Jamón Iberico

Selfridges Jamón Ibérico de Bellota £22 per 100g, selfridges.com
One of the best Ibérico hams I've ever eaten. The smell, the beautiful fat marbling and the deep, nutty flavour is exquisite. ★★★★★

Ibérica Jamón Ibérico Gran 10 Vetas £18 per 100g, ibericalondon.com
Again, there's some lovely fat marbling which gives this a very nice slippery texture. Great sweet flavour, if ever so slightly salty. ★★★★

Waitrose Jamón Ibérica de Bellota 75g, £8.49, waitrose.com Smells of acorns, which is great, but flavour not too nutty. ★★★★

Marks & Spencer Jamón Ibérica de Bellota £14.99 per 100g from deli counters On both appearance and touch this is far too dry. The meat breaks apart. Flavour not bad, but it's not pleasant to eat. ★

Serrano

Ibérica Serrano from Teruel £4.50 per 100g, ibericalondon.com Smells rich, piggy and delicious. It has a wonderful silky feel in the mouth and a great aftertaste – this is a fantastic product. ★★★★★

Tesco Finest Serrano Ham £3 per 100g, tesco.com The meat is cut well, and very thinly, and has a soft texture. Good flavour, too - sweet and long-lasting. ★★★★

Marks & Spencer Serrano 85g, £2.99, marksandspencer.com This is a little bit too soft - you want some resistance in your mouth. It's also too salty, which serrano shouldn't be. ★★★

Harvey Nichols Serrano £4.89 per 100g, harveynichols.com There is an overpoweringly salty flavour here, which detracts from a pleasant texture. You need a glass of water within reach. ★★★

Chorizo

Sainsbury's Spicy Chorizo Ring 225g, £2.50, sainsburys.co.uk This meat has been cured very well. The flavour is dense and smoky with pimentón and there is a good hum of garlic. Great. ★★★★

Marks & Spencer Chorizo 200g, £2, marksandspencer.com Very garlicky, which I personally like, but may overpower other flavours. Tiny bit too dry. ★★★

Tesco Finest Chorizo Ring 225g, £2, tesco.com This smells better than it tastes. It's slightly bitter in flavour and perhaps a little too heavy-handed with the paprika. ★★★

Ocado Revilla Chorizo Puchero 110g, £2, ocado.com Cuts well and has good mouth-feel, but the flavour just isn't there. It would need bolstering with some garlic and sherry vinegar. ★★

Morcilla

Saborear Morcilla de Arroz 350g, £3.90, saborear.co.uk Exceptional meat quality here, and well spiced. The excellent fat marbling means it cooks beautifully, too. ★★★★

Delicioso Smoked Morcilla Asturiana 250g, £5.25, delicioso.co.uk This one smells lovely and smoky and it really doesn't disappoint at all on tasting. ★★★★

Melbury & Appleton Morcilla with Onion 6, £3.55, melburyandappleton.co.uk This is a little too over-spiced for my liking. It gets you right at the back of the throat. The texture is nice though, if a little too dry. ★★★

Tapas Lunch Company Morcilla for Cooking 200g, £2.15, tapaslunchcompany.co.uk Wonderful texture – it fries nicely and remains soft. However, there's not quite enough background spicing for me. ★★★

Manchego

Marks & Spencer Manchego £1.78 per 100g, marksandspencer.com

Wonderful depth of flavour, perfect piquancy and creaminess. I'd happily eat a whole block of this. ★★★★★

Harvey Nichols Matured Manchego £2.89 per 100g, harveynichols.com This is nice and smooth and creamy on the palate and lovely to eat, with a very good sharpness that balances out the richness. ★★★★

Tesco Finest Manchego £1.29 per 100g, tesco.com A beautiful ivory colour and great texture, but tastes sweet and bland. Manchego ought to pack a punch. ★★★

Ibérica Manchego Gold £3.63 per 100g, ibericalondon.com Slightly plasticky in texture and it's not creamy enough for me, but make up for that with its strong, sheepy flavour. ★★★

Membrillo

Selfridges El Pèsol Quince £1.50 per 100g, selfridges.com Almost floral with strong, fruity quince, and it's lovely how the grain comes through in the very smooth, spreadable texture. ★★★★★

Ocado Membrillo Quince 150g, £2.49, ocado.com Again, floral in taste, which suggests high fruit content. Quite slippery, but fantastic with the manchego. ★★★★

Harvey Nichols Maggie Beer Quince Paste 100g, £3.99, harveynichols.com Nice, spreadable texture and isn't overpoweringly sweet. Would be great with very strong cheeses. ★★★★

Ibérica Membrillo 125g, £3.75, ibericalondon.com Has a pleasant quince flavour, but I find this a little too dry. It doesn't spread well, though which defeats the object of membrillo. ★★★

José Pizarro is chef patron of José and Pizarro in London. His new book Spanish Flavours is published by Kyle Books in May at £15.99.