Smoky BBQ crickets hit the supermarket: so how do the insect snacks taste?

Relative to size, insects may be the most powerful creatures on earth. Bees, for example, are important pollinators and, with around a third of what we eat reliant on pollination, they are vital to our future. Others, like beetles, ants and worms, are decomposers, grinding, tearing and breaking down the earth upon which we depend.

But there's another way in which insects can play a central role in our future: on the dinner plate. Increasingly, we're beginning to understand the environmental impact of traditional meat production. Beef, pork and chicken all require vast swathes of land, emit ginormous amounts of greenhouse gases and guzzle way too much water – and produce less protein per kilo than insects. 

Nevertheless, global meat consumption is soaring, with a recent report in the journal Science predicting "negative effects on the environment." If at least some of that meat is replaced by bugs, the thinking goes, there'll be far less land set aside for livestock, helping ease the pressures of global warming. 

The squeamish among us may balk at the thought of eating creepy crawlies, but in many cultures they're widely consumed. In much of central and southern Africa, for instance, caterpillars, termites, crickets and mopane worms are common fare. Over in Thailand, street hawkers flog scorpions, crickets or giant water bugs. In parts of South America, an anteater describes more than the sloth-like creature. 

Over the past couple of years, insect-eating has been on the rise in Britain too. Crickets are most commonly consumed, often ground into a flour that can be used in pretty much any sort of baking. While mostly the preserve of trendy pop-ups or health-food stores, whole bugs may be about to hit the mainstream. 

As of today, 250 Sainsbury's stores are selling 'smoky BBQ crunchy roasted crickets' from a London-based company called Eat Grub, at £1.50 a bag. The critters are described on the packet as "more sustainable than pork scratchings... and more exiting than a crisp."

Rachel Eyre, head of future brands at the supermarket chain, said: "Insect snacks should no longer be seen as a gimmick or something for a dare. It's clear that consumers are increasingly keen to explore this new sustainable protein source."

According to research by Sainsbury's and Eat Grub, Brits are becoming more adventurous and willing to experiment with entomophagy. Almost 10 per cent of us have tried an insect, with just over half saying they actually enjoyed it. 

As an adventurous eater, I jumped at the chance to give the smoky 'treats' a try. Having previously eaten scorpion in Thailand (crunchy and truly disgusting, with a salty, bitter, ever so slightly fishy taste), and some other bug whose name I don't want to remember (squidgy and oozing a rancid creamy liquid; also truly disgusting) I wanted to see for myself whether crickets, when not in powdered form (which is perfectly edible; read about my experiments with cricket flour here) have potential to stick around or if they'll fade away like countless food fads before them.

Opening the packet, I'm met with a fairly strong scent: there are hints of crispy seaweed and peanut. The contents are dusty in appearance, and the dead crickets look not unlike the dead flies that can build up in un-cared for lampshades. The wings are the least appetising aspect. 

The crickets range from a centimeter or so to just about an inch. The texture is dusty rather than crunchy, without the pleasing snap of pork scratchings or good crisps. It tastes a little bland, though the nutty, seaweedy aftertaste lingers unpleasantly. The spices – cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic – do offer a modicum of pleasantness, and there's a smoky kick. 

Some colleagues were intrigued, others disgusted. One said it would combine nicely with her carrot and coriander soup, while another described them as "similar to Monster Munch" though I for one wouldn't make that comparison. 

I'm all for finding solutions to complex environmental issues, and eating insects may well be one. However, to evolve from novelty to staple, it needs to be delicious and, sadly, in this form at least, it's not quite there yet.