Taste test

A good quiche is the backbone of a simple summer lunch or supper in the garden, but if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own, to whom can you turn?

Avoca Ham, Leek & Cheddar Quiche, 800g, €14.95 9/10 The most expensive of the quiches that we tested, but also the best, with a nice straightforward ingredient list and a good ratio of filling to pastry. “Feels like an occasion,” said one tester, “it’s the one that I’d be happy to pass off as my own.” No calorie count given. Dunnes Stores Simply Better Handmade Irish Ham & Vintage Irish Cheddar Quiche Lorraine, 280g, €4.99 8/10 The only one of the quiches to list the eggs contained as free-range, this small twoportion quiche got the thumbs-up from our testers, who liked the deeply savoury taste and smoky flavour from the oakwoodsmoked Knockanore cheddar. The pastry wasn’t quite as crisp as we would have liked though.

333 calories per 100g. M&S Handcrafted Applewood Smoked Bacon Quiche Lorraine, 230g, €4.40 8/10 The clear winner when it came to pastry, our testers also liked the high cheese component of this two-person quiche from M&S and said it was satisfyingly savoury and delicious.

335 calories per 100g.

Tesco Finest Maple Bacon & Cheddar Quiche, 400g, €2.59 4/10 Our testers felt that this Tesco Finest quiche read better than it tasted. The ingredients include ‘Somerset extra mature cheddar and double cream’, but more cheese was needed. Contains palm oil, which is a no-no in our books. 319 calories per 100g.

SuperValu Ham, Spinach & Brie Quiche, 400g, €4 3/10 The packaging tells us that this quiche won gold at the Blás na hÉireann Awards and earned a gold star at the Great Taste Awards, both in 2017, but our testers were underwhelmed, finding the filling bland and watery. There’s a very long list of ingredients, including palm oil. 297 calories per 100g.