I am a big fan of Nandos, my appreciation stemming from the fact I love hot food and pigging out. At my peak, I visited Nandos once a week at least - knocking back 1/2 a bottle of hot sauce on each trip.

Those that know Nandos, know Nandos. Quite a limited menu, pretty much totally comprised of chicken and peri-peri sauce and seasoning. It you like those two things you will be back over and over again, if you don't you will be turned of pretty quickly.

So, naturally as Nandos has built up a dedicated fan base, they have widened their product range and finally a few years ago their range of sauces and seasoning hit the supermarket shelves. Also, they brought out Nandos crisps - a product exclusive to the supermarket, you can't get these in the restaurant. A product great for those wanting a taste of the Nandos experience without leaving the sofa - so naturally, as I love pigging out and hot food these really appealed.

I tried them a while ago, and thought they were OK. There is a limited range of really spicy crisps - when crisps are advertised as 'HOT', they rarely are that hot. Medium at best. These crisps however are finally something worth breaking a sweat over.

Those not familiar with Peri-Peri seasoning, its a seasoning made from Birds Eye Chilli - a fairly respectable chilli to chow down when it comes to hunting for man points. Not the hottest, but its got a kick. Much more than your average red or green chilli, and not totally regrettable upon your next trip to the bathroom. They are also favored due to their taste. They actually have a considerable depth of flavor - popular in Thai cooking as they have a lot of citrus in the background, giving the burn a slight wince as well as a punch. Peri -Peri is an something many find an acquired taste, whilst not being that unpopular.

I picked up a couple of packets of these as they were on offer on my weekly trip to Sainsbury this afternoon. Retailing at £1.79 a packet - I took advantage of the 2 for £3 offer. I don't usually chuck snacks into my trolley as I'm on a a strict budget (bloody Christmas) at the moment, but I had a couple of quid left so picked them up.

They are great, but not outstanding. They sit between premium and standard when it come to the actual crisp. A little greasy, but quite thick. I don't personally enjoy healthy crisps - which is lucky, as these are not. I like my crisps to be a little greasy if I'm honest - if your going to eat unhealthy food you may as well go for it. These crisps are all about flavor though, and these packets are packed. As well as the Birds Eye Chilli, the Peri -Peri is also made with garlic - and this comes through well. The seasoning is piled on thick - almost a little to much - but not to the avid Nandos fan. They do however taste pretty heavy on salt, but again, only almost too much. For me, a good packet of crisps should leave you gagging for a lager. The only downside these crisps have is they need more chilli - I'd prefer them hotter and with more of a punch.
The upside to this hot, but not over whelming flavor is it makes them really moreish and really heat up towards to the end of the packet.

As I don't have the time or money to get to Nandos as much as I'd like, I will pick these up more frequently so I can enjoy the Nandos taste at home. As with all crisps of this type (big packet, quite unhealthy and heavy on salt) it obvious to say these are a treat rather than everyday snack. As much as I would love to scoff a packet of these for breakfast everyday, I doubt I'd last a month. I would recommend anyone looking for a genuinely spicy snack to munch on the sofa, to pick up a pack. They Halal, Kosher and veggie friendly, but not suitable for Vegans or wimps.