MILK..? WOTSIT FOR?

Forget your deep fried Mars bar or peanut butter and jam sandwich, the latest crazy culinary combo doing the rounds? Milk and crisps. Specifically, milk and Extra Flamin’ Hot crisps.

The newest snack brand from PepsiCo, ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’, went on sale to consumers last week amidst great fanfare. The hot new flavour, available across the Walkers MAX, Doritos and Wotsits Crunchy range, has been given ‘spicy’ reviews by some snack lovers for whom the heat has proved too much.

To douse rising temperatures, Extra Flamin’ Hot bosses have given the green light to sell milk miniatures alongside the crisps.

The ‘Not Extra Flamin’ Hot Milk’ will hit the shelves today (Monday 1st April), and will be on sale for “as long it takes for the British taste buds to mature to the spicy new favour”, said Dalila FopsRoy, ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’s’, Head of Brand Innovation.

The decision to “move into milk” is not a knee jerk reaction, said FopsRoy. “We’ve examined the data and there are certain parts of the country that, to put it lightly, can’t take the heat.”

‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’ has taken the unprecedented step to release proprietary data in the form of a ‘Heat, heat map’, showing those parts of the country that can, and can’t, handle the heat of the spicy new snack.

The new research released today reveals that Glaswegians are the biggest lovers of spice in the UK, with two thirds (67%) claiming to either like or love spicy food, while those in Belfast like it the least. Just under half (44%) said they either liked or loved spice, while over a third 34% said they either disliked or hated it.

And, it’s the Scots who also come out on top when it comes to how they physically react to the burn. According to the data, it is in fact Edinburgh that has the greatest tolerance to heat, while just over half (54%) of the spicy residents of Aberdeen said it was ‘the physical reaction I get from eating spicy food that gives the most pleasure’. Saucy.

With its spice neutralising properties, milk was chosen as a product antidote to the heat of ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’ crisps. “Milk contains a protein called casein, which can break down capsaicin in the same way that soap cuts through grease”, said Dr Paolo Salify, ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’s’ Director of Heat Transference.

Dr Salify continued: “We have been considering a milk miniature to sell alongside ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Crunchy, Doritos and Walkers MAX for some time. With the arrival of this new data, we decided to expedite that decision and get it on the shelves to help cool the burn Brits are reporting as quickly as possible.

‘Not Extra Flamin’ Hot Milk’ will go on sale initially in Belfast, where 41% have either a low, no, tolerance to spicy food. A nationwide rollout is expected to come in the coming days and weeks, with the most heat intolerant parts of the UK being prioritised.