Prawn cocktail is a flavour that transcends quality. It’s so distinctive, so specifically itself, that even mediocre versions register as prawn cocktail. You know what you’re eating. The pink tang is unmistakable.
Seabrook’s version is, predictably, mediocre.
The flavouring is present. Tangy, slightly sweet, that artificial prawn-adjacent taste that has nothing to do with actual shellfish but everything to do with British crisp nostalgia. It does the job of being prawn cocktail flavoured.
But it does nothing more than the job. There’s no craft here, no care, no attempt to elevate beyond minimum viable prawn cocktail. The seasoning sits on top of the crisp rather than integrating with it. The texture remains problematically dense. The overall experience is eating crisps that happen to be prawn cocktail rather than enjoying prawn cocktail crisps.
The distinction matters. Other brands make you glad you chose prawn cocktail. Seabrook makes you aware you’re eating prawn cocktail. One is pleasure, the other is information.
Information isn’t what I want from snacks.
