The Crunchy Monkeys Choice..

Dear Scott and Luke,
 
Finally I have written about my desert Island Crisps, hope it helps.  I have put this entry onto my blogs for my readers, hope you don't mind but I have given a link to my readers of your blogspot!  Here it is:
 
Fellow crisp fans please visit http://www.desertislandcrisps.blogspot.com/
I have been asked to submit my Desert Island Crisps choices and my ultimate Desert Island Crisps, here we go.  The choices reflect on my BBC (British Born Chinese) upbringing and tastes, variety is indeed the spice of life.
 
1. I only seem to eat these when I go back to Hong Kong, possibly because they are imported goods in the UK and can cost an arm and a leg to purchase...we have the Calbee Hot and Spicy Crisps

 

2. And from the same manufacturers, the salty (possibly MSG infested) Prawn Crackers, maybe why I hardly eat these now, you'll find these in many clubs and bars in Hong Kong to get punters to drink more!

3. Out of all my choices this is the most sophisticated original crisps I would eat, I love these just as my mum does, mummy probably had these a lot when she was pregnant with me, thanks MUM, I love Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps!

 4.  These crisps I have not had since I was tiny but thinking about this blog has bought back great memories when either my mum or my cousin bought these for me from the crisp van (do they still exist) at primary school, Space Raiders (this is the crisp packet I vaguely remember)!

5. On odd occasions nowadays I buy cheap, dirt cheap to satisfy my cravings for something salty and what better than to get a big pack of these on a trip to Sainsbury's...Onion Rings!

6.  I now question whether I am a crisp fan, Skips are still widely available but I don't think I've had any in 10 years or so...I think I will get some now on my next visit to the supermarket...can't wait!!!!

 7.  Being bought up in Leicester I am lucky enough to experience the taste and flavours of asia, I don't think this crisp has anything to do with asia but it does have a slight asian hint to it...Chilli and Lemon (mouth salivates!)

8. If there were ever any crisps which I had a certain way of eating it would be these Monster Munch Crisps(Roast Beef flavour I prefer), I'd nibble off each claw before stuffing the remaining hand (circle) into my gob!

Well the moment of truth, my Desert Island Crisp is undoubtedly 

Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps 

..thanks to mummy and because they are still available and the flavour has hardly changed.

Cheers Luke and Scott for giving me this opportunity to reminisce and dribble all over my keyboard, it's the only clean it's ever had! 

Chi Yung Wong

Mobile: 07590025984 

Hildas Hierarchy

Dear Scott & Luke,

I love your website, it's such fun! Here are my top 8 crisps:

1. McCoy's Ridge Cut Cheddar & Onion. The crisps are heavenly, but I just adore the cheesy, oniony shrapnel you get at the end of the bag. Scrumsville.
2. Royster's T-Bone Steak. I can polish off a bag of these in under two minutes. You may be more impressed to discover I wear dentures.
3. Chipsticks - Salt 'n' Vinegar. If only they came in a bigger bag. Ready Salted are nice, but SnV has my mouth watering/stinging instantly. Wonderful.
4. Monster Munch - Roast Beef. I have a notoriously small mouth, so these are hard work, but they're so worth it. Should come with complimentary floss though.
5. Walker's Squares - Cheese and Onion. Crunchy, flavoursome but sadly often overlooked. I enjoy nibbling off the sharp corners before plunging into my mouth.
6. Kettle Chips - Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar. I'll buy these if I have company. They're always an impressive crisp to whip out alongside other nibbles.
7. Frazzles. Often imitated, but there really are no substitutes for the real thing. I will sometimes dip in cream cheese for a sneaky indulgent snack.
8. Smith's Cheese Flavoured Moments. Very rare. Often found in pubs and independent newsagents. Not a crisp in the traditional sense, but oh-so delicious. I'm on five bags a day.

Best wishes,

Hilda Lolly,  via Twitter 

Thank you Hilda for your lovely entry into Desert Island Crisps
Please spend a few minutes to take a visit to Hilda's own website 
Hilda Lolly 'A Lady in the Know'

Brief History of Curry Crisps

Following that last post, I felt it necessary to have a quick look at when/where the humble 'Curry' Crisp came from. Back in the mid 80's I remember quite a stir being caused by Curry flavoured crisps. I seem to recall Mild Curry Wotsits first making an appearance at our school tuck shop. (I Can't be certain but I think Walkers did Mild Curry French Fries too)

Walkers released the first Chip Shop Curry flavour with their MAX range in 2001.

Fast forward to 2008 and Walkers released a Special Edition Lamb Curry.

McCoys hit back with their own 'Extreme' Chicken Madras followed 2 years later by McCoys Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Jalfrezi and Spice Balti Curry.

Golden Wonder finally joined in with their 'Quite Hot Curry' flavour

Once again, I think I may have to collect all of the available Curry crisps on the market today, sit down with a nice cold lager...... and do the lot !

If any of you have anything further to add to this thread (especially about its completeness or accuracy), please add your comments.

Your roving reporter

Scott

Golden Oldies ?!?!

Hey yar..

Look what I found lurking at the back of the rack of crisps in my local corner shop... 3 for a quid. Bargain Bucket Crisps! Result! Well, seeing as we haven't received anymore top 8 choices, we may as well keep filling our faces and reviewing what we're troughing on.

Golden Wonder - The crisps I grew up with (but not with one of these flavours)... So i just had to try them and pass on my opinion, whether you like it or not...

Cheese and Onion - Golden Wonder are heralded as being the promotors of this flavour back in 1962 after the flavour was first conceptualised by Tayto in the Republic of Ireland. I'm surprised that Deano at ablogaboutcrisps hasn't picked up on this fact yet! Anyway, so to the crisps. They were good, in fact I would go as far as saying surprisingly enjoyable. My dad tells me that this is because Golden Wonder use a particular variety of potato which is known for its low moisture content (or something like that, I'll have to ask him one day to write a post on it) They were very crunchy and to be honest a little sharp on the palette at times. The flavour was very light, not as pungent in the bag as some of the mature cheddar flavours that are about. I would have no worry in scoffing a bag of these then talking up close with someone. I think we'll have to have a proper 'crisp-off' with all the different makes of Cheese and Onion soon. Personally they didn't quite do it for me, nice though they were, they lacked the kick of flavour that I like in a Cheese and Onion.

Chip Shop Curry - well, where do you start with these...First I think I have to distinguish between 'chip shop curry' and 'curry'. As anyone who frequents the local curry house can tell you, 'Curry' comes in all strengths and flavours; from Korma's to Phal's and Tikka's to Dhansak's. However, Chip Shop Curry (sauce) doesn't actually taste like anything from a curry house! The fruity tangy curry sauce from the chippy has been accurately reproduced with these crisps. A slight 'mango chutney' fragrance to the bag upon opening reassured me that I wasn't going to be tucking into a Phal. Again, I found these Golden Wonder crisps to be sharper than your average fried potato slice, but the flavour didn't disappoint. Doubt they'll make it into my Desert Island Crisps, but then again, could I live the rest of my days on a Desert Island without having an occasional curry....? I'm afraid the jury's till out on that one.

Happy snacking
Scott

New Chips on the Block - Pipers

It's funny, but ever since I've been contributing to this blog, people keep asking me if I tried 'their favourites'. The answer, more often than not is, 'No. Do you think I should?'.... and so, my list of "...in search of..." seems to be growing exponentially. 

Luckily for us, our friends are sooo adamant that their choice of crisp would be worthy of my Desert Island Crisp selection that they have brought me some to try. I therefore dedicate this post to my Friend Helen and her Local Farm Shop and Nursery in Biggleswade (I can't remember the shops name but will update this blog when i've found out) Many thanks for introducing these to me! So onto the review....

Pipers 'hand cooked' Crisps from the Lincolnshire Wolds

Now, their website boasts that since 2007 every flavour has won a Great Taste Award so I was quite keen to break into these packets and see what the fuss was about. 

First the West Country Cheddar and Onion. I've always been a bit sceptical of cheese and onion crisps that purport to be specific 'Cheese' flavours. These are the boys, however, who have changed my opinion. The organic mature cheddar, sourced from the Mendips, has been very successfully transferred into the flavour of the crisps.

On opening the bag, the smell was strong and instantly recognisable as good mature cheddar.

The onion wasn't too strong and the balance of flavours was just right. So too was the coverage. Each crisp had an even flavour and was a good 'crisp' slice of potato, no burns, no blemishes. In fact I think they may have overtaken the Tyrrell's I tried the other week as my favourite Cheese and Onion crisps (well, to date anyway). 


Next the Norfolk Bloody Mary. I was really looking forward to these. I was expecting a kind of spicy tomato and again wasn't disappointed by the taste. However, unfortunately we must have had a bad bag. The crisps were soft, not at all 'crisp'. The only thing I can think of was the bag wasn't properly sealed. This was a real shame because the flavour was great. A bit more peppery than I like my Bloody Mary's but then again thats just personal taste. I know not everyone agrees with the idea of tomato flavoured crisps, but the added spices to the Norfolk plum tomato base made these really palatable.
I reckon that both of these crisps would be fantastic with a decent pint of ale.  


If you want to get your hands on some of these to try for yourselves, then keep your eyes open as they are not available in supermarkets. But in some way, this makes them even more special when you find them. Pipers, you get the thumbs up from me. 


Scott

In Search Of..... "FOUND - WASABI PRINGLES"

OOoooow Now then, Now then (rattle, rattle, jewelery, jewelery)

No sooner had I posted about being on the look out for a tube of these when two days later I bumped into them in total surprise at a store more known for it's 'Quality at a Discount' then its crisp selection. So without question they went in the trolley. I had to resist popping them there and then and managed to wait until I got home to find out what they would deliver!

Now, I realise that Pringles may start something of a debate in here as to whether they really count as crisps. Even the manufacturers themselves, Proctor and Gamble, argued in the High Court in 2008 that they were NOT in fact crisps due to their actual potato content being only 42%. Their victory resulted in them becoming exempt from the 17.5% VAT leveed on potato crisps and potato derived snacks. Next is their symmetrical Hyperbolic Paraboloid shape, surely a true crisp should be unique and individual, not manufactured or produced.  However this highly uniform shape and mass of each 'crisp' also allows them to be 'packed' into the familiar Tubes and produced in 19 (YES 19!!) different sizes !! This brings us onto the 'tube' itself. I'm afraid I believe that crisps should come in packets not containers. Even the inventor of the tube itself Mr Fredric J Baur was buried in one of the Pringles tubes. Now there's food for thought...

Anyway, enough ramblings, whether or not you think they are crisps, I couldn't resist trying the Wasabi flavour. Well what can I say, after popping and positioning some of these snacks over what seemed like all of the taste buds on my tongue at once (aided by the hyperbolic paraboloid shape of course), the first noticeable thing was the powdery artificial MSG overload. But this, I hear you cry, is exactly what people like about "The Pringle", but then the wasabi kicked in. Nose burning, eye squinting, tongue blistering pleasure that is "Isothiocyanate" (The chemical in wasabi for you non-chemists!). The usually short lived flavour of wasabi on these 'crisps' actually built up quite a fair bit after i'd eaten a few of them resulting in an action that is usually unassociated with Pringles.... I put the lid back on! Yes folks, I can safely say these are the only Pringles that i've managed to 'stop' once i'd 'popped'. 

So to the verdict, although I did enjoy these 'crisps' over a couple of evenings, I think it was the wasabi hit i craved and not the crisp itself. Therefore dear readers I will not be shortlisting these to be present with me on my desert island. Give me a proper crisp anyday.

To Mr Pringle, I tilt my hat and bid you good day.

Scott

Walkers Cheddar & Onion Crinkles: inside the world of the experimental crisp

Hello beloved followers,


Do forgive us the hiatus between entries. As you all know, Spring has arrived and with it that beautiful time when the outside of the house is open to enjoy once more, the garden is full of new life, the chiminea can once more be lit and it's fiery glow bathed in. Caroline and I's baby moves gracefully into it's 31st week of gestation and so we busy ourselves with general preparation for it's imminent arrival. All feels well in the world..


In the world of the crisp, it's time for an overdue but now complete review of the kind gift of two bags of Cheddar & Onion Crinkles - Cheddar & Onion flavour, not yet on general release (at the time of tasting) and so presented to us in plain, grey bags, as yet devoid of design or colour - unlike their content. Yes, we must thank you Walkers for trusting us to provide a humble but honest review of these bunnies, so thanks to ^Sam who sent us these, and thanks also to the chip-scientists who toil silently, secretly in their flavour-bunker, striving to provide us with the next big thing in the crisp..

So, two bags we had, the first bag was sampled almost 2 weeks ago with tasters from Hampshire and Norfolk present. It should perhaps be mentioned they were up against some astounding flavours in the shape of  Pipers Hand Made Crisps from Lincolnshire and their shortcomings were perhaps unfairly highlighted by these 'Great Taste Award' winning competitors. The second bag was munched last night by a Deeping-based taste-collective without any other snack distractions. The gap between tastings is relevant and has definitely modified my review of the product supported by Caroline's opinion too: the first bag were a bit stale and so the crunch that we hunt in a good crisp was lost. Also, the flavours on the first tasting were overpowering. The cheese flavour overpowered the onion (very monosodium-glutomate, like a boss bag of Wotsits), the latter fizzling out having been unable to establish its mark. But then last night, with Chris & Hilary debriefed as to our objective we experienced an altogether much more enjoyable appetiser. This bag was fresh and so you could feel the crinkles on the top of yer mouth. The balance of cheese and onion was much subtler. Now we're getting cheddar and spring onion. They weren't greasy like that first batch. Yes, we really enjoyed them. We did the wine and beer too, which always makes you more focused on the positive than the negative. I think the flavours, with a bit of tweaking, could be really balanced, supported by some other tasty bedfellows, tomato and pepper perhaps, sorry, pimiento y tomate con paprika, a good vinegar and salt combo etc. Nonetheless, these aren't bad and we think there will be a good take-up, from grown up kids and infantile adults alike..

To the R&D Development, Send Us Your Ideas. We Will Taste Them.


The next review will probably be done outdoors. How good does that feel?


Signing Off,
Luke

Pos'crisp't
Competing in an crinkled-arena dominated by McCoys and Kettle Chips; as a slimmer, trimmer crinkle with lower overheads, gotta be a winner.

This weeks taste sensations...

Following the RND tasting and the lure of unknown crisps I decided to break from the norm over this last week and try some old favourites and hunt down something new to try.
First up on the list was an old favourite of mine, Spicy Tomato Wheat Crunchies. Now I know that spicy tomato isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I have to say, out of all the tomato flavour snacks, the added 'spicy' to this crisp certainly gives it the edge.

Next was a little journey into the world of Tyrrells Crisps. Having seen a few entries to Desert Island Crisps raving about these I thought it was time to hunt some down and give them a try. The 2 flavours I chose to sample were 'Mature Cheddar and Chives' and 'Pork and Apple'...

...and I'm so glad I did! The 'posh cheese and onion' crisps were thin, very crunchy (without those painful sharp bits you get with kettle chips) and were full of flavour. The chives were not overpowering and complemented the mature cheese taste. Verdict: Definite contenders

Now... I didn't know quite what to expect with the Pork and Apple packet. Maybe a smokey bacon type flavour with added 'fake' apple... But I wasn't quite prepared for what actually came out of the bag...

They were good, and when I say good, I mean extremely good. The pork wasn't at all 'bacony' as I thought they would be and the apple, although very subtle, worked really well in a crisp form. Verdict: A new favourite

Going back to the RND flavours of last weeks crisp-off, it is evident that the manufacturers are able to create all sorts of flavours, which DO actually taste of what they say they should. The big question is 'Do they actually work as crisps'? Unfortunately for the Walkers RND flavours, tasting like the intended flavours did not make them fantastic crisps.

...which brings me to my final bag of crisps this week. Red Sky Roasted Red Pepper and Lime.

Unfortunately these didn't do it for me. The Red Pepper didn't taste of 'Red' pepper just 'pepper' and the lime was far too strong. Having said that, it didn't stop me from finishing the whole bag! 

The crisps themselves were also incredibly loud! I think I might start a special blog section for loud crisps, you know the ones that other people seem to eat on the bus or in the library, as I think these could be worthy cup winners..

'Stay classy San Diego'

Scott

RND Pos'crisp't

Following last weeks 'RND Crisp-Off' between the 4 Red Nose Day flavours I felt compelled to add a postscript to the blog after the results were announced. While I agree wholeheartedly with my crisp aficionado colleagues sentiments, I feel that we still have to announce which one out of the 4 was the best..... (drum-roll please...)
The group concluded that Mr Stephen Fry's 'Fry Up' crisps took the top slot in the competition. However, none of the participants in the crisp-off felt that any of the flavours would make it into their Desert Island Crisp selections.

The only thing left to add is that despite the flavours not going down too well with us, they did obviously go down well with the general public. Walkers managed to donate over £1.2million to this years record breaking total of £74.3million.
If you want to see what the forfeit was for the 3 loosing comics  Click here and have a laugh on them !


Stay crunchy
Scott

Red Nose Walkers Crisps: 'Noble idea, dubious flavours' says Local Consumer Group

Hello Snackers,


We hope your week is going well, without snitch, snag or mishap! Got the week off work myself, which provides the expediency of time and space to sit back, put The First Time with Andrew Weatherall on the Iplayer, crack open a red and drop you a line - comfortable in the knowledge that there's no work tomorrow and that I can enjoy the lateness of the hour and the possibility of time. Long lazy days would be ours on our island, I ask you this: would we want Red Nose crisps as our only chip of choice? Read on to see what our hastily convened, utterly informal survey group thought.

All you need to form a tasting group is the right conditions: a table, four bowls, a piece of paper and a pencil, some tasters and the product. Seeing as we had (still have) a complimentary box of Red Nose-flavoured crisps, it was easy to throw them out to the room and beg the question,''whaddya think?''. So our group comprised 6 adults and one, fairly confident & intelligent 5 year old. Other kids were present but refused to take part. The varieties being considered are Steak & Al Pie, Stephen Fry Up, Frank Roast Dinner and Jimmy Con Carne. Here are some general comments garnered on our piece of paper:-

JIMMY CON CARNE

'..very bolagnaisy'

'..really not pleasant'

STEAK & AL PIE

'..disgusting'

'..very boozy'

FRANK ROAST DINNER

'..done before'

'..predicted strong chicken overtones before tasting. Wasn't wrong'

STEPHEN FRY UP

'..hints of smoky bacon''

'..individual crisps have individual flavours'

'..the only one of this experiment that stands out slightly'

'..a whole bag could be too much'

We're not ungrateful for these free crisps, for they were free - sent by Walkers to Scott only minutes before they went out of date - but as you can probably gather from this tiny selection of comments, they ain't exactly tasty. ''But that's not the point!'' we hear you cry. The point is worthy causes. Yes, but then would not a better way to raise cash quickly to be to take 20p from every bag of regular Walkers sold in Comic Relief week and give that to the chosen cause, than market a crisp that no-one particularly likes or will necessarily be thinking 'I must have some crisps but I must also remember to contribute to a good cause and choose a bag of celebrity-endorsed one's over a good old bag of trusty, guaranteed good-munching Salt & Vinegar''. Or is that just crisp socialism, plain and unsalted? Well, more money would be raised that way than in sales of these I betcha.


This entry goes out to Smiley Culture, who seems to have died in the most tragically ironic but sad circumstances, to Nate Dogg and above all, to the Japanese nation - home and away - who are going through one helluva time. I am positive amongst numerous reportage of the unfolding disaster over the weekend, I heard a reporter say that survival provisions included rice, water and crisps.


Love to One And All,

Luke

In Search Of.....

When we started this site, I new there were an awful lot of flavours, types, shapes and makes to choose from, but in posting the choices of others, I'm listing so many new varieties and that I've never heard of. This is giving me somewhat of a headache as I can't help but think there are still packets that I haven't yet had the pleasure of trying... and maybe, just maybe, one of these un-tasted crisps would knock from the pedestal my chosen 'One'.......(or two?)
So, I've decided to try and seek out some of these 'Holy Grails' just to be on the safe side. So here's 3 that I've heard of this week that I think I'm really going to have to go in search of...

1.    Wasabi Pringles - There's just something about this combination that I can't help but think its going to be a winner. What do you reckon?

2.   Kent Crisps - Oyster and Vinegar - just curious about these little beauties...

  

3.  Seabrooks - Mustard (Hot English) - I can almost imagine these in a bacon sandwich. In fact, I think the combination could replace the BLT as a lunchtime 'Weatherspoon'  bar snack!

If you can think or suggest any others that I should be setting my sights on then please leave a comment and i'll add them to the wish list. In the meantime, If I find any of these three above, i'll be sure to post my opinion!


Happy snacking
Scott

Essex's Finest..

Fairfield's Wicks Manor Bacon for number one, 
Walkers Salt &Vinegar, 
Nice & Spicy Nic Naks! 
Cheesy Balls, 
Bacon Fries, 
Chipsticks.....Hmm, how about 
Jackpots Beef and Horseradish and 
Walkers Cheese & Onion. 


Mix of old & new there!

Nicola, BuyBritishFood via Twitter

Family Favourites

Found you through crisp-comments on Twitter, there's an astoundingly

good variety of them around now.

Seabrooks have always been a firm favourite in our family, we used to

buy them regularly when I was growing up in Bradford in the 80s, and I

still buy them now after moving back to Leeds a few years ago after

living on the coast.  They're a good crunchy crinkle-cut crisp, strong

in flavour and not as thick as McCoys.  Shame they don't sell them in

windowed bags so you can go for the non-broken ones.

I tend to switch between these and Morrisons Baked (much better than

walkers) if I'm buying a few packs to go with lunches.

Other than those, I'll sometimes treat myself to Yorkshire crisps,

Real crisps (with the gurning faces on the front) or kettle chips.

Stephen, via Twitter

Big Hitter..

1.  Pickled Onion Monster Munch – Even periodic size changes haven’t dented this colossus of a crisp

2.  Sweet Chilli Walkers Sensations – Best amongst the plethora of contemporary potato based snacks.

3.  Mango Chilli Kettle chips – For some reason this middle class range of burnt crisps is lauded as the thinking-mans crisp. I hate all but one flavour - the majestic mango chilli flavour.  This balance of flavours cleverly counteracts the horrible burnt taste of the Kettle range, creating something that is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

4.  Walkers Cheese and Onion – King of the Walkers classics

5.  Doritos Hint of Lime Tortillas – Brilliant alternative to the typically shit tortilla range.

6.  Quarterbacks – burger flavour American sycophantic corn snacks. Alternative to the supa-crunchies eaten by gippos

7. Cheese Snaps – like a poor mans quaver but actually would kick a quavers face in if they had a fight.

8.  Prawn cocktail skips – melt on the tongue greatness.


Jon, via Facebook

• • 
    

Peoples Favourite...

1.   Walkers Cheese n Onion.

2.   Cheese Quavers

3.   Cheese Wotsits

4.   Walkers BBQ

5.   Nice n Spicy Nik Naks

6.   Rib n Saucy Nik Naks

7.   Tomato Wheat Crunchies

8.   Salt n Vinegar Chipsticks

9.   Scampi Fries

10. Bacon Frazzles

Ian, via Facebook