Levi’s Caribbean Chilli Beef Grove Cut Crisps (Waitrose) [By @cinabar]

I have heard a few people mentioning these crisps so was really keen to track them down and give them a try. I think it is impossible not to have seen some of the Levi branding somewhere, from the sauce itself, to Subways sandwiches, they have their own drink and even a Ginster’s pasty. To say Levi Roots has made it has never been so true. Consequently I felt it was about time I took some time out to have a look at one of their products, and the crisps looked like a good place to start.
I do like spicy crisps, and was pleased to see that these were labelled as being ‘hot’ top right on the bag. I opened the pack, inhaled and picked up on warm spices and a meaty edge. The crisps felt quite substantial, and had a lovely thick crunch. The texture was particularly good, and made them feel filling but still moreish, a bit like McCoys. The flavour wasn’t as expected though, although there was plenty of depth to the spices, from nutmeg through to cinnamon, it provided little heat. I enjoyed the slight lime tinge that came as an aftertaste, and the complexity of the flavours was clever and impressive, but the missing burn was a bit of a shame. The meatiness was also more akin to chicken than beef, as it lacked the richness, and the herbs and spices all seemed to point towards more of a white meat flavour.
The overall taste worked well, I know the above sounds a little negative but the crisps were really rather nice. Those expecting a chilli kick will be disappointed as these barely register as mild to me, but that aside I’d still buy them again as the texture and flavour still worked impressively well.

By Cinabar

Levi Roots – Caribbean Crush [By @NLi10]

Levi Roots of Dragon's Den Reggae Reggae fame has put his name on a lot of foods since his initial investment. Most of these are spicy, not too spicy but certainly full of heat. When I spotted this Caribbean Crush drink I thought it may have been the perfect thirst quencher.
On a very hot Saturday morning driving through town I needed something to cool down fast. This is probably too fizzy for that, but is still nice. It tastes a lot more fruity than Lilt and other mainstream brands. I liked it, but it's not special enough to actively hunt out like the Reggae Reggae Ketchup that I love so dearly is.

By NLi10

Reggae Reggae Jerk Chicken Stonebaked Pizza (Co-op) [by @NLi10]

I'm a fan of home-bake Pizza - the kind where all the toppings are already sorted out and you just pop it in the oven for a few minutes before eating away.  I like unusual ones, but ordinarily the Asda own brand ones are the best and most of the others just seem to miss the point - the toppings are the star.  Here is the Levi Roots version - jerk chicken & pineapple!

As this was in the special offer section I decided to invest in two - I already know that Mr Roots knows the kind of thing I like and with a spiciness rating of Mild I didn't fear a burn-out.

Turns out I had nothing to fear, the flavours were smooth yet exciting.  The tingliness from the peppers and the chicken balanced with the sweetness of the pineapple (which came as a shock as I hand't spotted that) and shows thought has gone into this.   It was just the right size to eat one to yourself too which is a bonus.

Like the other Levi Roots things we've found over the years it's similar enough to the existing brands to be familiar but exciting enough that you'd consider upgrading to it whenever it's on offer.  He's a long way from that initial market stall, but as that's how Marks & Spencer's started there is still room to grow!

Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews (@Reggae_Reggae_S @Sainsburys) [By @SpectreUK]

“Put some music into your food” was the phrase on the front of the rather colourful bag of Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews that caught my eye in the local supermarket. Unfortunately I was in an open plan office at the time of eating these nuts and couldn’t blast out a few UB40 or Bob Marley songs.

These were oven baked nuts, covered with Reggae Reggae Seasoning and Reggae Reggae Sauce, by Levi Roots, who famously put some fiery interest back into the Dragons in their Den on TV. Produced by Humdinger, in Hull, these Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews’ ingredients included; 54% peanuts, 32% cashew nuts, 6% Reggae Reggae Seasoning, 5% Reggae Reggae Sauce, Red Scotch Bonnet chilli (eek! Help!), black pepper, paprika, ginger, nutmeg, all spice (wait… isn’t that some sort of aftershave? Oh! Old Spice…), cinnamon, malt vinegar, molasses, tomato, onion, garlic, coriander, basil, thyme, caramel, citric acid amongst other things. Packaged in a 90g bag with 572 calories per 100g, 7.9g of fat, and a whopping 16.8g of sugar, these nuts really aren’t all that good for you and it was pretty obvious they were made as a sharing treat rather than a regular in my lunchbox. I figured I’d have to run around the block a few times after eating them. Allergy advice on the back of the packet stated that these Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews contained nuts (I’d want my money back if they didn’t), gluten, and barley, and that they were produced in a factory that handled sesame seeds. With so many varied ingredients and the added scarily hot Red Scotch Bonnet, I was slightly apprehensive on what these Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews would taste like.

On opening the bag there was a decent spicy smell from the heavily dusted nuts. There was also a decent spicy taste to these nuts, I tried to identify flavours, but at first no single flavour stood out as the ingredients were mixed well together. After eating a few nuts I noticed the subtle heat building on my tongue. After quite a few more nuts the subtle heat turned into a pleasurable burn that made my nose run a little through its intensity. I began to worry a little about stopping eating the nuts, and then I remembered the yoghurt I had waiting in my lunchbox for dessert. One flavour that did begin to stand out amongst the tasty chilli heat was the black pepper. After half the bag I began to revel in a peppery chilli fuelled haze, not wanting the nuts to finish and forgetting momentarily about my waist size and their calorie content! It amused me, in a sardonic way, that if she were here, Cinabar would have hated the thick peppery flavour of these nuts, but she wasn’t, in fact no one was in my little alcove apart from me. I had the 90g bag of chilli peppery nuttiness to myself… Mwah hah hah… (Oh my, may have got a bit carried away there!). The only disappointment I found was when I ran out of nuts and came back down to Earth (and thankfully… the yoghurt!). These Reggae Reggae Peanuts and Cashews have all too quietly nudged their way into the chilli nuts market with the added differentiation of their unusual spicy peppery Caribbean style. I would definitely have these again…. And you just know that I won’t share a single one! ;-)

By Spectre