Jacobs Mini Cheddars Stilton

I found a multi pack of Mini Chedars in Sainsbury's. The packet says Choose your Cheese. All very fine but this was the only flavour they had on the shelf. So here we are. I see on the website that Mini Cheddars now come in three new flavours: Stilton, Red Leicester and Smoked Applewood. Goodness me! What sort of a cheese is Smoked Applewood?

I must find out where to buy the other two flavours because all the reluctant taste testers who got to try really liked this new flavour. It's a good bit more cheesy than your ordinary Cheddar or Mini Cheddar which taste of slightly cheesy saltiness. We admit Cheddars are nice. And we've all been eating them for years. But really: could do better. And guess what? Jacobs have done better.

Yum. I liked these a lot as did Tall Elegant taste tester, Slightly Red Haired Bristolian, Still a Student, and Temporary Physicist taste testers. Yes, I think we can report that we really liked these biscuitty snacks. I wasn't sure I would like them as I really don't like blue cheeses. But this taste is great.

Baked to golden perfection says the packet. I'm impressed. Delicious.

Tesco Finest Feature Flavour Stilton, Caramelised Red Onion & Thyme

A "feature flavour" crisp; creamy British Stilton with deliciously sweet and tangy red onion says the packaging.

Tesco produce an interesting selection of own brand crisps. Some of them, especially those for the Christmas market, can have very complicated flavours. These are crisps that often sound like a dish in a smart restaurant.

These crisps, just like other Tesco Finest, have a good crunch, nice texture with plenty of flavour dust in this case sprinkled lightly with paprika.

You get all sorts of information on the packet. These crisps contain no artificial flavours, colours or MSG. The potato variety is Lady Rosetta. The field they were grown in is Lodge One 4, which is somewhere in Devon. And the crisps themselves were produced on 20th September 2014 at 12:16. They are actually a little bit past their sell-by date but I've noticed that provided your store your crisps carefully and don't let them sit around for too long, it doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference.

I'm told by a friend whose parents live in Devon that Tesco crisps are made by Burts Potato Chips (based in Devon), but the internet tells me that Tayto Crisps (from Ireland) make them. So I don't know which is correct.

Anyway I did think it was about time the reluctant taste testers and I tried this packet of crisps. And it's a very pleasant flavour which most of us liked quite a lot.

I can't say that Stilton is really detectable. Which is a pity because there actually is Stilton on the list of ingredients. There's red onion and ordinary onion too, but they're not too pushy, and there is plenty of herbiness. I would quite like to know what beetroot powder and dried blueberries contribute to the flavour although I don't know why I bother to ask when some crisps seem to derive their flavour entirely from milk products.

As I said, this is quite a pleasant flavour but I wouldn't really mind if I never saw it again.

M&S Hand Cooked Port & Stilton

Port & Stilton flavour crisps?

I only picked these up because it was 2 bags (mix and match) for however much. So a slightly cheaper way to try two new flavours. But I don't like Stilton or any other blue cheese and I go out of my way to avoid Port. You see? Pickiness strikes again.

So anyway, I tried these with care. And in fact they are pretty good. I ate half a bag at my desk on Friday without even trying. Alex tried one and nodded approvingly (he doesn't say much). Great crunch, nice brown skin on the edge of each crisp, lots of tasty flavour dust, the crisps mostly holding their shape well until right at the bottom of the packet. Top quality. The potato variety is Lady Rosetta.

Pretty eau de nil colour for the packet: unusual. And a good design.

Looking at it all round the only thing I can fault is the fact that you can't recycle the packaging. Oh, and for some reason they aren't suitable for vegetarians. I can't quite see why not.

Except. Except for the flavour. These crisps don't taste of port or stilton. If you concentrate very very hard there's a very slight hint of a possibly stiltony taste somewhere in the background. Sort of. Kinda. Maybe. But I cannot detect any port at all.

I made Terry do a blind taste test and he couldn't detect any stilton or port either.

Marks & Spencer might do better marketing these as a mystery flavour.

5 out of 10 for a great crisp but failure on the flavour front.