M&S: Hand Cooked Sweet Chill Crisps

M&S has a mixed track record with their hand-cooked range, so I approached these sweet chilli crisps with some trepedation. They’re positioned as a premium offering, and at M&S prices, they better deliver.

Texture

The hand-cooked process gives these crisps a satisfying thickness and that characteristic irregular shape that suggests proper craftsmanship. The crunch is exemplary—robust without being teeth-breakingly hard.

Sweet danger

Sweet chilli is a tricky flavor to nail, and I can’t recall too many i’ve ever enjoyed. It just feels an unnatural bedfellow for the potato, and should be reserved for rice-based snack.

It reminds me of a period in the early 00s when sweet chilli became a kind of byword for having moderately adventurous, but not too adventurous tastes, sitting in the company of halloumi, pesto, sundried tomatoes and anything else you might see on early Jamie Oliver.

Sweet chilli crisps often end up being too sweet when it becomes cloying, or too hot and it overwhelms the potato.

M&S strikes a reasonable balance here. There’s a gentle warmth that builds gradually, accompanied by a subtle sweetness that doesn’t feel artificial. The chilli heat is restrained—more of a gentle tingle than a proper kick. The potato flavour still comes through, which is always a good sign in a quality crisp.

Mixed bag

These are competently made crisps that do what they promise without any major missteps. The sweet chilli flavour is pleasant enough, though perhaps a touch conservative for those seeking genuine heat. They’re well-executed but not particularly memorable—the kind of crisp you’d happily finish a bag of and then never remember again.

For the M&S premium, they deliver adequate quality but don’t quite justify the price premium over superior alternatives.

Perfectly serviceable for a 90s dinner party, less exciting for dedicated crisp enthusiasts.