Interestingly, Nando’s aren’t behind the march from table to shelf. The products are marketed & sold by ‘All About Food’, who’ve previously grabbed successful restaurant brands Cranks, Wagamamas and Pizza Express a much-coveted slice of supermarket action.

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The newest rub flavour, like the Extra Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce launched earlier this year, is simply described as ‘not for the fainthearted’. It’s a ballsy blend of spices, garlic, herbs and (of course) peri-peri – the African bird’s eye chilli.

Nando’s research says 42% of Brits now regularly chow down on spicy food, and I’m certainly one of them. But is this home version fast, convenient and authentic enough to tempt me away from a trip to one of their restaurants?

One 25g pack of the new Extra Extra Hot Rub is enough to season & flavour 5 chicken breasts or a whole chicken. So a whole chicken is what I went for – a fresh, plump, organic bird which I smothered in the rub (being extra extra careful to wash my hands of perilous chilli flakes afterwards).

Frankly, it was fantastic. Roasted, succulent, with crisp, spicy skin, it was incredibly moreish. The spice level was feisty, but not unpleasant or eye-watering. It certainly wouldn’t have your average medium curry eater begging for mercy. The chicken was almost as good when I enjoyed it again in a doorstep sandwich for lunch the following day.

There’s no taking away the beautiful juicy and flavoursome chicken Nando’s achieve at their restaurants with their rotisserie spit-roasting techniques and super-hot griddles but this definitely comes a close second. And at £1.49 a pack you can afford to pop a couple of sachets into your cupboard so that when the peri-peri craving comes calling, you no longer have to brave the world outside your front door.

Buy online at Nando’s…