Christmas sandwiches are everywhere, McDonald’s December menu has been unveiled and there are ‘ridiculously’ priced advent calendars on shop shelves.
All the big brands are getting in on the action, including Walkers who quietly launched a few new festive flavours last month.
The crisp giant introduced new limited-edition Beef Wellington and Emmental Cheese options to its range, and also brought back a Christmas classic: Sensations Glazed Honey Ham.
In a post shared on Facebook, the Very British Problems page revealed they’d given the meat-inspired crisps a try and they couldn’t get over the ‘extraordinary’ flavour.
The review read: ‘I like beef wellington. And these beef wellington crisps really do taste like beef wellington. Does that make me happy? No – it makes me disconcerted. Allow me to explain.
‘I like beef crisps, chicken crisps, prawn cocktail crisps etc, not just for the taste, but because they don’t actually taste like those things.
‘Crisp flavours are vague, they’re abstract. But the fact I can eat one of these beef wellington-flavoured crisps and somehow taste mushroom duxelles is, to me, a little creepy.’
They go on to share that the ingredients include dried tea leaves and rosemary extract but there’s no mention of mushrooms, yet somehow the crisps really do taste of mushroom, with a ‘subtle red wine gravy note as an aftertaste’.
The conclusion is that the experience of eating them is ‘extraordinary’ and while they do give them a ‘5 out of 5’ as Walkers delivered on what they promised, they don’t really like them, because they are too accurate.
‘I want them to taste just a bit beefy,’ they add.
And they weren’t the only ones left scratching their heads over the new crisps, as Nicky Coulthard replied: ‘Hubby was just saying yesterday how they couldn’t possibly have included the mushroom duxelles flavour…His flabber has been well and truly gasted!’
Similarly, Axelle De Cock confessed the crisps had also ‘creeped them out’, saying: ‘‘They did something here with beef and truffle. Also never imagined I would taste a beef and truffle dish but I did and it creeped me out too lol.’
Mary Sutton was a fan of the new flavours, writing: ‘I liked them, but the emmental crisps are even better!’
And Michele Garrigan agreed, proclaiming: ‘The festive Emmental ones are quality, though. I always think of Emmental when I think of Christmas.’
Others simply shared their love for the Very British Problems review, with some saying it had convinced them to try the Beef Wellington crisps.
Helen Blew commented: ‘Now I have to try them because of your review. I would never have even thought about them otherwise.’
While Matt Holvey posted: ‘This is a wild review. I rarely come out from under my rock to post comments, but this needed saying. I give this review 6/5 stars; almost too good.’
And Julia Buxton thought: ‘This is hilarious. Surely a key “British” ingredient is a healthy dose of skepticism?’
The whole thing also got people reminiscing about other Walkers creations, that have tasted too much like the real thing.
‘Remember when they did “Builder’s Breakfast” flavour, and they did somehow taste just like bacon egg and ketchup. I miss those,’ said Matt Hallam.
Karen Jewell seconded this, adding: ‘They brought a load of Limited Edition flavours out a while back and the Builder’s Breakfast really tasted like a fry-up. All the flavours came through including the fried egg! What a crisp sandwich that was. Sigh…..’
Beef Wellingtons have been causing a stir elsewhere lately as well.
Charlie Bingham recently received backlash after launching a £30 ready meal version of the classic British meal in Waitrose.
However, he was well and truly topped by M&S and Tom Kerridge who are now selling one for an eye-watering £195 and it’s been hailed as the ‘ultimate showstopper’ for Christmas dinner.
Described as a ‘whopper of a Wellington’, the dish serves six people and features portobello mushrooms, chicken mousse duxelles and a hint of black truffle parceled up inside an all-butter hot water crust pastry, served with a beef and red wine gravy.
Shoppers have been sharing their thoughts on the dish on Reddit, with many left flabbergasted by the price. A user known as u/BocaSeniors!sM said: ‘There’s overspending at Christmas, then there’s f***ing that!!’
While u/Heavy-Schidna-3472 wrote: ‘Lol, that’s just ridiculous.’
u/veeb did the math claiming it’s ‘£32.50 per serving/person’ which they thought was ‘insane’.
And u/vicariousgluten agreed it would only be ‘justifiable’ if ‘it included Tom Kerridge to do the cooking and cleaning up’.
