MERRY CRISP-MAS
I tried supermarkets’ limited-edition festive crisps – the own-brand winner surprised me
We reveal the best festive crisps this year
WE all want to save money this Christmas - but can you get a festive snack for a bargain price?
We’ve tested some Christmassy-flavoured treats to find out which supermarket own-brand goods are the best quality for the price.
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This time, it’s the Christmas crisps on offer at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl.
We taste-tested packs of turkey flavour and pigs in blankets flavour crisps from all the major supermarkets, giving each one a score out of ten.
And we also gave a score out of ten for value, based on the price per 100g.
Here’s how all the crisps scored out of 20 overall:
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Tesco Finest Crinkle Cut Pigs in Blankets Flavour crisps & Tesco Finest Roast Turkey & Sage Butter Flavour crisps
£1.35 for 150g
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Tesco’s pigs in blankets crisps were thick and crinkle-cut with a strong smoky bacon taste.
They were very similar to Frazzles bacon crisps in flavour but there was no hint of sausage. If you like bacon-flavoured crisps though, these are a winner.
The supermarket’s turkey and sage butter crisps had a creamy taste, with a hint of sage, but we struggled to taste any turkey. They were pleasant enough – but wouldn’t make turkey fans happy.
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At 90p per 100g, these were mid-range on price.
- Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 8/10, Turkey – 6/10
- Value: 7/10
- Total: Pigs in Blankets - 15/20, Turkey – 13/20
Asda Extra Special Pigs in Blankets Hand-Cooked Crisps
- £1.35 for 150g
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Asda was only releasing Pigs in Blankets-flavoured crisps at the time of testing.
They had an unusual sweet taste which reminded us of tomato ketchup or a sugary prawn cocktail flavour, with a slight aftertaste of burnt sausage.
Like Tesco, Asda’s crisps also cost 90p per 100g - not too pricey.
- Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 6/10
- Value: 7/10
- Total: Pigs in Blankets - 13/20
- Value: 6/10
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Turkey Gravy Flavour Ridge-Cut Crisps & Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Pigs in Blankets Flavour Hand-Cooked Crisps
£1.50 for 150g
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We were disappointed with Sainsbury’s Christmas crisps, which didn’t live up to their £1 per 100g price tag.
The pigs in blankets version had an acrid taste of burnt sausage, while the turkey version was crunchy but tasted mainly of very oily potato. There was no Christmas joy about either flavour.
- Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 4/10, Turkey – 5/10
- Value: 6/10
- Total: Pigs in Blankets – 10/20, Turkey – 11/20
Aldi Specially Selected Pigs in Blankets Flavour Hand-cooked Crisps - WINNER - & Aldi Specially Selected Turkey & Stuffing Hand-cooked Crisps
£1.15 for 150g
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Aldi’s crisps were the cheapest we tried, at just 77p per 100g, but they were some of the tastiest.
In fact, we felt like the turkey version had too much flavour – it had an intense onion and sage taste which was overwhelming, yet also lacking in turkey.
But the pigs in blankets crisps were thick and crunchy with a delicious smoky bacon flavour. Although we couldn’t taste any sausage, these crisps were extremely moreish – and a bargain.
Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 8/10, Turkey – 4/10
Value: 9/10
Total: Pigs in Blankets - 17/20, Turkey – 13/20
Lidl Deluxe Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Potato Crisps & Lidl Deluxe Roast Turkey with Sage and Onion Stuffing Hand Cooked Potato Crisps
£1.25 for 150g
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Lidl’s Christmas crisps were a strange experience because the pigs in blankets flavour actually tasted more like a roast dinner than the turkey ones.
They had a pleasant taste of roast chicken and sage - but lost points because this taste was nothing like pigs in blankets.
By contrast, the turkey version was fairly tasteless, except for an earthy sage flavour which reminded us of soil. These crisps were also very hard, making them difficult to crunch.
But at 83p per 100g, they were the second cheapest.
- Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 6/10, Turkey – 4/10
- Value: 8/10
- Total: Pigs in Blankets - 14/20, Turkey – 12/20
Morrisons The Best Hand-Cooked Pigs in Blankets Flavour Crisps & Morrisons The Best Hand-Cooked Turkey & Stuffing Flavour Crisps - WINNER
£1.35 for 125g
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It was a mixed bag for Morrisons crisps this year. The pigs in blankets crisps were thick and crunchy but tasted oily and had very little other flavour.
But the turkey crisps had a delicious roast dinner taste – making them a perfect Christmas crisp and a winner for me.
Both cost £1.08 per 100g, meaning they were the most expensive of all the supermarket crisps.
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We’d be happy to pay that for the lovely turkey ones, but are passing on the pigs in blankets flavour.
- Taste: Pigs in Blankets - 5/10, Turkey – 8/10
- Value: 6/10
- Total: Pigs in Blankets - 11/20, Turkey – 14/20
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
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