HAVE yourself a merry little crispmas!
With just a month to go, the supermarkets have gone all-out with their festive offerings.
Aldi launched its range of yuletide crisps including Pigs In Blankets and Angus Beef Wellington earlier this month, while Lidl has added bags of Lobster Cocktail to its shelves.
But which store’s seasonal scoffs come up trumps?
Laura tasted eight flavours and gave each a rating out of five.
Perfect Christmas Balls Of Fire Crunchy Baubles, 300g, £1.99, Aldi
THIS bumper bag of corn and potato snacks is perfect for decanting into big bowls for family gatherings.
Flavour-wise they do deliver a bit of heat on your tongue.
There was a kick to them, which I really enjoyed, but if you don’t like capsicum these may not be for you.
While they are rather salty with a strange rosemary aftertaste, they are great value.
Rating: 3/5
Taste The Difference Duck & Spiced Plum Flavour Crisps, 150g, £1.50, Sainsbury’s
AN awful lot of ingredients including the dubious-sounding “roasted duck powder”.
Duck crisps might sound a little quackers, but this worked well.
There’s a strong waft of cinnamon when you open the bag, followed by a hint of fruity plum.
The taste is surprisingly harmonious.
Good thick slices, but they were rather greasy, so be prepared to wash your hands after eating.
Rating: 3/5
Pringles Santa’s Secret Flavour, 165g, £1.85, Home Bargains
PART of the fun of Pringles’ festive offering is that you don’t know the secret flavour.
For me, these tasted mainly of alliums like onion and garlic, and I could also detect whiffs of earthy truffle.
They are strong-tasting, so will not be the best choice for those who prefer their snacks to be subtle and sophisticated.
I didn’t love the flavour, but they are a good talking point and I enjoyed the jolly Santa- themed packaging.
Rating: 2/5
Butter Basted Roast Turkey Crisps with Sage and Thyme, 150g, £1.80, Marks and Spencer
WHILE not the cheapest, they were priced in line with other similar posher crisps.
They had a strong smell of thyme and sage, which should get your festive juices flowing.
The turkey flavour is pretty convincing and you do get a buttery note when you chomp them, too.
Great for sharing at parties and washed down with a G&T.
Rating: 4/5
Pigs In Blankets Flavour Combo Mix, 150g, £1.80, Tesco
RATHER pricey for Tesco and not particularly exciting.
Instead of traditional crisps, these are a mix of lattices, curls and puffs.
They had an overpowering taste of paprika rather than the Christmas dish of pigs in blankets.
I could not detect any bacon or sausage flavours.
As they do not deliver the flavour they claim on the packet, they are not Christmassy at all.
Rating: 2/5
Specially Selected Angus Beef Wellington Crinkle Cut Crisps, 150g, 99p, Aldi
AT under a pound for a big bag of thick-cut crisps, these are cracking value.
They have a superb crunch, a hearty beef flavour and a hint of mushroom, just like you would in the real dish.
These would be perfect alongside a glass of red wine.
And at this price you can stock up on a few bags.
Rating: 5/5
Exceptional Hand Cooked Pigs In Blankets Crisps, 150g, £1, Asda
ANOTHER great-value option with a luxury-style packet.
The pigs in blankets flavour is not bad at all.
While it doesn’t perfectly recreate the taste of the side dish, these had a tasty, smoky flavour.
While some of the crisps in my bag were very greasy, they would still work well tipped into a bowl for gatherings at Christmas.
Rating: 4/5
Deluxe Lobster Cocktail Crisps, 150g, £1.15, Lidl
WITH a blingy packet, these hand-cooked crisps are perfect for parties.
They are coated with “lobster extract powder” among other ingredients so you get a waft of seafood when you open them.
The flavour is not too dissimilar to prawn cocktail crisps, but with an added kick from paprika.
Strong tasting, so they might not be for everyone, and a tad oily, but they do offer something a bit different.
Rating: 3/5
