Marks & Spencer has just launched a new crisp flavour as part of its seasonal Christmas food range, and shoppers reckon it tastes remarkably similar to a beloved snack that disappeared from shelves years ago. The new British Hand Cooked Aberdeen Angus Beef and Mustard Crisps have already started building a strong following since landing in stores earlier this month, right at the point when festive food ranges typically start rolling out across supermarkets.
Fans have been quick to compare the new flavour to a discontinued roast beef and mustard crisp that was axed roughly six years ago, with plenty describing M&S’s version as a worthy replacement for the snack they’d been missing ever since. Discontinued crisp flavours tend to build something of a cult following once they disappear, and this particular one has clearly stuck in people’s memories long after it vanished from shelves.
What makes the new flavour stand out?
According to shoppers, the crisps deliver a rich, beefy flavour paired with a noticeable mustard kick, rather than the milder, herb adjacent seasoning that some meat flavoured crisps tend to lean on instead. That combination seems to be exactly what’s winning people over so quickly, since a lot of savoury crisp flavours these days lean more on vague, generic seasoning than anything that actually tastes convincingly of the meat it’s named after.
Online reaction has been largely glowing since the crisps hit shelves, with one shopper admitting they’d already bought four bags, while another praised the flavour as impressive, specifically calling out how refreshing it was to find a meat flavoured crisp that actually tasted convincingly of meat. That kind of repeat buying within just a few weeks of launch suggests M&S may have a hit on its hands this Christmas, rather than just another seasonal novelty that fades out quickly.
Not everyone agrees they’ve fully replaced the original.
Despite the positive reaction, not every fan of the original discontinued crisps is fully convinced. Some loyal fans of the old flavour have said nothing will quite match up to the original version, even with this new release landing so close in style and flavour. Nostalgia can be a difficult thing to compete with, since the memory of a much loved discontinued snack often gets rosier the longer it’s been gone, making any modern equivalent an uphill battle from the start.
Others have taken a slightly more measured view, acknowledging the new crisps don’t quite reach the same level as the original but still confirming they’d be happy to buy them again regardless. It seems the new release has struck a decent balance, close enough to satisfy plenty of shoppers, even if a few diehard fans remain unconvinced. That kind of split reaction is fairly typical whenever a big brand tries to recreate a beloved discontinued product, since expectations tend to run high before anyone’s even tried the first bag.
Discontinued snacks tend to inspire a lot of loyalty.
It’s not unusual for a discontinued crisp flavour to develop a devoted fanbase long after it disappears from shelves, and this isn’t the first time a major supermarket has tapped into that kind of nostalgia to launch something new. Shoppers often associate specific snack flavours with particular memories or periods of their life, which can make the eventual disappearance of a favourite feel more significant than it might otherwise.
That emotional pull is likely part of why M&S’s new crisps have generated so much chatter online already, since plenty of people clearly still think fondly of the original snack even years after it left shelves. Tapping into that kind of nostalgia tends to be a smart move for retailers heading into the festive season, when shoppers are often drawn toward familiar, comforting flavours rather than something entirely new and unfamiliar.
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Where to find them and what else is in the range
The new crisps are priced at £1.80 and have landed on shelves just in time for the start of the festive shopping season. They join a wider lineup of Christmas themed crisp flavours from M&S this year, including a butter basted roast turkey option and a pigs in blankets version too, both of which lean into classic Christmas dinner flavours in a similarly playful way.
With the range now live in stores, shoppers keen to try the new flavour, or stock up on the wider festive lineup, won’t need to wait much longer before the full Christmas food range rolls out more broadly across the coming weeks. Given how early in the season this launch has landed, it suggests M&S is keen to get ahead of the usual festive food rush this year.
How this fits into a busier year for festive food launches
This isn’t an isolated launch either, with several supermarkets already rolling out their Christmas food ranges earlier than usual this year, seemingly keen to capture shopper attention before the market becomes flooded with competing seasonal products. Crisps and snacks in particular have become a popular way for retailers to generate early buzz, since they’re a low cost, easy entry point for shoppers curious about trying something new ahead of the bigger festive shop.
Whether this particular flavour ends up becoming a permanent fixture or stays a limited edition seasonal treat remains to be seen, but based on the reaction so far, it wouldn’t be surprising if M&S faced pressure to bring it back again next year regardless.
If the reaction so far is anything to go by, it’s probably a good idea to grab a bag or two sooner rather than later, especially given how quickly nostalgic flavours like this tend to build a following once word gets around.
