Ah! It's taken a long time to find the classy Pastinos again- and they were found in Waitrose of course.



Pasta-like crisps for a gourmet crunchy snack. They're like a cross between wheat crunchies (but not as thick) and sun bites. Light but with good crunch. The sweet tomato flavouring with a tangy chilli overtone is simply Devine.


9/10

New in from Doritos - their Heat Burst range!

So the idea of these are that you start off tasting one flavour and end up tasting another. So here we go...

Ok well it's definitely Doritos own BBQ flavouring to start with that's without doubt.. and... there it is! The chilli is hitting.. actually hitting pretty hard. This is definitely one for chilli lovers.

I'd advise eating one and waiting 20 seconds for the heat to settle in before scoffing a mouthful like I just did!

Nice idea from Doritos, although it does have to be said that most chilli crisps don't have a heat hit until later on but props to them for making it work. I'm off to dip my tongue in some milk.

8/10

A more classic style of tortilla chip from Manomasa, with a fan shaped crisp. The flavour is warming, but not overly hot. They're really very smokey, in a good way. They'd make for a great guacamole dipping device. Along one side of the crisp you could almost think they've been slightly burnt, I think this is how they've got the crisps so smokey. 

Sometimes you can spot a full pumpkin seed in the crisp, like you've discovered an ancient fossil- fun for all the family!

8/10

Well now - I saw these pop up on social media and thought to myself 'there's goes another amazing looking novelty crisp that will only be eaten by American and never cross the water.

Well hot dang - THEY ARE HERE!!! Found casually in my local tescos.

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it, time to roll that roulette wheel.....


Ok first taste is in and it's a tangy cheese. That's fine, I've got this. It's got the usual tangy cheese goodness that I've grown to enjoy. 

Time to roll again.. wait a second - surely if I have a peak I'll be able to tell which ones are chilli? Nope.. THEY ALL THE DAMN SAME. 

I'm playing a dangerous game here and I don't like my odds.

Another few crisps in and i'm starting to feel cocky - I feel like i've tasted a little chilli - that's nothing I exclaim to the rest of the office, not a chilli hit at all!

Next crisp goes down the crisp hole.. and BOOM there goes my taste buds! It turns out the crisp I thought was the bullet was actually just rubbed against a proper chilli crisp. I'm feeling a rushing feeling to my head, i'm going really red and my face feels like it's pulsing. I reach for the nearest liquid.. hot tea  - ouch! cold water - does nothing.. orange juice - phewwwww! 

These crisps sure are fun, my office are in hysterics. We're now working our way through the pack - and I have to say I'm not having the best of luck - I've had 3 hits of chilli already!!

Bravo Doritos - what a great idea. We're sold! 

9/10

Next up in the Doritos, I mean Pringles Tortilla range is Chilli Heatwave, I mean Spicy Chilli.

If only they were the chilli heatwave we have come to love so dearly.

Not quite as sickly as the sour cream flavouring-wise, but there's something in the texture that doesn't sit right with me, slightly soggy crunch, maybe it's the thinness of the crisp versus's the thick layer of flavouring. 

Comes out tasting a little stale. 

The chilli flavouring is average and uninspiring. Slight bit of tomato in there which is a nice sweetness but otherwise..

4/10

A new flavour in the Max range! 

And a very welcome one at that. 
Flamin hot is not just your average monster munch flavouring, it packs the kind of kick that monster munch used to have when the flamin hots first came out.

I remember on the way home from school, me & my friend used to dare each other to put more and more monster munch in our mouths at the same time - I had the world(!) record for 10 in my gob at one time. 

The same could be done with these new walkers max. They have a solid chilli kick, but with the tomatoey sweetness that comes with monster munch.

Really glad to see this flavour back on the shelves.                    8/10

Well I didn't this combo coming! Flaming hot monster munch, flaming hot wotsits, chilli heatwave Doritos & Worcester sauce french fries... All in one. That's pretty mental.

Sure they're fun... But what it highlights for me is how much better flaming hot monster munch & chilli heatwave Doritos are than flaming hot wotsits!

Flaming hot wotsits are pretty sickly... And unfortunately even though I love french fries Worcester sauce - I just can't taste it with all that flaming hot in there...

Pretty exciting packet of crisps as they come... 

7/10

New from Phileas, like a mixture between prawn crackers and pop chips.. Would actually prefer if they were one or the other. Flavour is... Ok

It's like sweet chilli without the sweetness. So tiny little bit of chilli and a fair amount of black pepper.

Average

5/10

Well I have to say that Walkers bringing out a new range now has really shocked me, even if it is a subsidiary. To be run alongside the do us a flavour campaign seems strange!

I don't think I've seen any marketing related to this range, an interesting tack by the crisp market giants.

I'm actually quite impressed with these as it goes. The roasted chilli is deep without being too overpowering and the sun dried tomato is really tasty! The salt levels are pretty high as i'd expect from Walkers and the tortilla could be a little thicker but all in all - these are pretty tasty! They would be great dipped in sour cream. They off a chilli con carne without the carne type flavour.

8/10

New mini cheddars!

Always loved mini cheddars, although they should really be in a cracker/biscuit section - i'll let them slip through as they're a classic in the crisp section.

The new flavour is chilli beef and I like it!

I actually thought it would be a lot calmer than it is. Chilli gives a nice hit and the beef flavouring is spot on. 

Always liked cheddar cheese on my chilli con carne jacket potato. 

8/10