This week, Value for Money tastes five varieties of mashed potato.

Tesco Fresh Mashed Potato

€1.99 for 450g, €4.42 per kg

Highs: While this lacks the creamy luxury of some of the other options, it is not at all bad and is less expensive than the other processed products. It has a nice simple ingredient list, a strong buttery flavour and the consistency of real mashed potato. The portion size was good and it would certainly fill a gap on a plate if you were in a terrible hurry.

Lows: While it has the texture of real potato, it lacks flavour and all we could really taste was butter and salt. There is 1.4g of salt per serving and while that might not sound like a lot, it is a quarter of your daily allowance and, thanks to the butter and cream in the mix, it also accounts for over a quarter of your GDA of saturated fats, a somewhat sobering thought given the relatively small amount of your daily food intake this is likely to be.

Verdict: Nice and plain

Star rating: ***

Mash Direct Mashed Potato

€2.19 for 400g, €5.47 per kg

Highs:This mash come from an Irish company and consists of Maris Piper potatoes, which make, we are reliably informed by a number of sources, the nicest mash. It tastes more like real potato than all the other brands we tried, with the exception of the real potatoes, of course. It is the most widely available of the pre-packed options and is rich without being excessively heavy. It also scores points for being nicely seasoned without being too salty.

Lows: It seems to have been very densely packed and we found ourselves wishing it was just a little more light and fluffy. And if we were to be hyper-critical, we'd have to say the texture was ever so slightly gluey.

Verdict: Very good

Star rating: ****

Marks & Spencer Ultimate Potato Mash

€2.99 for 450g, €6.64 per kg

Highs:This is another mash which is made with Maris Piper potatoes and, on many levels, it is genuinely excellent. It is flecked with cracked black peppercorns and full of flavour. It is melt-in-your-mouth good - beautifully smooth and wonderfully creamy.

Lows: Your heart is unlikely to thank you for eating large amounts of this product. In addition to the potato - 81 per cent - we also get 10 per cent double cream and 7 per cent butter. While that goes a long way towards explaining why it tastes so good, it won't do much for your fat, calorie or salt intake. A portion will account for 77 per cent of your saturated fat allowance, a quarter of your salt and 20 per cent of your calorie intake for a day.

Verdict: Far too rich

Star rating: ***

Centra Simply Cook Mashed Potato

€2.59 for 300g, €8.63 per kg

Highs: We found this in the freezer at our local Centra and, according to the packaging, it will be good to eat until July of next year, giving it the longest shelf-life by a massive margin. It is comparatively low in salt and is made with a "creamy cheese sauce" which sounds quite pleasant.

Lows: Shame then, that it doesn't taste of anything - this was the most bland of the mashes on trial by a long shot. It also comes in the smallest portion size and you'd be doing well to split it between two people and have them both even vaguely satisfied. Of more concern was the price - it is nearly eight times dearer than the DIY option and nowhere near as nice.

Verdict: Too dear and a bit dull

Star rating: **

Homemade mash potatoes

€5.47 for 5kg, €1.10 per kg

Highs: This certainly is the cheapest option and without a doubt the most wholesome. You have total control over the seasoning, the texture and the serving size. There is a lot less packaging to dispose of and you can draw significant comfort from the fact that you have prepared the ultimate comfort food from scratch without resorting to one of the much, much lazier options on the market.

Lows: There is the whole peeling thing, which admittedly is a bit more hassle than just bunging the potatoes in the oven. Then there is the time factor - we worked out that it took 25 minutes to go from raw, unpeeled potatoes to mash on the plate, which is significantly longer than the five minutes in the microwave the other options took.

Verdict: Impossible to beat

Star rating: *****