frying pay which made the creation of a perfect-looking breakfast plate impossible.

Verdict: Hard to go wrong.

Star rating:****

Denny Traditional Rashers
€3.15 for 180 grams, €17.50 per kilo

Highs: This is an instantly recognisable, widely available and fairly reliable brand. The slices are very thin which facilitates crispiness and speedy cooking and there is virtually no rind to speak of. They are not overly salty and taste quite pleasant and the packet is easy to reseal.

Lows: However, there is so little in the packet, you probably won't have to bother with resealing - at just 180 grams, Denny offers the smallest amount of bacon and a single packet will not go very far. A fair amount of water appeared during the frying process, although ultimately this made little difference to the taste. These rashers are fairly pricey too.

Verdict: Pretty reliable.

Star rating:***

Dunnes Stores rashers
€2.68 for 400 grams, €6.70 per kilo

Highs: These are very, very cheap and very thinly sliced, roughly 40 grams a slice, and they crisp up really well, making them ideal for a bacon sandwich.

Lows: They're not so good, however, for a fry-up, as the slices tend to lose all shape the moment they hit the pan. While saltiness is to be expected - welcomed, in fact - in a good slice of bacon, pretty much the only taste that PriceWatch was able discern here was salt. This is fine if the bacon in question makes up part of a sandwich which could do with a bit of salt, but somewhat excessive if you're expected to eat individual slices.

Verdict: Good value but way too salty.

Star rating: ***

Hicks rashers
€5.05 for 260 grams, €19.35 per kilo

Highs: "They'll remind you how rashers used to taste," the shop assistant said as she handed over these, and she was absolutely right. The thickly cut slices of bacon are excellent. They smell wonderful in the pan and don't produce any excess water, the bane of modern bacon. They are good and meaty and absolutely filled with flavour.

Lows: Availability might be a problem for some as, apart from the Hick's butcher in Dún Laoghaire, these tend to be found in only the poshest of delis. They were the most expensive of the brands tried (although not as expensive as you might think) and the packaging is almost impossible to reseal.

Verdict: Rashers from the rare ould times.

Star rating:*****