This week Conor Popetakes a look at fresh pepperoni pizzas

Marks & Spencer Ham, Pepperoni and Milano Salami Pizza

€5.99 for 330g, €18.15 per kg

Highs:Like many of the upmarket M&S products, this is very pleasant-tasting and looks pretty authentic. The provolone cheese is excellent and the mozzarella isn't bad either. The tomato sauce is nice and tangy and the balsamic roasted red onions are lovely (though a bit sweet). There is a large amount of meat topping, as you might guess from the name.

Lows:The abundance of meat makes this just a little greasy and there may have been just too much of it - if it had simply been pepperoni or salami it would have been a lot nicer. The base looked liked it had just come from the clay oven of an Italian pizzeria but tasted just a little dull. And then there was the price, which was shocking.

Verdict:Nice, but too expensive

Star rating: ***

Giovanni di Firenze Meat Feast

€3.09 for 350g, €8.83 per kg

Highs:This is a pretty cheap pizza and the only one that actually comes from Italy. It also scores bonus points for taking the least amount of time to cook. It is done in a deep-fill style and the pepperoni has a nice spicy kick to it. The thin pastry base tastes good and fresh and is filled with flavour.

Lows:One of its most prominent flavours, it should be noted, is salt. While the base is thin, it seems reluctant to crisp up and although Pricewatch is fond of a doughy base, it might not be to everyone's taste. While this promises a meat feast, it is more of a genteel meat snack and the small amount of ham seemed to disappear into the sauce. There was very little cheese and the tomato sauce was barely worth mentioning.

Verdict:Cheap and flavoursome

Star rating: ***

Tesco Finest Salami Napoli, Caramelised Onion & Roasted Tomato Chutney Pizza

€5.99 for 438g, €13.57 per kg

Highs:This rectangular pizza is simple to segment and easy to eat, and might make an ideal snack at a posh party. The caramelised onion is lovely and sweet, as is the roasted chutney (it's a long way from the roasted tomato chutney and caramelised pizza that we were raised on). The base is lovely and crispy, and the salami is lovely, although we could have done with just a little more of it.

Lows:It might be a bit too sweet for some tastes. The minimal topping may well be authentic but it could still do with a little more cheese and tomato sauce. This product also has a ridiculously long name and we wondered why Tesco went to the trouble of applying the faux griddle-pan effect to it.

Verdict: Top quality

Star rating: ****

Dunnes Stores Freshly Made-Up Pizza €3.58 for 519g, €6.89 per kg

Highs:This was the cheapest of the pizzas we tasted and also the freshest, as it was made to our specifications (well, sort of) just two hours before we ate it. We were able to pick and choose the toppings and, to be fair to the Dunnes staff, they lashed them on. It was definitely the most substantial pizza and the mix of cheddar and mozzarella was quite pleasant.

Lows:We weren't paying attention at the counter and ended up with a ridiculous amount of topping, although that turned out to be a blessing as the base wasn't at all good. Then there was all the waiting involved; first the queuing, then the hanging about while a surly staff member looked for pepperoni, then the further search for eco-unfriendly styrofoam containers and jars of tomato sauce.

Verdict:Cheap, but topping is too heavy

Star rating: **

Pizza al Forno Stonebaked Pepperoni

€4.39 for 330g, €13.30 per kg

Highs:This is an old-school pizza that eschews fancy toppings in favour of meat and cheese and little else. There's a lot of mozzarella (19 per cent) here and a substantial amount of meat (13 per cent) too. The pepperoni is thickly sliced and while it looks a little worrying before it is cooked, it tastes surprisingly good.

Lows:One of the ingredients listed is a complex-looking turkey "broth" and we really had no idea what it was doing there or indeed where it ended up. The pastry base was very doughy, although if we'd cooked it on a raised wire rack for the final minute before serving, it would have crisped up nicely, something we only learned after we'd cooked it. It's not bad, but there isn't much to distinguish this from a good-quality frozen pizza.

Verdict:Pretty ordinary

Star rating: **