This week Value For Money looks at Sun-dried tomatoes
Cottage Delight sun-dried tomatoes
€7.75 for 280g
€27.67 per kg
Highs: Coming in an ever so slightly elaborate jar - it's oval in shape and has some fancy paper on the lid - these pricey sun-dried tomatoes are probably the poshest option. They smell wonderfully tomatoey (and oddly like tomato ketchup) and taste pleasingly fresh. They are soft textured and the individual pieces look a lot like the tomatoes they once were.
Lows: They are the most expensive of the brands tried and they aren't that easy to come by either. While the herbs are a welcome addition, they seemed to sink to the bottom of the jar so you might not get their full value unless you empty the lot into a bowl - this isn't much use if you just want a little bit for a sandwich.
Verdict: Nice but pricey
Star rating: ***
Wallace's Alimentare Country Tomatoes
€6.50 for 300g
€21.66 per kg
Highs: Made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and herbs, these beautifully textured, tart-tasting tomatoes are the best bet if you're looking for something that can stand alone on an anti-pasti plate. The olive oil is almost good enough to be re-purposed as part of a salad dressing if you were so inclined. They can be sourced in Wallaces, an excellent Dublin delicatessen which is always worth a visit even if you have a chronic allergy to tomatoes.
Lows: Of course unless you can swing by the deli in question without travelling a long distance, they will be impossible to get. They are on the dear side and the nylon green cloth which sits on top of each jar to create a homemade look instead creates a very 1970s feel.
Verdict: Great tasting but hard to get
Star rating: ****
Roma sun-dried tomatoes
€1.99 for 100g
€19.90 per kg
Highs: These come in a plastic bag and are the lightweight option, so if you can take comfort that these won't add much extra to your load. They are widely available via an Irish company, although the tomatoes hail from Italy - which is probably for the best, as relying on Irish weather to dry tomatoes (or, indeed to do anything else) would be futile. They taste fine and have a long shelf life.
Lows: They are the only brand not soaked in oil, so they need at least 15 minutes soaking in warm water to soften them up. This renders them useless for that spontaneous sandwich. Even after soaking, they remain on the chewy side. Given what they are, they are fairly expensive.
Verdict: Light on your shopping bag but not your wallet
Star rating: **
La Rossa sun-dried tomatoes
€3.75 for 300g
€12.50 per kg
Highs: These are the cheapest of the brands tried and taste absolutely fine. The promise on the packaging of hot chilies was a welcome surprise and the plentiful supply of little chips of what looked like garlic (but might have been something else entirely) were interesting, if a little tasteless.
Lows: And speaking of which, while the chilies were promised on the jar, PriceWatch was unable to detect much of a kick out of them. One of the reasons why these are so cheap might be because they are made with sunflower oil, which is grand if a little dull. And a little greasy.
Verdict: Cheap but dull tasting.
Star rating: ***
Martin's semi-dried tomatoes
€3.75 230g
€16.30 per kg
Highs: Brought over from Greece by a Mallow-based company, these nicely-sized, herby tomatoes taste okay. They are also comparatively good value and if your wrists are not inclined towards jar-opening, these will do the trick nicely.
Lows: While the other brands will keep for some time, these are more precious and once opened, the tomatoes have to be consumed within 72 hours. Mind you these are not the sort of thing you might want lying around as, in the absence of a jar to properly seal them, the sunflower oil has a extremely unfortunate tendency to go all over the place.
Verdict: A very short shelf life.
Star rating: **
