Marks & Spencer Mixed Leaf Salad

€2.99 for 120g, €24.92 per kg

Ah here now! We though the Tesco leaves were dear but this salad from M&S takes the biscuit. It is made with three distinct leaves and is lovely and crunchy. We are promised sweetness and we got it but the cost left a terribly bitter aftertaste. When we picked it up, it was also selling as part of an Italian meal deal which would make it better value for money but chucked into your basket in isolation, it could prove very costly.

0 of 3

Verdict: Too much

Star rating: **

Tesco Mild Babylead Salad

€1.59 for 88g, €18.06 per kg

This was the first salad we tried and initially we struggled to get over how expensive it was. The baby leaves are grand and they have a nice peppery kick but we asked ourselves how we could possibly justify spending €1.59 on a bag of leaves that weighs just 88g. This would barely be sufficient as a side for one, not particularly hungry, person and we struggled to see how we’d make it stretch far enough to feed even two people. The quality is right but the price is definitely wrong.

Verdict: Nice but dear

Star rating: ***

Florette Bistro Salad

€1.39 for 188g, €7.39 per kg

We are big fans of beetroot and were pleasantly surprised to find this bag of leaves awash with little strands of the stuff. It adds a dimension the others were lacking although we are not entirely convinced that there is anything remotely bistro about the presence of the purple root vegetable. This is the most well-known and the most widely available brand of bagged salad. While the leaves were a little on the flavourless side, they were crisp and with the 25 per cent extra this is good value for money.

Verdict: Cheaply crispy

Star rating: ****

DIY Salad Bowl

€3.67 for 700g, €5.24 per kg

We bought two baby gem lettuces, a romaine lettuce and a big bag of baby spinach leaves. We spent €3.65 and got 700g of leaves. When made it up, it looked better than its rivals and tasted a whole lot better too. It was, we suspect, better for us as it had not spent any time in a bag and was not washed free of nutrients. There was some washing involved and we did end up with way too much lettuce but it won’t go to waste.

Verdict: Better value. Better for you

Star rating: *****