And now ... lager flavoured crisps

Lager drinkers will soon be able to enjoy the ultimate complementary snack - lager-flavoured crisps.

It is revealed today that crisp company McCoy's is launching the snack to coincide with the new football season, promising that it will allow fans to enjoy the taste of lager without the after-effects.

The crisps, part of the firm's popular crinkle-cut range, contain only trace elements of alcohol, but are made with real brewing yeast and hops.

A spokesman for McCoy's said that the product was aimed firmly at the male end of the market.

The rugged crinkle-cut chip, it seems, appeals mainly to men in much the same way as the "kettle chip" variety is popular with women. However, whether it proves to have more lasting appeal than other novelty crisp offerings over the years - such as the hedgehog flavour of the Eighties - remains to be seen.

The Financial Times, which reports on the company's plans this morning, taste-tested samples of the lagerflavoured brand among its staff. "Like lager that's been in the sun for three hours" was among the more charitable comments.

McCoy's said: "Obviously they're not going to have the same taste as real lager. But they do grow on you."