Pricewatch product review: A guide to jellies

Colin the Caterpillar Fruit Sours €2.30 for 130g, €17.69 per kg

If you like your jellies to be so sour they make your eyes water and your saliva glands dry up, than these jellies from Marks & Spencer are not for you. They do have a nice burst of sourness at the outset, but it quickly fades to sweet jelly goodness. Vegetarians will be happy to know that Colin’s Sours are entirely free of gelatin. The ingredient list has a pleasing amount of fruit juice-type things. Once you ignore all the sugar and glucose and fructose that are listed alongside the fruitiness, these actually looks quite healthy. The price is obviously a concern.

Verdict: They won't let you down

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Natural Confectionary Company Party Mix

Star Rating: ***

Tesco Fizzy Multicolour Belts €0.60 for 75g, €8 per kg At 60 cent a pack, these were nearly the cheapest of the jellies we tried, as well as the only ones that came in the shape of a belt. Truth be told, we approached them with scepticism because of their beltiness and cheapness. They were also dusted with a thick coating of sugar, which we didn't think would be to our taste. Wrong. They are great, with a wonderful tartness, and the sharpness blended with the sugary coating is lovely. The bell shape makes them thin, so you can chew through one quickly without feeling feel like you're slowly masticating.

Verdict: Gorgeous and cheap

Star rating: ****

Haribo Spaghetti €1 for 180g, €5.55 per kg

Haribo have become synonymous with jellies. They have a dizzying array of options, and we went for these tiny little spaghetti strips. They are beautifully sour; all the flavours – lemon, apple, strawberry and the rest – actually taste like what they are supposed to taste like, though the strips of jelly are so small you will most likely eat a handful and end up with a weird fruit cocktail in your mouth. They are the cheapest of the jellies tried and represent great value for money. The only problem was we couldn’t stop eating the dam things.

Verdict: Amazing

Star rating: *****

Natural Confectionary Company Party Mix €1.58 for 130g, €12.15 per kg

We’re not sure what class of party this company is used to hosting, but with only 20 jellies in the pack, it can’t be very long. Perhaps because of its name , the Natural Confectionary Company has created the impression that it is somehow more wholesome than other sweets. Having looked at the ingredient list, we’re not sure how true that is. These sweets have at least as much sugar as any of their rivals and are broadly in line in terms of calorie count. Of more immediate concern was the comparative price and lack of flavour.

Verdict: Disappointing

Star rating: **