Alival Mozzarella Toscanella €0.69 for 125g, €5.52 per kg Highs:This mozzarella which we found in our local Tesco is amazing. It tastes fresh and creamy and has the right texture for shredding into a salad. But by far the best thing about it is its price - at just 69c, it is incredibly cheap and a real find.

Lows:Purists will point to the fact that it lacks the authenticity of mozzarella made with buffalo milk, but at this price you can hardly expect miracles. Its delicate flavours might be a bit too subtle for some tastes.

Verdict:Remarkable value

Star rating:*****

Castelli Mozzarella Light €1.60 for 125g, €12.80 per kg

Highs:It is widely available and has a firm texture, which might make it better for any lasagne or pizza dishes that you plan to whip up. It is the lower fat option, which is also suitable for vegetarians and is on the cheap side.

Lows:PriceWatch is always wary of any cheese that bills itself as low fat and rightly so in this case. It lacks flavour and the texture isn't great. It is so rubbery you could almost play handball with it and, while it might be fine melted into a hot dish, torn into a summer salad, it will only disappoint.

Verdict:Lightweight

Star rating:**

Milbona Mozzarella €0.69 for 125g, €5.52 per kg

Highs:This mozzarella from Lidl is very cheap and has a very elaborate serving suggestion on the packaging, involving interlaced tomato and cheese slices which we were most impressed by. It shreds easily and is pretty creamy. It is nicely textured and tastes grand, if a little bland.

Lows:It is almost completely flavourless and PriceWatch struggled to find anything at all, either positive or negative, to say about this cheese.

Verdict:Very cheap but a bit bland

Star rating:***

Marks & Spencer Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana €2.49 for 125g, €19.92 per kg

Highs:This is the real deal. Made with proper Italian buffalo milk - M&S even gives us the name of the Naples dairy where it comes from - it tastes fantastic. It is very fresh and has a nice sharp tang to it. While it is solid on the outside it is beautifully creamy, almost gooey, in fact, on the inside, and, despite being found on a mainstream supermarket shelf, comes across as a genuinely artisan product.

Lows:It is pricey and, while it is hard to fault in taste terms, if we were to be really picky we'd say it might be a tiny bit too salty. Its soft, creamy texture also makes it slightly difficult to manage but, really, we're splitting hairs.

Verdict:Excellent

Star rating:*****

Tesco Finest Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana €2.90 for 125g, €23.20 per kg

Highs:This is another ball of mozzarella made with buffalo milk and, while Tesco neglects to tell us the name of the dairy the milk comes from, it is almost as good as the cheese from Marks & Spencer. It has a nice springy texture and a sharp tangy flavour. When sliced, it keeps its shape very well, making it easy to craft a very fancy-looking salad. It is also a lot more widely available than the M&S option.

Lows:It is the most expensive of the mozzarella tried and might prove too costly for some pockets.

Verdict:Also excellent, but pricier

Star rating:****

Star quality