‘best Eaten With A Hangover’: The Best (and Worst) Supermarket Christmas Crisps, Tasted And Rated

Christmas is simply a clip to ore connected what really matters – snacks – and successful my house, it’s crisps that get apical billing. They are a statement successful a bag, perfect paired pinch a solid of thing sparkling aliases a cocktail, and awesome swiped done a dip aliases topped pinch thing bougie, specified arsenic caviar.

As a self-confessed crisp addict, and arsenic personification who would sometimes swerve a gourmet meal for nan institution of a vessel filled pinch fried murphy pleasure, I jumped astatine nan chance to taste-test festive flavours for nan Filter, examining an ever-growing marketplace successful which crisp tycoons effort to outdo each different pinch nostalgic flavours.

While I for illustration cleanable murphy flavour dusted pinch conscionable a sprinkle of brackish and sometimes a deed of vinegar, I americium not a purist. I americium unfastened to nan lively and new-fangled too, but I must admit immoderate of nan combinations that came successful sounded unhinged and were much novelty than novel. I tasted them truthful you don’t person to. You’re welcome.

The champion supermarket Christmas crisps

Best overall:
Waitrose turkey and stuffing tortilla chips

★★★★☆

These tortilla chips are toasty and meaty without being heavy. They are nostalgic of nan lukewarm sheet of a family roast meal drizzled pinch a profoundly savoury gravy.

Best bargain:
Morrisons nan Best pigs successful broad crisps

★★★★☆

These are rather clever: they someway seizure nan irresistible flavour of singed, crisp bacon and nan other acheronian bits of sausage skin. They are thick, profoundly ridged and addictive – champion eaten pinch a Christmas hangover.

And nan remainder …

Co-op Irresistible hand-cooked duck and clementine crisps

★★★☆☆

I wouldn’t opportunity I deliberation duck erstwhile I eat these, but location is simply a inheritance citrus statement that’s amazingly pleasant. They are bladed and crisp, and because they aren’t excessively salty, I recovered myself reaching for a fewer more.

Sensations honey-glazed roast ham

★★★☆☆

These sensation saccharine and steaming and are resoundingly crunchy, but they are a small oily and nan flavour is simply a tad cloying. The benignant of crisp that would activity piled up successful a Boxing Day leftover sandwich. I astir apt wouldn’t spell retired of my measurement to bargain them.

M&S butter-basted roast turkey crisps

★★★☆☆

Good crunch, a bully herbal flavour reminiscent of a sage and bulb stuffing, but heavy salted. Expect to massacre a bucket of h2o aft these.

Aldi camembert, chilli and chromatic crinkle crisps

★☆☆☆☆

The eventual crisp trial is whether they are moreish and person you rustling successful nan depths of nan packet for more. These did not. They commencement disconnected tasting of sour pick and chive and extremity connected an over-sweet statement (not a whiff of camembert here). They get 1 prima arsenic I americium a instrumentality of ridged crisps and they were rather crunchy.

Lidl lobster cocktail crisps

★☆☆☆☆

Nothing luxe astir these – I was hoping they mightiness astatine champion sensation for illustration a bully prawn cocktail flavour, but really they sensation for illustration sucking connected a packet of herb ketchup: sour and unpleasant.

Tesco Finest roast turkey and herb food flavour crisps

★☆☆☆☆

The declare connected nan beforehand of this packet is that these limited-edition crisps are “made pinch British turkey”, but nan only poultry nan packet has seen is nan turkey powder listed 2nd from past connected nan ingredients. The overwhelming flavour is of bulb powder, and location is small of merit.

Doritos gingerbread flavour maize chips

☆☆☆☆☆

At first sniff, these smell for illustration a packet of ginger biscuits, and astatine first taste, they are nan only crisp I person ever wanted to spit out. Sweet and pinch a beardown flavour of fiery ginger, they’re ginger nuts dressed arsenic tortilla chips. I could springiness them a prima for tasting for illustration gingerbread, but I dislike them truthful overmuch that I can’t bring myself to.

Ravinder Bhogal is chef/owner of Jikoni, London, and writer of 3 cookery books, including Comfort and Joy

For more, publication nan best Christmas ham joints and nan best smoked salmon

Illustration: Sandra Navarro/Guardian Design

Christmas shopping tin beryllium reliable – truthful we spent months uncovering nan cleanable presents for everyone connected your list. We selected nan champion products from our testing; enlisted babies, kids and teenagers to find retired what they really wanted; and sniffed, tasted and tested nan good, nan bad and nan disfigured to bring you 305 genuinely superb gifts.