This week, Value for Money casts a critical eye over jars of olives.

Cottage Delight Nicoise Coquillas Olives

€3.49 for 215g; €27.97 per kg (drained)

Highs: These dinky little olives have a lovely smokey flavour and are pretty addictive. Long after we'd eaten our fill, we found ourselves going back for more. The red peppers that accompany these olives are perfectly pleasant if a little incidental.

Lows: They are very salty and very small. They were also the only olives which had not been pitted and while that might lend them a certain authenticity and appeal when eaten outdoors on a hot summer's evening, dealing with the stones indoors is more problematic and they are a nightmare to cook with. At this price you probably wouldn't want to waste them on a pizza or in a tomato sauce.

Verdict: Posh and pricey

Star Rating: ***

Crespo Pitted Black Olives

€2.99 for 397g; €16.81 per kg (drained)

Highs: We were highly suspicious of these Moroccan olives if for no other reason than we couldn't see what we were buying. The pretty poor initial impression was not helped when the first couple of olives we tried were a little on the soft side (soggy might be a harsher, but more accurate, way of putting it) but after that it got a whole lot better. These were surprisingly good. They are nicely textured and actually taste like olives. They were also just a little fresher than most of their rivals.

Lows: The tin might be a bit of a problem if you only want a handful of the things as you'll then have to find a suitable container in which to decant the remainder.

Verdict: Surprisingly pleasant

Star Rating: ****

Tesco Pitted Black Olives

€1.65 for 300g; €10.12 per kg (drained)

Highs: When these olives are drained of their water (sorry, brine) and the per kilo price is calculated, their value becomes apparent. They are a whole lot cheaper than the competition and not at all bad. In terms of taste and texture, they are very close to the Don Carlos olives and nearly a third of the price. While these delicately flavoured creatures are as far from a robust Cretan olive as you're likely to get, they do taste perfectly pleasant and are great for cooking as they'll add colour and texture without dominating a dish.

Lows: If you want a strong olive bursting with flavour then you'd be as well off looking elsewhere as you won't find any in this jar.

Verdict: Cheap and handy to have about

Star rating: ****

Don Carlos Finest Spanish Olives

€2.46 for 330g; €15.09 per kg (drained)

Highs: A recognisable brand, available everywhere, from corner shops to supermarkets. Fine for cooking with and they might appeal to people who like the idea of olives rather than the taste of the things.

Lows: Don Carlos is probably the market leader when it comes to olives in this country - at least jars carrying that brand name take up most shelf space in almost all the supermarkets we've even been in - and for the life of us we can't see why. These are dry and flavourless and entirely forgettable. There's nothing juicy about them and whatever olive flavours that might once have been in this jar had long since dissipated by the time we got to it. They're not even particularly cheap.

Verdict: Disappointing

Star Rating: **

MS Pitted Baby Kalamata Olives

€3.19 for 300g; €18.76 per kg (drained)

Highs: An expert on Mediterranean food once told me that the best olives in the world come from Crete, so I was expecting much from these Greek olives. And I was not disappointed. These are lovely - soft and juicy and full of flavour and the pitting process looks to have been a lot less mechanical than the competition which lends these an air of authenticity. Best served with cold beer and not for cooking, as the flavours might overpower many dishes. They're even quite good value.

Lows: While these have the strongest olive flavours, they are also the saltiest and they will leave you parched.

Verdict: Lovely

Star Rating: ****