Snackmas Day 17- M&S Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Rolls

I couldn't get enough of the Maple Bacon Tortilla Rolls that graced us last Snackmas - They were ridiculously moreish and I thought, quite an "original" idea to put out there despite still not being all too sure exactly what Maple has to do with Christmas..  

M&S being M&S however aren't just happy with one repeat flavour and this year have chosen to embrace their spicy side with these NEW Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Rolls. I snapped up the physically dinkier, although still 190g bag, for £1.50 and took reassurance in the fact that they are gluten free as well as suitable for veggies and vegans. 

Tearing into the bag, a smell that can only be described as that of "seaside doughnuts" came from the Rolls which naturally, made my hopes soar to great heights. Almost greasy and buttery in taste, the Tortilla's still had the signature corn chip flavour combined with a semi sweetness that really was like the aforementioned.. Minus the overload of sugar, of course! The comforting warmth of cinnamon was consistent throughout and came through subtly along with providing a delicious aftertaste which made them all too easy to munch away at. Texture wise, they were equally as flawless in being satisfyingly crisp and satisfyingly crunchy - Yum!

Ah M&S have only gone and done it again.. These Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Rolls are bloomin' brilliant! They pack just the right balance of sweet and spice, combined with the pure delight of some sort of doughy fritter - I think I can safely say, no one is going to turn their nose up at that! Get a bag,  why dontcha - It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me!

Review- M&S NEW Spirit of Summer: Dirty Fries

I really like chips. Like, really really, which is somewhat ironic given that I went off potatoes entirely for about 2 years, a while back. Thankfully those days are long gone and as soon as I saw these Spirit of Summer Dirty Fries, I knew they would be mine! 

Perhaps somewhat foolishly ignoring that "mild" heat warning, I purchased the 500g side dish for £3, choosing once again to opt out of the Pizza meal deal. Freezer fanatics rejoice but bad news for Veggies.. Good old porky bacon is included so best steer clear if that's the life you've chosen!  

Battered spiced chips with cheese and bacon sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, jalapeño peppers and parsley. 

Why are the fries a shade of mahogany? Why do they bear no resemblance to the picture on the packaging? All good questions I feel. 

I popped the foil tray into a preheated 180ºC Fan oven for about 25 minutes until piping hot with the cheese bubbling away.. Sure enough, the hue hadn't changed apart from falling further into the mahogany abyss.

Anyone who doesn't want to face plant their tech screen, may as well leave now.. What a glorious gooey sight to behold! Bizarrely smelling uncanny to Pizza Hut, pizza, the fries were loaded with a stringy, full of creamy flavour, melted cheese puddle with enough being present to cover the lot as well as to dunk into. A crisp, almost fried batter like coating covered the soft and fluffy fries which I found to almost have a sweet taste and were certainly not like any I had, had before.. I could even see past the mild lingering spice! Nibs of jalapeño however were one thing I did struggle with as much to my dismay, they were everywhere! - Although understandably great for those who like a kick but for me, I found it all to much and my mouth and throat were near death! As for the bacon sauce, it was hardly noticeable with everything else going on.. Perhaps it did contribute to the overall smokey, chilli, garlic, herby flavour but I would have thought it would have been more distinguishable regardless of the strength of heat. 

Blimey, these Dirty Fries are certainly a taste sensation! There is so much going on, from full on cheesy goodness to spiced, sweet/savoury chips to a real kick* of heat, all whilst managing to smell like a popular chain restaurant and appearing not as they seem - They are bizarre, they are indulgent and they are very much enjoyable! If you've been umming and ahhing, get them - You won't regret it and there's even enough to feed M&S's "serves 2" claim! It's a 4 out of 5 from me (And MSW!). 

*Please do bear in mind that I find everything spicy. I can't handle black pepper let alone chilli, jalapeños.. Or anything else remotely seasoned. It's essentially a Russian roulette every time I eat as to what extent my face will be on fire. I like boring and I like bland. 

Reivew- M&S NEW Spirit of Summer: Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Corn Chips

Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Corn Chips - It's a snacky option for Spirit of Summer review number 4! 

Kentucky bourbon whiskey and barbecue flavoured corn chips with black pepper and coriander. 

I can't say I was overly impressed with the selection of "exotic" crisps in M&S when I picked up this 150g bag for £1.50.. I am not sure what I did expect really - What does constitute an exotic crisp? Something salsa-y? No doubt spicy too, much to my dismay! These Corn Chips seemed to be the best of a bad bunch and a good all round option as they're gluten free, Veggie and Vegan suitable! 

Being so conditioned to Doritos, the rectangle shape of the potent BBQ smelling Chips threw me at first - I did like their neat appearance however! Having a munch, they proved to be very crunchy as expected with the signature almost sweet, corn flavour. I found the BBQ aspect to fairly mild in comparison to the scent with the main taste being herbs, general smokey-ness and chilli which naturally, I found to blow my head off. The coriander lingered afterwards along with quite a bit of salt making them moreish with a kick of heat at the back of the throat. As for the bourbon whiskey aspect, I could taste none and am dubious to how much was actually put in to begin with given it's one of the last ingredients to be listed on the packet! 

Overall, these Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Corn Chips aren't much to my liking due to the "spice" but they went down a treat with my taste testers despite the different flavour elements being a little off - The bag hardly lasted the afternoon! Having said that however, I still can't help but feel M&S have missed a real opportunity here.. They even could have done a "dessert" crisp, the way they're chucking dulce de leche and coconut around - Now that would have been totally unique! It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me.

Review- Kettle Chips NEW Chef's Signature Burrata Mozzarella & Sweet Chilli Jam

So it seems that Kettle Chips Chef's Signature range is expanding - No, it still isn't the "boring" Salt & Vinegar flavour that was unduly lacking in September with the Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cox Apple Chutney.. But instead, Burrata Mozzarella & Sweet Chilli Jam! 

Hand cooked potato chips with Burrata Mozzarella and Sweet Chilli Jam seasoning. 

I picked up the 150g resealable although not recyclable, bag in Sainsbury's where they are currently on offer for £1. The real question is.. What's a Burrata? I hadn't the foggiest so off to the Interweb I went and learnt that it's a fresh Italian cheese made from Mozzarella and cream with a soft and squidgy centre - Every day's a school day! Also for anyone who may not know, Stokes, the company in partnership and providing the Chilli Jam in this case, are from my home away from home - Suffolk! They make a whole host of yummy sauces, chutneys, jams and much, much more and are definitely worth looking into if you fancy something a bit different. 

I had to heavily crank up the brightness of todays picture.. No word of a lie, it was like looking through a Smurf. Thankfully, the off-red seasoning was still plain to see with each crisp being generously coated. The Crisps smelt amazing - Slightly greasy, very potato-ey with a smokey sort of scent. Crunching my way through, the texture was also spot in being thin and fresh with a flavour to match. I wasn't sure just how spicy they were going to be but boy, did they pack a punch! - Even MSW who loves a bit of heat ended up spluttering over one! A sweetness lingered after the initial Chilli and although no Mozzarella (Or cheese in general) taste was distinguishable, perhaps it did assist in mellowing the aforementioned. Tasty and more-ish! 

Overall, these Burrata Mozzarella & Sweet Chilli Jam Crisps from Kettle Chips are a cracking addition to Chef's Signature! - The quality is undoubtably reflected in the decent flavour and more importantly, consistency throughout the bag. It would have been nice to have had more of a cheese flavour to balance out some of the spice for amateurs like me but they went down a treat with my taste testers so no real complaints here! It's a 4 out of 5 from me.. Us? MSW and BSW.  

Review- Cooke's Chip Strips: Sea Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion

As usual, way to many snacks were purchased at Christmas.. There are still copious bags of crisps in the cupboard and I have no doubt that they will see us through until this years festivities! Today's review is one that I had forgotten about entirely in all the hustle and bustle - Cooke's Chip Strips!

I purchased both the 90g packets of Sea Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion Savoury Potato Snacks in the middle (Ish) of December when I am sure they were on some sort of introductory offer.. But looking on Tesco's website today, they are currently £1 each. 

I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of packaging. Turns out, the wafer thin chips were stacked one on top of another, in plastic containers with a pop 'lid' - Fab for keeping them fresh! 

T-B Sea Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion 

Both flavours looked similar in appearance with the addition of a few specks in the Cheese & Onion and both smelt fairly potent. When it came to texture, these weren't half strange - The long rectangles felt very crisp but as they were so thin, they were sort of bendy when moved in the air which I found most bizarre and not something I had ever seen in a crisp before! Light and crunchy when munched, they were most satisfying to eat and very moreish.. Well, they would have been apart from one major problem - They had next to nothing in the way of their flavour and certainly didn't reflect how they smelt! Both were extremely mild and pretty non-descript with a taste that was essentially a Poppadom! Rubbish. 

Overall, I am quite disappointed by these Chip Strips. They had a wonderful smell and a good bite to them but with a flavour that just couldn't match, they are sort of redundant.. I like Poppadoms immensely but if I had wanted Poppadoms, I would have bought Poppadoms! It's a 2 out of 5 for the pair. 

Snackmas Day 4- M&S Maple Bacon Tortilla Rolls

Unless you intend on being Lonely This Christmas, chances are you will need nibbles for your guests to munch on whilst you're faffing about in the kitchen. I avoid the nuts due to the obvious potential, Christmas calamity but crisps are always very welcome!

I found these NEW Maple Bacon Tortilla Rolls in the festive aisle of M&S and thought they would be perfect for a get together. I am not entirely sure when Maple started having anything to do with Christmas but I do like the flavour combination on my pancakes so figured why not and picked up the 190g bag for £2.

"FRAZZLES!" was my first thought upon opening the bag - The smell was almost identical to the bacon flavoured snacks from my childhood! I was a little concerned they were going to taste the same given the fact, I was never a fan but thankfully, these were blooming tasty! The texture of the Tortilla Roll itself was super crunchy with the signature, corn chip flavour which surprisingly wasn't overpowered by the bacon element as it was noticeable but not overly strong. The flavour was mainly just smokey with sweeter understones which although I wouldn't have known was meant to be maple, was very pleasant. A slight saltiness made the Rolls very moreish but wasn't enough to result in a sore mouth. Yum! 

Overall, these Maple Bacon Tortilla Chips are miraculously, another winner of a snack from M&S. They are seriously delicious and I imagine would go down a treat at your Christmas shindig.. It's always nice to have something a bit different to offer! It's a 4 out of 5 from me.

Review- McCain NEW Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

What do Salted Caramel, Pulled Pork and Sweet Potato Fries all have in common? No joke - They've all become the "it" thing in the last few years! There are the shunners but I, like the majority, have bought into all 3.. And have complained about all 3! Today, hopefully, there will be none of that with these McCain NEW Crispy Sweet Potato Fries which NibsnScribs pointed me in the direction of! 

I bought the 500g bag in Asda for £2. I was a little alarmed upon reading the back of the packet.. These little darlings contain not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 E numbers! Reasons why are unbeknown to me but I am pretty sure it isn't really necessary. Choosing to ignore the potential of a future hyper state, I cooked the fries at 210ºC fan, for the recommended 20 minutes. 

My oven is fantastic. It burns almost everything that isn't cake related - I think its trying to tell me what my diet should solely consist of.. And I''m ok with that. It is due to this misfortune it would appear that I only had a measly portion but this was not the case, have no fear - I just picked out the fries that were the most picture worthy! On to the munching, I was surprised at the size of some of the orange chips - One was massive and virtually took over the plate! Taste wise, as expected they were delicious - Full of Sweet Potato flavour from the soft, fluffy inside with a crunchy outer that was slightly greasy which only made them more enjoyable! I couldn't really taste the turmeric listed in the ingredients but didn't feel anything was missing anyways. Most delightful! 

Overall, McCain have done a mighty fine job here - Yes, they are only chips but they are chips done well! I will most definitely be buying them again and maybe even check out some of their other NEW Potato products - There are Spicy Peri Peri fries for anyone who likes a bit of heat! I do still wonder about the use of additives but whats an E number (or 4) between friends? They can't possibly do any harm, right? Its a 4 out 5 from me!