Saturday, 26 April 2025

M&S Boxing Day Turkey Curry Crisps


You will have to forgive me for not posting this packet of Christmas time poatato crisps before. If you have read by previous post you will have guessed something went terribly wrong with my Christmas plans last year. The Chef and I picked up these crisps in Marks & Spencer a couple of weeks before Christmas when we went to stock  up on our favourite pasta (it’s only available in M&S), but never got to try them.

Anyway, here we are in April and I thought I’d better taste test this turkey curry flavour.

I have to admit that the last time I had turkey for Christmas dinner was probably when I was 5 or 6. My mother was ill in bed, I think she had flu or something, and my father cooked the turkey. I don’t actually remember this at all, but I expect you can imagine that it was a story my mother told often in the run up to Christmas. She didn’t like turkey (neither do I really), so she usually cooked chicken or pheasant, both of which are a lot less gigantic than turkeys. With lots less leftover to turn into a curry. Not that my mother ever cooked a curry but you get the picture.

We weren’t even allowed to have pheasant after my pampered brother whined that he didn’t like it. I notice he ate it happily enough when his wife cooked it.

So what did I think? Well… erm, I am not sure that I could taste any turkey flavour until several minutes after I stopped snacking. Suddenly there was a familiar taste of cardboard (I have eaten turkey often enough at work Christmas lunches). And there was a delicate taste of curry. 

But what did these crisps actually taste of? Citrus. Mostly citrus. A bit odd. 

For anyone confused by Boxing Day in the name of these crisps: Boxing Day is 26 December, a bank holiday in England, when traditionally tradesmen (the dustmen, your gardener, the postman, in the days of open fires the coalman, maybe even your local shop owner) would call in expectation of a seasonal tip. In the road where I live there is always a collection for the dustmen (garbage collectors) and the postman. 

Boxing Day is also traditionally the day when people mad enough to buy a gigantic turkey for their Christmas dinner have to find something tasty to do with cold turkey meat. Turkey sandwiches, turkey rissoles, turkey soup, maybe even turkey curry.

For another take on Boxing Day Curry see here.

Thursday, 10 April 2025

Taylors Brie, Bubbly & Orange flavour potato crisps


I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry on writing about crispy snacks because the Chef, always an enthusiastic taste tester, is no longer with us.

But this packet of crisps was a Christmas present so I thought I ought to post about it anyway.

To be honest, I don’t remember ever having heard of Taylors (no apostrophe) who seem to be based in Perthshire and Dublin, but this packet of their crisps was bought in Colchester. Interesting. Anyway, pretty much the whole family has tried these “thick cut” crisps: Ski Instructor, Farmer’s Daughter, Family Vegetarian, Graffiti Artist, even Cliffs of Moher … and we all thought they are a bit too weird.

Now you all know I don’t like being mean about crispy snacks. But honestly, this is not a good crisp. Sorry, but it’s not. For a start it isn’t thick cut. And then it doesn’t taste of Brie, it doesn’t taste of Bubbly (presumably Champagne was not involved in the manufacturing process), and it doesn’t really even taste of orange. Anyway, who wants a potato crisp that tastes of oranges?

Really sorry Taylor family: none of us enjoyed this crisp. The flavour was just wrong.

The Chef: 1951 - 2024
Very much missed by all who knew him