Conor Pope reviews frozen beef burgers

Omega Organic Beef Burgers €7.50 for 450g €16.66 per kg

Highs: Bought in a market in St Anne's Park in Clontarf, Dublin, from the people who rear and slaughter the cows, this organic beef burger tastes fantastic. It doesn't shrink too much when cooked and retains its texture. It is beautifully lean, wonderfully juicy and - according to the makers - high in brain-boosting, cholesterol-lowering Omega3s (hence the name). Who would have thought a frozen burger could be good for you?

Lows: The price is high but you may be prepared to put up with it because of the quality. They might also prove difficult to track down although the company does have a delivery service in some areas, see www.omegabeefdirect.ie.

Verdict: This is a tasty burger.

Star rating: *****

Birds Eye Original Beef Burgers €1.52 for 227g €6.69 per kg

Highs: This was the smallest and the greyest of the burgers when frozen so PriceWatch approached eating it with some trepidation. Unfounded trepidation as it turns out - while it is hardly the most natural tasting product in the world and is unlikely to win any wholesomeness awards, it tasted okay, in a heavily seasoned chewy kind of way. It is also widely available. It browned up quite well and didn't get much smaller in the cooking.

Lows: It did curl up rather alarmingly when grilled, which along with the initial greyness and smallness, did not create a good impression. While it tasted fine, it doesn't taste much of beef.

Verdict: The low-cost option

Star rating: ***

Ballybrado Organic Beefburgers €3.49 for 400g €8.72 per kg

Highs: These burgers from one of the pioneers of organic food in Ireland are very good quality and even better value. But a note of caution about the price - while PriceWatch paid €3.49 in Tesco, the price listed on the shelf was closer to €4.50, so the lower price may have been a mistake. Made with finely ground beef (and nothing else) these have a nice texture to them and make for a very hearty burger. They can also be sourced on the Ballybrado website, www.ballybrado.com

Lows: While they taste good, they lack some of the luxury that is attached to the Omega burgers. They certainly did not seem to be as juicy and suffered considerable shrinkage when cooked.

Verdict: Good quality, good value.

Star rating: ****

Walsh Family Foods Cooked Cuisine Quarter Pounders €3.69 for 400g €9.22 per kg

Highs: If you simply must have a quarter-pounder immediately, then this brand, which comes pre-cooked and can be reheated in a microwave, is for you. Although it might be better to relax a bit and grill them. They are the biggest of the burgers both frozen and cooked and have a nice golden colour when grilled.

Lows: They were grilled because PriceWatch did not have the heart (or the stomach) to face a microwaved quarter-pounder. Despite the golden brownness when grilled, they looked pretty grim when dissected, with what looked like weird-looking meat paste at its core being somewhat unappetising.

Verdict: Very fast food.

Star rating: **

Big Al's Beefburgers €2.79 for 340g €8.20 per kg

Highs: These are the second cheapest of the brands reviewed and are pretty widely available. They are a good size when raw and look surprisingly pleasant when cooked (although they shrank dramatically under the grill).

Lows: Looks can be deceptive, however, and while they were very similar in appearance to the Ballybrado organic burgers when cooked, they were a world apart in taste terms. They were excessively dry and tasted of nothing much at all. This cardboardy flavour meant that the not entirely pleasant aftertaste was all the more surprising and unwelcome.

Verdict: Cheap but cheerless.

Star rating: **

***** Excellent **** Great *** Fine ** Below Par * Awful