Cheapest: too rough even for the toughest of men. Middle rank: comfortable, quality, full-bodied. Luxury: generally pointless, but essential for a girlfriend’s nose.

I use toilet paper, kitchen roll and sometimes keep hand tissue packs in my bag to work. I use a lot of kitchen roll mainly because it’s so convenient and hygienic and saves on germs breeding on a sponge or cloth.

I generally think luxury tissue products are pretty pointless as middle ranking supermarket branded toilet paper is comfortable, looks full bodied and is generally of pretty good quality. You can also bulk buy 9 or 12 roll packs at a significantly lower price from brand leaders, so I take this into account when I buy these products.  

However, on the flip side, cheap tissue is also a false economy if you can afford to buy a slightly better quality product at the till, but I appreciate every penny counts for so many people. The cheapest toilet paper is fairly course and rough even for the toughest of men. The cheap rolls also have less sheets and it looks a lot cheaper also. The shriek across the land of students running out of toilet roll is not just down to purchasing priorities, but the dreaded cheap roll.

I do also think that sometimes it’s worthwhile paying extra for a luxury tissue, for example, I think they’re best for a girlfriend’s nose, they’re just so much more comfortable to use when you’re not feeling well. A comfortable tissue at the ready is a real plus in these challenging British winter months.

I am conscious of environmental concerns in other product ranges, but with toilet roll I have not seen green alternatives and they are certainly not high profile when I do my shopping. I believe that a lot of tissue products are used throughout the UK; it’s amazing how when you need some the roof falls in if there is none around.

It’s all about image also – a cheap tissue in a restaurant really lowers the impression of the establishment, and again, tissue does not have to be quilted – just decent quality. I just think high-end tissue is not a desirable product, who wants to use a duvet type roll as a toilet roll?! I have noticed cheap end rolls in some less affluent areas oversees and a lot more use of pink rolls which I don’t remember seeing in the UK since the 1990s.

A real Trojan horse that has to be avoided is the narrow roll, advertised as “a bonus”. There are rolls that you bring home thinking all is well, and then they will not fit over the roll holder bar or if they do they jam and don’t move, which is not ideal. It’s the motorway service station roll experience only at home, and while it initially appears like a good value buy, it’s not actually economical or convenient.