Sea salt and black pepper is the “I’ll have the chicken” of crisp flavours. Safe. Respectable. Unlikely to generate strong opinions in any direction. Tesco’s Finest executes this conservative choice conservatively.
The pepper is present but polite. There’s warmth, there’s aromatic complexity, there’s evidence that someone added black pepper to these crisps. But it’s whispered rather than stated, a suggestion of pepper rather than a commitment to it.
The sea salt does its usual job of making things taste slightly better while adding premium connotations of dubious validity. The hand cooked base is, as always with Finest, the best part of the product. Substantial, crunchy, potato-forward.
The restraint question
Is this restraint a virtue or a failure of nerve? Arguments exist both ways. Sea salt and black pepper shouldn’t be aggressive. But it should be something more than background noise. Tesco has played it so safe that the flavour barely registers.
Pleasant. Forgettable. Fine for guests who might be overwhelmed by actual flavour. Disappointing for everyone else.
