I have a terrific sweet tooth, but lately I've been trying to cut back my spending on sweetmeats. My reasoning is, "It's all sugary junk, so why not buy cheaper sugary junk?"

I usually buy Tunnock's teacakes, but I thought I'd making a saving and dip a toe into the waters of Tesco Value. I'd never bought Value before, since the drab packaging design just strikes fear into me, but I was feeling optimistic (and peckish) that day.

According to other reviews, these used to be much cheaper; I paid 60p for mine, which is quite a jump up from 39p, but still cheap. One pack contains six teacakes, with a 28% chocolate coating, 38% marshmallow filling and a biscuit base. The ingredients contain milk, wheat, gluten, soya, and also pork gelatine, so these aren't veggie-friendly. As to be expected, they aren't very healthy; I'm not one to count calories, but according to the FSA's traffic-light system, these are in the red for saturated fats and sugar, and amber for fat. The individual teacakes sit in a plastic tray with six compartments, but they aren't wrapped, so be careful not to manhandle them too much or let them melt.

At first I was dubious that the coating was described as chocolate "flavour" rather than just chocolate, but I honestly wouldn't have guessed from the taste. Flavour- and texture-wise these are very much like Cadbury's teacakes, with a firm spongy filling as opposed to Tunnocks' stickier mallow. I find these are actually better than Cadbury's, being more moist and squashy, while Cadbury's seem quite dry and hollow despite the noble purple packaging. The plain biscuit base is slightly crumbly but pleasant, adding some welcome extra texture. Overall, they're sweet and mildly chocolatey.

Despite their plain looks and low price, these are easily as tasty and enjoyable as leading brands. I'm surprised at their flavour and quality, and hopefully they won't get bumped up further in price. Tunnock's are still my favourite purveyors of the teacake, but I won't be afraid to pick these up again.