Tayto Cheese & Onion (Northern Ireland)

The people's choice says the packet. And it well may be.

I had heard about Tayto crisps. They seem to be some sort of Irish legend. Like Finn MacCool perhaps (no; not really). Anyway when I spotted this multi-pack in Tesco's world food section (where else?), obviously I had to buy it.

What a weird selection though. Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar and..... Prawn Cocktail. What? No plain Salted?

And I have to say (sorry Tayto) I really do not admire the branding of this product. The colours are a bit too brash and (sorry again) I hate the cartoon potato. I hate the fact that a potato, that's Mr Tayto to you, is drawn to look like Frank Sinatra or Marlon Brando in Guys & Dolls. I mean, look at him: he's about to burst into song.

However, I have to stop picking holes in the design because in fact these crisps are every bit as good as rumour had it.

Rather small, in fact surprisingly small crisps, and a little pale in colour. But the crunch is wonderfully light, and the taste is superb. Brilliant.

The multi-pack bag was too long to fit in my scanner so you have to imagine another 40mm or 50mm of turquoise on either end.

And here's the 2016 60th anniversary packet which Noble Friend found at Fortnum & Mason.

Jimmy's Sweet Chili Cheese Popcorn with Tabasco Brand Seasoning

Last week I went with the reluctant taste testers to Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason and one or two other places in the Green Park area. And in the basement grocery department of Fortnums I discovered this popcorn which turned out to be Dutch.

You've got to buy a souvenir of a good day out haven't you? The tall taste tester bought a Buckingham Palace magnet for the fridge at work, and I bought a packet of popcorn. That's how life works.

So this lovely green packet of popcorn has some fluffy popped kernels that are more orangey (I think those are the chili cheesy bits) and some that are paler in colour and seem to taste sweeter. Although some are more mixed up. Helpful.

When the reluctant taste testers and I first tucked in we thought the taste was a bit pale, not really strong enough to warrant the great big Tabasco logo on the packaging. But the more you eat the tastier they get. And before you know it, a whole bowlful has been eaten.

So we found we enjoyed this popcorn more than we thought we were going to. Pretty good.

But we were a bit puzzled. This is a popcorn made in the Netherlands by a company called Jimmy's (not terribly Dutch sending somehow), using the Tabasco brand seasoning which is made on Avery Island, Louisiana (and has been since 1868). And I bought the packet in that most quintessentially English shop, Fortnum & Mason (opened in 1707). Wow. Well, you know the crispy snack market is international. This is just a very good example of that. And there's a lot of history involved here.

And you might like some fabulous gates which illustrate our day out.