Pipers Great Berwick Longhorn Beef

Imagine you've just purchased a delicious fore rib of beef, all beautifully marbled and mouthwateringly tender. Then, just suppose you take this beef and, on a blisteringly hot day, you slap it down on a barbecue and cook it to smoky, chargrilled perfection. You know what it would be, don't you? A delicious nirvana of flavour without compare. Representing one of those rare GAME OVER culinary moments, sinking your teeth into that meat would likely make you pass out with delight. And British Crisps is here to tell you that Pipers Great Berwick Longhorn Beef capture this magic perfectly.

My experiences with Pipers have, so far, been nothing less than absolute success after absolute success. Potato wizards of the highest order, Pipers have been conducting their beguiling alchemy of quality spuds and deliciously authentic seasonings since 2004. And it's fair to say there are few who know their way around a bag of crisps quite like Pipers do. High praise, indeed, but justly deserved. So far, I'd failed to snaffle a packet of their Great Berwick Longhorn Beef crisps, but I finally managed to pin some down at, of all places, a lavender farm. Yes, I don't want to pull back the curtain too much, but it's an exciting old life here at British Crisps.

With the perfumed aromas of lavender slowly fading from my olfactory system, it was time to head home for a quick snack. And I was delighted to finally get my hands on these Great Berwick Longhorn Beef crisps. Several people had recommended them to me and, I had been promised, I was in for a treat. The packet, as ever, sets Pipers' stall out with unerring accuracy. The premium feeling packet, on it's own, has a tactile sensation which just screams quality. The HP brown colouring conjures up, aside from HP sauce, visions of beef, good old British beef.

The meat used to flavour these crisps comes from Great Berwick Organics, a Shropshire based cattle farm. And it were to match the meaty magic of Pipers Kirkby Malham Chorizo, I was in for a treat. The initial sniff test was beefy, not in your face T-bone steak draped across your nose, but I could tell beef was on the menu. Coloured with a shade of dark toffee, these crisps are very different to their beefy peers. And it's all because of the depth of flavour.

Firstly, they're not dominated, as so many others are, by the presence of yeast extract. This grants the Great Berwick Longhorn Beef crisps a more natural flavour. The presence of caramelised sugar also brings a different dimension, mostly that it's nicely balanced. Many beef crisps offer a 'sweet beef' flavour and, although not unpleasant, it jars with the authentic beef experience. Here, though, it simply provides a mild sweetness on the side, one which complements the meatiness. And then there's that smokiness. I can't figure out where it comes from, perhaps it's the paprika, but it takes these crisps to another level.

Whilst they don't quite trick your brain into thinking you're eating genuine meat as Pipers Chorizo ones do, the Great Berwick Longhorn Beef crisps are still remarkable. Again, it's all to do with the complexity of the seasonings. There's no one note melody here, it's a complete symphony of flavours which wash over your tongue and take it on a journey of exploration. A packet will not last you long. I'm yet to see Pipers slip up and, in all honesty, I doubt they ever will. Another magnificent crisp experience from the experts.