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You never quite know what you'll stumble upon when you go into Lidl . Amidst the aisles of bargain fruit and veg, garden equipment and knockoff fizzy drinks, you can occasionally find a real gem — especially when there's a good Flavour of the Week deal on offer. The budget-friendly supermarket often stocks its shelves with interesitng snacks and beverages from around the world , and recently it was all about the USA. As a lifelong UK resident, I found these offerings fascinating, as many of the flavour combinations were entirely new to me. And who better to carry out a taste test with than my American colleague, Ketsuda? We picked up a selection of snacks, sweet treats and a drink to wash it all down with. Some of these items were already familiar to Ketsuda, but for me, it was a journey into the unknown, with no clue what I'd got myself in for. Our tasting menu included mac and cheese flavoured crisps, chilli and lime tortilla rolls, buffalo ranch dip, jalapeño popper dip, a chocolate brownie milkshake and hazelnut stuffed cookies. A few of these looked appetising - others, not so much, reports the Express . I didn't expect to fall in love with any of it, but one item in particular took us both by surprise with its delicious taste, and it's something we would both happily purchase again. On the other hand, some items fell flat, leaving us with a taste of nothing more than chemicals and disappointment. Here's our verdict on Lidl's USA week offerings, starting with the absolute worst. It's a shame that the beverage was nearly undrinkable, as we were in desperate need of something to balance out the rest of the salty snacks. However, one small sip was all it took to confirm our suspicions - this was not a good product. The drink was deceptive, initially tasting fine but leaving a peculiar aftertaste that reminded us of diluted cake batter mixed with chemicals. Despite being marketed as chocolate flavoured, we could barely detect a hint of cocoa. This made sense when I inspected the ingredients list on the back of the bottle and discovered a measly 1% cocoa powder content. Never again. Rating: 1/10 In theory, this sounds like the ultimate crisp flavour. Unfortunately, our hopes were swiftly crushed as we bit into a crisp and immediately exchanged grimaces. Again, nothing but artificial flavours. It tasted like the most synthetic cheese you've ever eaten, and there was also an odd creamy taste that had no business being in a packet of crisps. The only saving grace preventing this from ranking last was the texture and crunch of the crisps, which were surprisingly good. It's a pity that the main element — the flavour — was such a massive disappointment. Rating: 2/10 Ranch is currently enjoying a surge in popularity here in the UK, although it's not something I've tried often. Lidl's version, however, was decidedly average for both of us. It was reasonably light and creamy, but tasted more like a garlic dip, similar to what you'd receive free with your Domino's pizza order. Not necessarily a negative aspect, but certainly not what we were anticipating either. We wouldn't be hurrying to purchase this again, as there are undoubtedly superior ranch alternatives available. However, it served its purpose, and sits comfortably in the middle of our rankings. Rating: 5/10 We sampled these last, as something of a treat for completing the rest of the taste test. Straight after removing them from the packaging, I noted they looked exactly like Maryland biscuits, whilst Ketsuda likened them to Chips Ahoy. They were quite pleasant. The hazelnut filling was plentiful, yet for both of us, there remained a slight something missing. I felt they tasted a bit cheap, but you can't really complain when they were, indeed, very cheap. Ketsuda agreed, believing there was "something not quite right". I ate the rest of them that night, so clearly didn't mind the taste of them that much. Rating: 6/10 Peanut butter and pretzels simply screams America to me, and Ketsuda agreed that this is something you'd find on the shelves of Trader Joe's. They were pleasingly thin and crispy, with a delicious peanut butter filling. Salty and sweet is a combination that simply always hits the spot, and this snack was no exception. Addictive is the term we'd use to describe them, with Ketsuda saying that they would be an excellent snack for the cinema. My sole gripe was that they'd leave your mouth quite dry after eating a few, but nothing a drink can't sort. Rating: 7/10 Taking second spot were these fun-shaped crisps that were essentially just Doritos, but curled up. Interestingly, we weren't particularly impressed at first, but the taste really sprang to life when you combined it with the dips. They're very easy to nibble on and became increasingly moreish the more that you consumed. The heat of the chilli was perfectly counterbalanced by the zesty kick of the lime, and they weren't overly sharp in flavour either, which made them even easier to devour. Their curled-up form made them the perfect vehicle for dunking, and I'm certain if I served these at a party they'd be the most popular snack there. Rating: 9/10 Ketsuda said this item was the one she was most excited about sampling, and that it also appeared to be the "most American" thing on the list. Upon smelling it, there was an incredibly strong aroma of fresh chillies, which was quite comforting. What wasn't comforting was the peculiar, jelly consistency of the dip itself. However, looks can be deceiving, and this was genuinely the most delicious thing in our selection by miles. It was warm and spicy yet creamy at the same time, and it paired perfectly with the chilli and lime tortilla rolls. There was a definite cheese flavour in there, but it wasn't overpowering like I'd feared, nor did it taste too processed - even though it definitely was. Rating: 10/10
