Premium orange juice...

Tropicana Pure Premium Original "with Juicy Bits"
€1.59 (€4.82 a litre)

Highs: There was a time when Tropicana was the finest, freshest juice on the block, but no more. Although it still compares favourably to the juice sold in brick-like boxes, it has lost its lustre in recent years. It still bears more than a passing resemblance to freshly squeezed juice, though, and is certainly not the worst way to start your day.

Lows: This juice makes much of the fact that it's not from concentrate, but if there's nothing in it but oranges how come it's so sweet? It lacks the tang of the real deal and its paleness makes it more than a bit disappointing.

Verdict: Fallen on hard times.

Star rating: **

Tesco Finest Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
€1.20 (€4.80 a litre)

Highs: This isn't bad at all. It tastes of real oranges for a start, which, given the synthetic vileness of some juice-like concoctions sitting on our supermarket shelves, is a surprisingly sunny delight. It's fresh and bursting with flavour. Hard to find fault with it.

Lows: Hard but not impossible. Maybe Tesco's orange-squeezing machine is more ruthless than the one over in M&S, because this juice ends up a little watery when compared with its main rival. By the time it gets to the bottle it has been stripped of much of the pulp.

Verdict: Great for a mimosa.

Star rating: ****

Dawn Pure Orange Juice from Concentrate
€1.30 (€3.94 a litre)

Highs: The only juice made from concentrate (Dawn also sells a freshly squeezed version), it is at least as good as the Tropicana - possibly better - but is left for dead by the fresh juices. It tastes fine and, when served ice cold, is refreshing. It will keep in your fridge for considerably longer than the other juices.

Lows: For a start, the smell is all wrong. That's not to say it smells bad, but nor does it smell the way orange juice should. The colour is washed out, it has just over half the vitamin C you'll find in the fresh juices and it's way too sweet.

Verdict: Nice but dull.

Star rating: **

Marks & Spencer Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
€1.10 (€4.40 a litre)

Highs: This remarkably good orange juice casts a long shadow over the other contenders. It is thick with pulp and tastes as if you had just squeezed the oranges yourself, allowing you to feel wholesome and healthy without having to do a tap. And, remarkably, it's not woefully expensive when compared with the competition.

Lows: Not much to dislike, except perhaps the tendency for its pulp and water to separate when left standing for a couple of days. Mind you, a couple of days is all you'll keep it for, as its shelf life is very short.

Verdict: Doesn't come much better.

Star rating: *****

***** Juiced can't get enough
**** Pipped at the post
*** Juiced about OK
** Small injuicetice
*Juice of hazard