Herr's Jalapeno Cheese Curls product reviews

When I returned from overseas some years ago, I was taken aback to see how small the average bags of potato chips and similar snacks were when compared to the European equivalents. I had been used to getting an average sized bag and having enough to pass around several people with plenty to spare. The generous helping in the Herr's Jalapeno Favoured Cheese Curls was a pleasant surprise - the weight was 198g, but of course cheese curls are lighter than potato chips so you get a lot more. I realised then that this is a snack produced in the US so I wondered then if perhaps portion sizes are a little larger than kiwis are used to.

Size aside, these cheese curls are absolutely full of flavour. The initial taste is that of a mature cheddar; the jalapeno kicks in once you have bitten into a curl, and by the time you have swallowed it the jalapeno heat can be felt. However, it is not too hot; I offered them to the children and they asked for more - always a good sign, especially from Mr 13 who is not keen on food that is too spicy. Six of us shared the packet and everyone was positive about the flavour - the combined verdict was "slightly spicy but not too hot" - and this is from a group of people who can never usually agree on anything! My own reaction was that they were moreish and I kept going back for more. As for my partner, who has had recent dental treatment and still has mouth ulcers, they were just on the right side of comfort. I was glad about that as it would have been a pity for one of us to miss out.

Having tried a few on their own, we were all keen to see what we could pair them with. Three of the adults had a glass of lager; the dental patient and the two children had ginger beer. My daughter produced a pottle of plain hummus to use as a dip - she thought it needed to be plain so as not to mask the distinctive flavour of the curls. As soon as we all started dunking, the hummus turned from a cream colour to a darker brown with flecks of red in it, courtesy of the coating on the curls. At the same time, the curls lost some of their spiciness.

I managed to rescue a dozen or so pieces to try with guacamole next day. I had a bowl at home but had not thought to bring it with me. I imagine it will go very well indeed, even better than the plain hummus, but this time I will be the only one trying it. If it works well this is something I will consider serving up at out next family get-together.