Ginger Biscuits

Traidcraft Extra Spicy Stem Ginger Cookies

2.49 for 200 grams, 12.45 per kg

Highs: As promised on the packaging, these have a great gingery kick to them - if you like your biscuits spicy then they don't come much spicier than this. They're nice and crumbly, without being too soft. They're also fair-trade biscuits so have an added feel-good factor because the farmer who grew the ginger stems was paid properly.

Lows: Armed with such knowledge, it would be utterly churlish to complain about the price we have to pay for them. It's okay, however, to be hard on the ginger stems, which are rock hard and will be way too tough for some tastes. And teeth.

Verdict: Nice and spicy

Star rating: ****

Marks & Spencer All Butter Gingerbread Cookies

2.49 for 250 grams, 9.96 per kg

Highs: More than one quarter of each of these is butter, so it's not much of a surprise that they taste more of that than they do of ginger - whether or not this is a high or low will depend on your own tastes. They taste very rich and very sweet, and should probably be treated as an indulgence. The ginger is nice and soft.

Lows: Some people might find them a little heavy. M&S makes much of the "traditional recipe" and the "home-cooked style" of its biscuits, but what class of traditional, home-cooked style recipes list E503 and E450 amongst the ingredients?

Verdict: Hmm, buttery goodness

Star rating: ***

Jacob's Ginger Nut Biscuits

1.37 for 200 grams, 6.85 per kg

Highs: Jacob's eschews all the fancy "granma's secret recipe" malarkey in favour of a very old-school biscuit. These are the only ones that can stand up to a good dunking in a cup of tea without falling to pieces. They're wonderfully crunchy and very gingery. There is also more than 20 biscuits in the packet, so while they're the same weight as the others, you feel like you're getting more.

Lows: The wrapping has a tendency to split, exposing the biscuits to the elements. There's no percentage of ginger listed, which can usually be taken as a sign that the actual ginger content is below 2 per cent.

Verdict: Just like mama used to buy.

Star rating: ****

WeightWatchers Ginger and Lemon Cookies

1.66 for 138 grams, 12.02 per kg

Highs: Forgetting about all the dieting stuff, these taste pretty good. They're nice and light and the lemony flavour stands apart. They come wrapped in two biscuit portions, so you can transport a couple of them without leaving a trail of crumbs in your wake.

Lows: It's not so good for the environment or for a guilt-free existence. Presumably the intention is to dissuade you from having more than two at a single sitting, which is a bit mean. Per 100 grams they have much the same calorie count as their rivals, although the levels of saturated fats are much lower.

Verdict: Taste good in pairs.

Star rating: ***

***** Excellent

**** Great

***Fine

** Below Par

* Awful