I tried Heinz Beanz Pigs In Blankets Christmas special edition - and I have to eat my words

So, of course, when I spotted a tinned collaboration between Heinz and Richmond Sausages for a Heinz Beanz Pigs in Blankets, it had to go straight in my basket. £2 for a large tin from Sainsbury’s, incase you wanted to know.

I’ll admit, it was a risk. Because I do have memories of the original Heinz beans with sausages from the 1990s (do they even still make them?), and the sausages were basically cooked brown paste, and made the beans taste really weird.

But on opening the tin, that particular aroma from my childhood was nowhere to be found. It didn’t look amazingly appealing, but then when have we ever said that about tinned goods?

On closer inspection, I saw what truly looked like real pigs in blankets- proper little sausages wrapped in proper-looking streaky bacon, with little dashes of green ‘Christmas seasoning’.

After two minutes in the microwave, it was the moment of truth. And I have to eat my words. I’ve said I was worried, and I did think these were going to be bad, but actually, they were was nice. There were five ‘pigs’ - a generous portion - and they all retained their shape really well. Of course they were soggy and the meat didn’t offer any resistance, but they tasted exactly as they should.

And guess what? They didn’t overpower the beans either. Yes, there was some Cumberland sausage-type flavour going on, and some sagey festive seasoning, but you could still taste the Heinz tomato sauce flavour independently.

So, for £2 for a big tin, it’s a hearty little seasonal treat on a cold day.