TASTE & TELL

With a view to the Easter holidays, this month the Sunday Times Food Awards panel tasted and rated ready-made items for family convenience — pineapple & ham pizza, Greek salad, peppermint-caramel dessert and hot cross buns

1PICK N PAY Large Hawaiian Pizza R61.50

Tasters liked the plump pieces of pineapple and generous slices of ham. The cheese browned nicely and the base was crispy, although some said it was too toast-like and could have had a narrower border. Overall, it was rated very decent for a store-bought pizza, if a little on the bland side.

3CHECKERS Bella Pizza Hawaii R59.99

Described by some as “soggy”, this pizza remained pale after being baked according to package instructions. “It’s too mushy, and all the ingredients got lost in each other," said a panellist. Another said it tasted more like macaroni and cheese than pizza. Tasters agreed that feta did not work on a Hawaiian pizza, and said they couldn’t taste the pineapple or ham.

2WOOLWORTHS Ham & Pineapple Pizza R69.99

The base was described as “well-baked, tasty and crispy”, but the cheese, pineapple and ham toppings were very poorly distributed — some slices had no topping whatsoever. Those who received a well-topped slice said the ham and cheese were the best quality of all the samples.