It's almost Christmas, a time to eat all the festive-flavoured snacks on offer.
Luckily, supermarkets have more Christmas-themed items than ever before - you only need to peruse the aisles of your local store to find an array of winter treats.
But have you ever tried festive flavoured crisps? Daily Record's Shopping Writer Rachel Williams decided to give pigs in blankets crisps from Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Lidl a go. Here's how she got on...
As a massive foodie, I have pretty much spent the whole month of December eating as much as I possibly can - it is Christmas after all. Well, that's my excuse.
I have tried out mince pies, I have indulged in my chocolate cravings with hot chocolate bombes and, on top of all that sweetness, I have been itching to try out something a little more savoury.
Enter pigs in blankets flavoured crisps, which are the festive novelty-themed snack that started appearing in the supermarkets during December for foodies to try out.
If I am honest, I am partial to a good bag of crisps and I absolutely adore pigs in blankets. Those salty and crispy sausages wrapped in bacon are non-negotiable when it comes to the Christmas dinner plate.
But, can a packet of crisps really recreate that meaty flavour that we have all come to know and love about the iconic festive side-dish?
Well, that's why I decided to pick up own-branded packets of crisps from Aldi, Asda, Tesco and Morrisons to find out and here is what I thought of each packet.
Aldi's Specially Selected Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps
First up, I decided to try out a packet of crisps from budget supermarket Aldi, as it rarely ever provides shoppers with a misfire, which almost looked to be the case here.
Personally, I felt that these crisps were more smokey bacon flavour than anything else, as I got that meaty flavour, but I couldn't taste any of the herby sausages.
I also felt that the strength of the flavour, overall, was a bit of a mixed bag. Some crisps seemed to have a lot of the seasoning on them, while others were completely bland and devoid of flavour.
As for the crisp itself, there was a nice crunch, but a few of them did feel a little bit soggy, as they were slightly thin crisps.
Overall, I feel like Aldi have a decent smokey bacon flavour packet of crisps that is masquerading as pigs in blankets during the festive period, which feels a bit disappointing.
Rating: 3/5
Asda's Extra Special Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps
Next up for the ultimate Christmas taste test was Asda's own packet of crisps, which I was hoping would have that bit more flavour than Aldi's lacklustre packet.
First things first, as soon as I opened the packet, I did notice that the aroma wasn't that strong and I wasn't hit with an immediate smell of sizzling pigs in blankets.
That being said, my fears were pretty much put to rest once I started digging into the packet, as I felt that its full-bodied taste more than made up for it.
For me, I managed to get the taste of herby sausages and Smokey bacon all in one, more than making up for Aldi's version. Also, extra points for the slightly spicy aftertaste, that you can sometimes get with pigs in blankets.
I also found that these crisps were much more crunchier than the previous packet and they had that bit more of a bite to them, which is exactly what I needed.
A full-bodied flavour and crunchy crisp has elevated this packet of crisps to, so far, being the ultimate standout of Christmas crisps.
Morrisons The Best Hand Cooked Pigs in Blankets Flavoured Crisps
Next up on the list was Morrisons The Best Hand Cooked Pigs in Blankets Flavour Crisps, which definitely had a lot of flavour, I am just not sure if that flavour was what I was looking for.
First up, let's talk about the crisp itself, shall we? These were the only thick, ridge-cut crisps on the menu, which easily made them a winner on the texture front. They were crunchy and decent-sized, leading to a good mouthful.
That being said, I am split on the flavour, which I had to do a double take on. Similar to Aldi's, I did find that Morrisons lacked that herby sausage flavour, but there was definitely a good meaty pork flavour that was quite powerful.
However, I did notice that I did get a slightly tangy and sweet aftertaste that lingered in the mouth for a while. It wasn't unpleasant, just weird and not expected.
Rating: 4/5
Lidl Deluxe Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps
Last, but certainly not least, was Lidl with its Deluxe branded Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps which, quite frankly, left a lot to the imagination I am afraid.
Usually I am a huge fan of Lidl, but I find it hard to justify this packet of crisps that had very little flavour, if any at all. Not to mention that the crisps were a lot smaller than any of the others.
Personally, I didn't really get any smokey bacon or meaty flavour from these crisps, which tasted almost like a bland packet of salted crisps. This may have been a bad batch and I am willing to be proven wrong in the future, but this time round was a bit of a disappointment.
If it wasn't for the slight aftertaste of pork, then I would never have believed that I had just tried pigs in blankets flavoured crisps at all.
Similar to Aldi's, I did feel like Lidl's crisps were slightly thinner, though this packet were slightly crispier, making up for the fact that they really were quite small.
Rating: 1/5
Overall verdict
Out of the four packets of crisps tried, I feel like only one of them really embodied the herby and meaty taste of pigs in blankets - Asda.
The supermarket chain's Extra Special Pigs in Blankets flavoured crisps really went that extra mile a full-bodied flavour, crunchy texture and spicy aftertaste. While they are the second most expensive on the list at £1.25 for a 150g bag, it's still not that expensive and I can easily recommend them for your Christmas snack table this year.
Morrisons were a close second with its meaty flavour and thicker crisp, but I am still split on the interestingly sweet aftertaste.
Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl sadly left a lot more to the imagination, with the latter supermarket's packet of crisps having almost no flavour that could be detected.
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