Picture the scene, it is a wintry night in Paris and, after hours of walking, all you want to do is go back to the hotel and rest, but you need a snack. So, disorientated, you stumble into a Spar on the Rive Gauche, only to be greeted by a wall of Brets crisps. Bleary-eyed, you select your crisps and stumble home, exhausted, to open said bag of crisps. You open them with glee and consume the contents within seconds, so quickly, in fact, that you run out of the hotel to buy a further three bags. This was me after Paris Fashion Week, and I make no apologies for it.
Brets are one of those brands that make you wonder why all crisps can’t be this good. They started life in Brittany in the 1990s when a group of French potato farmers decided that instead of sending their potatoes off somewhere else, they’d make the crisps themselves. A sensible idea if you ask me.
Cheddar and Jalapeño is one of those combinations that just works. You get the rich, savoury sharpness of mature cheddar first, before the jalapeño quietly turns up to remind you that life shouldn’t be too comfortable. It’s warm rather than fiery, so don’t worry, you’re not about to lose your eyebrows.
They’re brilliantly balanced, outrageously moreish and the sort of crisps that disappear while you’re insisting you’ll “just have a handful”. Perfect with a cold drink, a decent sandwich or, if we’re being honest, straight out of the bag whilst pretending you’re saving some for later.
125g