OK. I’m a sucker for a gimmick. Tonight while picking up some emergency packed lunch provisions for Imogen I spotted the display of Walkers Festive crisps. One multipack was Christmas Dinner for Sprout Lovers and the other was for Sprout Haters. I realise that they are mainly selling this on the packaging and in reality, they’ll all taste like bacon, beef or chicken crisps. All of which get left behind when we buy a multi-pack/box. However, I decided to take one for the team and test the flavours and let you know what they actually taste like.
Christmas Dinner for Sprout Haters Pack
I am a sprout hater and only really eat them at Christmas to show a good example to the kids. Plus you need to have the ability to compete in the after dinner wind sound off!
Turkey and Stuffing
The brown body of the packet suggests chicken flavouring to me and I’m sure it will taste like this. Before eating the first crisp I’ve had a sniff in the back and it smells like… biscuits! A little strange, but that’s what I’m getting out.
After 3 crisps I’m not really getting any stuffing flavours, mainly salty Chicken. No real surprise there then.
Glazed Ham
A dirty pink coloured bag suggests bacon flavour crisps. Which again I’m not a huge fan of as they are usually very salty flavoured. The sniff test oozes bacon scent.
After 3 crisps, I’ve gone from bacon, bacon, to actually its a milder taste with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I’m actually surprised here that this does taste different to the classic flavours.
Cheese & Cranberry
If you’ve read my festive sandwich post, you’ll know I’m a little obsessive over the cranberry sauce. So I have high hopes for this, but not sure how you can pull off such a sweet taste with a crisp.
The nose test brings out a light footy odour! I’ll not let that put me off though.
After 3 handfuls of crisps, there is a fruity sense there. Not really strong, but a very light fruity almost wine-like taste hovering around a very light cheese flavour. Certainly not as strong as a cheese and onion packet.
Christmas Dinner for Sprout Haters Pack
The Sprout lovers pack also contains the Turkey and Stuffing flavour, so I’ll not try that one again.
Pigs in Blankets
With a deep pink bag, I will be amazed if this one is not bacon flavoured crisps. It is 2 layers of pork-based items as it’s concept. Will it be subtle or a salty bacon punch.
This one doesn’t have much of a fragrance which I wasn’t expecting.
the 3 crisp taste test, says… they’re not just bacon flavouring. It is milder than bacon. There is a slight barbecue smokiness to the taste. Maybe even a slight sweetness to a possible chipolata sausage!!
Brussels Sprout
The last one and the main reason I started this is the deep green Brussel Sprout crisp bag. Green usually means Salt and Vinager. However, it also represents The Sprout. To me, the actual vegetable tastes like ear wax and I’m half thinking this is like a bushtucker trial, but I’ll keep going.
In big letter son the packet, it states “Image of sprouts for illustrative purposes only. Product contains no Brussels Sprout; flavouring only”. This may be down to people thinking it was full of finely sliced and fried mini cabbages. But it will be normal crisps with a flavouring coating.
The nose test gives out a crispy seaweed scent. Like you get at a Chinese banquet.
After 3 crisps I can confirm they taste sprouty. There is an earthy taste, but also a vegetable stirfry flavour there. With a heavy leafy green body. The first one was a challenge, second and third easier.
Overall I enjoyed 4 out of the 5 flavours. The Sprout flavour did exactly what it said it would. Turkey and stuffing was a letdown, but I think its hard to capture the flavour of two mild tasting items. Chees and Cranberry was possibly my favourite, followed by Pigs in Blankets. A definitely good product to get involved with the Christmas food wars.
Finally, to add in full clarity, I paid for these myself and this is not an associated sponsored post. They cost £1 per multi pack, which I feel they’re worth pushing the boat out for. However, they’;re not going to replace my favourite Prawn Cocktail crisps any day soon.
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