Conor Pope reviews shortbread biscuits

Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread 1.85 for 160g 11.56 per kg

Highs: Baked in the "heart of the Scottish highlands" to a traditional recipe "handed down through the generations" these biscuits are determined to boast about their heritage, right down to the very, very tartan packaging. The brand is well known and will prove easy to track down. They are also quite buttery and not excessively sweet and come with a fairly salty kick.

Lows: In fact, they might be too salty for some tastes. Despite - or maybe because of - all the homeliness going on, these are a little dull. The individual fingers are a little stumpy, they are too dry and don't have any crunch to them.

Verdict: They're Scottish, you know.

Star rating: ***

Marks & Spencer Luxury All Butter Shortbread Rounds 1.99 for 180g, 11.05 per kg

Highs: Marks & Spencer offers, as a serving suggestion, a picture of some of these biscuits on a tartan rug that looks suspiciously like it comes from the Walker clan. They taste creamier than some of the competition, which is unsurprising, made as they are with 35 per cent butter.

Lows: It's hard to see what makes this product remotely luxurious despite its name. They have a flouriness to them that isn't entirely pleasant, are quite dry and have a tendency to stick to the roof of the mouth. And there is an unconscionable amount of plastic packaging to dispense with when they're eaten.

Verdict: Nice and creamy

Star rating: ***

Island Bakery Organic Shortbread €3.60 for 150g, 24.01 per kg

Highs: These have been handmade for "the more discerning nibbler" the packaging assures us. Like the M&S brand they are made with 35 per cent butter but unlike that brand they are melt-in-the-mouth delicious. They have a rich, delicate flavour and are wonderfully moist. They are very light and very easy to eat and also come pre-crumbled.

Lows: Another word for pre-crumbled is broken, which is exactly what a lot of these biscuits were. The very act of removing one from the tray in one piece proved tricky so you can forget dunking them - although one is unlikely to do something so common with such a refined biscuit. The price is a deterrent.

Verdict: High class and delicious

Star rating: ****

Tesco Finest Scottish Shortbread Fingers 1.48 for 165g, 8.96 per kg

Highs: While some of the shortbread reviewed was too salty and some too sweet, this manages to get the balance just right. The little fingers taste okay, are the cheapest of the lot and come in a nice neat box.

Lows: The box does claim they are melt-in-the-mouth biscuits, which seems to be overstating their case a little; if anything, they were a little solidify-in-the-mouth for PriceWatch's taste. They look a little pale and uninteresting and would struggle for anyone's attention if left sitting on a plate alongside some of the more upmarket and interesting-looking competition.

Verdict: Fine but not the finest

Star rating: ***

Dean's Petit Four Shortbread Rounds 5.25 for 200g, €26.25 per kg

Highs: These have two things in common with the biscuits from M&S - they are both "rounds" and both luxury so perhaps there is a connection. They certainly look and taste more luxurious than those from M&S and are posh enough to bring round to someone's house if you wanted to make a good impression. The little layers of bite-sized "rounds" look awfully cute. The have a nice lightness to them while retaining a hint of creamy butteriness.

Lows: The danger with making anything bite-size is that too many can be eaten in a very short time. They are the dearest of the lot and were the only packet to make us groan, thanks to the phrase "history in the baking" which appears on the box.

Verdict: Nice but too dear

Star rating: **

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