Hula Hoops Smoky Bacon: Yes, smoky bacon, but the piggy taste gets a little lost in the dense, starchy potato flavour of the Hula Hoop. As ever, a phenomenal, sharp crack of a crunch. Rating: 7.2
Additional Thoughts:
* These are probably delicious dipped in tzatziki or raita
* There aren't enough lamb flavoured crisps out there, so let me know your recommendations
Marks & Spencer Lamb Kofta: These crisps are a rich feast of aromatic ground spices with a hint of chilli to add a dry, peppery heat. The lamb's restricted to a mere cameo in the background, but the delicious spices are impossible to ignore. Rating: 8.0
First I've heard of them, will track down a pack!
Tesco Basil & Pecorino Pesto: First, there's the rich punch of pecorino; bold, yet creamy as it bombards the taste buds. Then the basil floats in, brushing the palate clean and preparing you for the next mouthful. Shamefully irresistible. Rating: 8.5
Sainsbury's Sea Salt & Suffolk Cider Vinegar: Firstly, the potatoes are delicious, all earthy and rich - as if they've lived their life like a king. Secondly, the cider vinegar bangs with a tarte, fruity, lip-puckering tingle which somehow swerves an acidic burn. Rating: 8.4
I hope, one day, you find your safe place.
Aldi Kentucky Smoked BBQ: Aldi smash it out the park again with crisps that taste like a Louisville family gathering in a heatwave. Bourbon smoke curls through the sweet and fruity barbecue sauce notes to send your tastebuds into overdrive. Mouth-watering. Rating: 8.4
The Real McCoy's Chip Shop Curry Sauce: These crisps won’t whisk you away to a park bench with curry-dipped chips, but there’s a polite tingle of heat and a shy spice which keep the spuds in agreeable company. Rating: 7.1
Seabrook Chicken Curry: Now this is a proper curry crisp: bold, complex, and deeply spiced - each crunch a slow delight of heat and roasted depth. A delicious celebration of curry. And even better with a drop of mango chutney. Rating: 8.6
Keep questioning, Chris!
I had to double check that these weren't a prank! The salt and vinegar Chippies were a treat.
Additional Thoughts:
* Better than the Walkers Fish & Chips crisps from 2021
* They're good, but I couldn't eat these every week
Seabrook Fish & Chips: These crisps deliver a rich, golden batter crunch and are resolutely British. Gloriously fried, they're all fluffy potato with the slightest hint of cod, like a wink from a trawler. Rating: 8.1
It's just a supermarket.
Seabrook Farmhouse Cheddar & Chutney: A cheddar fog rolls in, dense and delicious, snuggling into sweet, tangy chutney and all spooned onto a crunchy spud. These deserve to be part of the permanent range. Rating: 8.1
Two Farmers Woodland Mushroom and Wild Garlic: Not your average flavour, this is British woodlands in a biodegradable packet. Earthy, brazen mushrooms take the lead, while the wild garlic lends a pleasant, herby accent to the delicious potatoes. Rating: 8.0
Taylors Pickled Onion: Earthy, skin-on potatoes come together with sweet, sugary pickled onions to conjure up a pleasing tang. Your breath won't be fresh, but you simply won't care. The extra thick cut only enhances the experience. Rating: 8.2
Marks & Spencer Four Cheese & Onion: Wave after wave of creamy cheese, all indulgent and smooth, sweeps through the mouth before a sly helping of onion cuts in without disrupting the scene. The well engineered furrows, meanwhile, deliver a mighty crunch. Rating: 8.1
At some point, but there are so many crisps to get through. It's tough work.
Will have to give them a go, there's not enough lamb crisps out there.
The best type of boy is a beefy boy. Or is it a bad boy? Perhaps a beefy, bad boy for the true connoisseur.
Slabs Beef Roast with English Mustard: Three times thicker than your average crisp, they crunch like no other. Then there's the beef: Smoky, rich, and grass-fed decadence. A peppery mustard kick clinches it. The nearest you'll get to Brannigans. Rating: 9.0
Marks & Spencer Salt & Double Vinegar: Twice the vinegar, twice the thrill? Not quite. The clash of tangs lunges from zesty jab to gentle tickle, a bit unhinged. But the crunch is a symphony and the potatoes delightfully creamy. Rating: 7.3
I found these in a farm shop, so they're not easy to pick up. You can buy big boxfuls of them online.
Taste of Game Smoked Pheasant & Wild Mushroom: An intoxicating symphony of flavour - the tangy, gamey pheasant chasing after earthy mushrooms with the complexity of smoked salt in the background. And the potatoes? Delicious. Rating: 9.1
Aldi Ridged Thai Sweet Chicken: A triumph of imitation, these crisps gleefully flaunt their sweet, fruity charm and take your tastebuds on a passport-free adventure. You'll resent the packet for ending. Rating: 8.4
There's only one place near me that sells them. And that's nearly 20 miles away.
Brown Bag Aberdeen Angus Beef & Onion: This is British beef in all its glory: sweet, succulent and indecently delicious. Tucked into a fragrant, herby embrace with a crunch that sings, these crisps are a bagful of brilliance. Rating: 8.6
Aldi Ridged Bacon Sizzler: Plagiarism's lazy, but when it tastes this good, who's complaining? Rich plumes of sweet and smoky pork indulgence curl around the mouth while the addictive crunch keeps you munching. Rating: 7.8
