Too wet for a barbecue? here's the next best thing

It might not be the first time that the crisp has been fused with everyone's favourite fast-food treat, the burger, but Marks & Spencer's beef burger crisps might be the best.

Part of the store's new "Great British Summer" range, the £1.59 crisps (for a big bag, which you'll need) sit alongside rather more obvious English picnic fare such as tea cakes, pork pies and trifles.

But with burgers currently ruling the culinary scene, the timing is spot on.

In the past, Walkers has released a cheeseburger flavour. Pringles dabbled with burger-flavoured chips. In Australia, Burger Rings are a party staple. Irish children would take their pocket money down the shops for a bag of Burger Bites.

But none of these tasted anything like a burger. Much like its close relative, the beef crisp, they would end up tasting more like a mutant mixture of Oxo cubes and Marmite rather than a juicy quarter pounder.

Of course, we're mad to expect anything different; just about every packet of burger and beef-flavoured crisps comes with a note on the bag reading "suitable for vegetarians".

Which is why Marks & Spencer beef burger crisps are such a revelation. While being more or less pong-free, they have a wonderful crunch, and, best of all, actually taste like a burger straight off the grill – and without the risk of food poisoning.

So when the "Great British Summer" decides to rain on your next barbecue, a packet of these will be the next best thing.