This week, Value for Money compares five varieties of cream cheese

Philadelphia

€2.09 for 200g, €10.45 per kg

Highs: This is unquestionably the best-known brand of cream cheese in the world; it is not any old Philadelphia, however, but a "new improved" version, the packaging assures us. It is low in fat and flecked with herbs and little pieces of garlic. It is absolutely fine, if entirely unmemorable .

Lows: This brand's worldwide fame can be attributed to the vast quantities of money Kraft has spent on marketing over the last two decades rather than anything particularly special about it. We can't help thinking all the advertising comes at an unacceptably high cost, particularly when you compare the price to some of the cheaper options we found. We found it to be entirely average - not bad by any means, just underwhelming and overpriced.

Verdict: Surprisingly dull, unsurprisingly dear

Star rating: **

Pic Frisch Kräuter

€0.69 for 200g, €3.45 per kg

Highs: This is very, very cheap and a fine example of one of those little gems that are often to be found hiding on the shelves of Lidl (and Aldi for that matter) which are comparable to considerably more well-known brands, at a fraction of the cost. The ingredient list is impressively simple and it has a strong peppery flavour that lingers.

Lows: If we were to be incredibly picky we could complain that it had a slightly sour edge to it. An even smaller cause for concern was the packaging - if it weren't for the picture on the box we'd not have had a clue what we were buying.

Verdict: Can't be beaten at this price

Star rating: *****

Boursin Ail Fines Herbes

€3.69 for 150g, €24.60 per kg

Highs: While the Lidl option can't be beaten for price, this French soft cheese can't be beaten for taste. It is made with milk, cream, garlic, herbs and pepper and absolutely nothing else. It is full of garlicky and herby flavours and incredibly creamy and feels like a real treat. It is wonderfully rich.

Lows: Which is, sadly, what you might have to be if you are going to eat this on a regular basis. It is hideously expensive and hideously full of fat; in fact, it has nearly 10 times the level of fat of some of the low-fat options we tried, which is an even bigger problem because it is far too easy to eat absolutely loads of it.

Verdict: Great but very dear

Star rating: ****

Tesco Le Roulé

€2.49 for 150g, €16.60 per kg

Highs: Dressed up like a herby, creamy Swiss roll, this is certainly the nicest-looking of the cheeses we tried. It is also very close to being the nicest-tasting too. It has a pleasantly sharp, clean taste with the copious amounts of herbs coming through particularly strongly. While it is certainly as creamy as the Boursin, it has almost half the fat, something your heart might be pleased to hear. It has a decent garlic kick, although it is not overpoweringly strong and is offset by the herb flavours.

Lows: It tastes considerably saltier than some of the competition and is just a little bit more expensive than we would have liked.

Verdict: Very good

Star rating: ****

Marks & Spencer Soft Cheese with Onion and Chives

€1.99 for 150g, €13.26 per kg

Highs: Made with just 4.7 grams of fat per 100g, this is probably the most healthy option we tried. Despite its low-fat nature it is surprisingly creamy. The onions and the chives are surprisingly crunchy.

Lows: Which makes their tastelessness all the more surprising. It has a weirdly synthetic flavour which we found reminiscent of a packet of Pringles. We reckoned it was too dear and we also thought the company could have put a bit more thought into the serving suggestion carried on the packaging - is serving it with unpeeled scallions the most imaginative thing MS could come up with?

Verdict: Disappointing

Star rating: **