This Little Pig Roast Pork Cracklings Review: Crunch with a Salty Finish
Light, bubbly and generously seasoned, This Little Pig Roast Pork double-roasted pork cracklings deliver a satisfying crunch. But does the seasoning strike the right balance? After working through this 60g bag, my answer is: almost.
Inside the Bag: A Promising Start
Before opening the packet, I check the ingredients. One welcome addition is monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG, a flavour enhancer that brings out savoury flavours. For me, that is usually a promising sign.
Paprika extract and turmeric extract also catch my eye. Both are listed as colours rather than flavourings, so I am expecting their contribution to be more about appearance than taste.
Opening the bag releases a pleasant, warm, almost yeasty smell. There is no yeast extract listed on my packet, but that is certainly what the aroma reminds me of.
The Look: Pork Crackling Meets Nail Extensions
The pieces are pale, with a fine coating of coloured seasoning dust. They look lightly powdered rather than deeply golden.
Each strip is approximately 1cm wide, although the lengths vary. That unusually consistent width makes them look less natural than the irregular lumps you find in a bag of old-fashioned pork scratchings.
In fact, some resemble the sort of extraordinarily long, curled fingernails that really ought to come with their own carrying case. Perhaps not the most appetising comparison, but once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
There are no hairs and no visible pieces of meat: just bubbly pork skin and fat.
The Crunch: Mostly Light, Occasionally Hard
Most pieces have the light, crisp texture I want from double-roasted pork crackling. The bubbly skin crunches easily, making these a less demanding chew than some traditional pork scratchings.
A few pieces are noticeably harder and seem less fully puffed. They interrupt an otherwise pleasingly consistent crunch and keep me on my toes.
The Flavour: Delicious, but Bring a Drink
The savoury pork flavour is enjoyable, with plenty of seasoning to keep things interesting. These certainly do not suffer from being bland.
Salt is the sticking point. The first few pieces are nicely seasoned, but as I work through the 60g bag, the saltiness starts to build. By the final handful, I am thinking: “Good job I’ve got a drink.”
A little less salt would let me enjoy the flavour for longer without that increasingly thirsty finish.
The Bottom of the Bag: One Last Salty Surprise
There are quite a few small fragments at the bottom, along with a good three pinches of salty seasoning dust.
I usually enjoy the final bits, but here they add another concentrated hit of salt to a bag that already feels generously seasoned. It is a slightly overenthusiastic finish.
The Verdict: A Good Crunch with Room for Less Salt
This Little Pig Roast Pork Cracklings have plenty going for them: a welcoming aroma, a pleasant savoury flavour and mostly light, bubbly crunch.
The uniform strips look a little peculiar, and the occasional harder piece interrupts the texture. My main criticism, though, is the saltiness, particularly towards the bottom of the bag.
Still, this is a good bag of pork crackling. Ease back on the salt, and it could be even better.
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