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

Done and Dusted..

1. Walkers Cheese & Onion

2. Cheese Wotsits

3. Salt & Vinegar Twirls/Spirals

4. Walkers Sweet Chilli Sensations

5. Flamin' Hot Monster Munch

6. Spicy Tomato Snaps - from when I was a kid tho!!

7. Frazzles

8. Salt & Vinegar Squares

Top 8 crisps - Done!!

Tracy, via Facebook

'Nothern Raver'

Well, if you really need to know the definative list of what crisps to choose, you could do worse than follow my choices!!

5. Seabrooks Cheese and Onion. Very nice and the ruffles hold the flavour till your tongue gets hold of it. :-)

4. It has to be Prawn Cocktail Skips. Melt in your mouth and let out that burst of flavour! How ace is that?

3. Getting tougher now but my next choice is Pringles Salt and Vinegar, not quite strong enough to get to the top but very addictive. When they say "once you've popped, you can't stop" when they include a re-sealable lid??

2. Seabrooks Worcester Sauce. I know most people won't like this flavour, but i think it is fantastic! Eat more Worcester Sauce!!!

and finally for the top spot in crisp countdown by a bloke from Halifax it is:

1. Quavers Cheese flavour. I know, i know it's a controversial choice of crisp as some will argue it isn't technically a crisp but a curled processed potato snack, but by heck it has a nice hit of cheese in every bite!!

So there you have it, a Northern bloke and his choices of crisp. Pop that on your blog, have a brew and put your feet up with a multipack of Quavers!!

Ta Ta!

Mark S, via Email

Bit of a Pickle..

1.   Ham and Pickle Brannigans
2.   Sizzling Prawn McCoys
3.   Beef Monster Munch (old school recipe)
4.   Bacon fries
5.   Walkers Prawn Cocktail
6.   Pickled Onion Monster Munch ( old school again)
7.   Salt and Vinegar Discos

Cavan, via Facebook

Breaking 'The Rules'..

1.  Marmite Rice Cakes

(RICE CAKES????? - Scott)

2.  Sainsburys 'own brand' Tortilla

3.  Flamin' Hot Monster Munch

4.  BBQ Beef Hula Hoops

5.  Sainsburys 'own brand' Onion Rings

6.  Plain (Ready Salted) Walkers

7.  Frazzles

8.  Wotsits

...not sure if rice cakes are allowed?

Dan, via Facebook

Mixed Bag..

1.   Sea Salt and Black Pepper Kettle Chips

2.   Walkers Roast Chicken

3.   Sweet Chill Walkers Sensations

4.   Thai Chicken McCoys

5.   Nice n Spicy Nik Naks

6.   Ready Salted Puffs ( where did they go) :-(

7.   Cheesy Wotsits

8.   Worcester Sauce Wheat Crunchies (sorry about my bad spelling)

9.   Pickled Onion Space Raiders

10. Spars Spicy Twirls

...How did I manage to forget cheesy chilli pringles yum! ;-p

Charlotte, via Facebook

• • 
    

Bacon's Back...?

1.  Frazzles

2.  Prawn Cocktail Wotsits

3.  Salt n Vinegar Chipstix

4.  Walkers Salt n Vinegar

5.  Skips

6.  Scampi n Lemon Nik Naks

7.  Bacon Wheat Crunchies

8.  Walkers Prawn Cocktail

Lucy, Peterborough

Ash Wednesday: 40 Days & 40 Nights?

Hi-ho you salty-dogs,

Ash Wednesday lent me to thought today (get it? 'lent'? All my own material you know), would it be possible to go 40 days and 40 nights without a potato chip of any kind. How much temptation would there be - deliberate or accidental - along the way? Kids parties with small, enticing bowls of  our favourite friends laid out for us adults to secretly covet from our children and our children's children; in pubs with friends, the 5 bag special with packets ripped asunder for all to share; great sporting events, savouries to complement the beer as your team strives to win. How would it be to endure all these mini-temptations without our little, crispy fiend??

It wouldn't happen, as I'm of no particular religious domination. The Census arrived yesterday. They do open themselves up to it by intentionally leaving a box free marked 'other' for people to insert their own 'religion'. Hence us being a nation of more Jedi's than any other. Lead me to ponder writing 'Crisp Idolater'. I chickened out just and declared no faith. Total cop out. Still, we have registered ourselves for future generations of our family to add our names to the family tree and perhaps stumble across on Ancestry.co.uk. An amusing allusion to crisps would have put a curious yet amusing smile on their little faces eh?

Honourable mention in despatches to Kathryn, Gillian, Sarah, Tracy, Cavan and - for the most fantastical Desert Island Crisp selection - Steve C. Always thinking outside of the preverbial crisp box is he. Truly, we are embiggened (like the good people of Springfield USA) by ALL your comments and entries on our Face book site.

Twice mentioned, by Gillian and Kathryn are French Fries, French Fries as a dietary get out clause and French Fries Worcester Sauce flavour as the endangered crisp. Endangered or extinct crisps is a good subject. As is the north/south divide (Scott has already begun exploring this for comment and discourse. Check out his twitter thingy). Regional crisps. It's good to have a topic and so one or the other will be explored imminently. Feel free to start things off. Pour yourself a glass of red. Dim the lights. Open up your favourite bag and express yourself.

Lorra, lorra love,

Luke

Kathryn's 'Quality' Choice

Can't pick just one so its a top ten .....

10 Scampi NikNaks
9 Frazzles
8 Flamin' Hot Monster Munch
7 Nice & Spicy Nik-Naks
6 Prawn Cocktail
5 Worcester Sauce French Fries (becoming an endangered species I fear)
4 Smokey Bacon
3 Salt & Vinegar
2 BBQ (Tesco's finest)
1 Salsa & Mesquite Kettle Chips (sadly discontinued)


As the failsafe that never disappoints .. Salt & Vinegar! (not ultimate fave but all time classic) Great board :o)


Kathryn, via Facebook

Finger Licking Reaction

Hi Guys,

Thought you would like to know what type of reaction your blog & facebook group is provoking...I went food shopping today and bought some Pickled Onion Monster Munch!! I just HAD to have them! Reading people's choices reminded me of just how good these were - so you can imagine my fury when my partner tried to share them! Haha!

Anyway, as difficult as it was to choose, my top 8 are as follows;

8. I know there are 2 here, but that's because they're only really good together at Christmas! Tescos Onion Rings and Cheese Balls
7. Prawn Cocktail Skips, the Merseyside Muncher was so right about these melting on your Tongue!
6. Nik Naks...Scamp & Lemon or Nice & Spicy...it's Nice & Spicy!
5. Pickled Onion Monster Munch. A classic!
4. Walkers Cheese & Onion. Got to be in the mood for them though.
3. Walkers Ready Salted French Fries - fantastic substitute for proper crisps when on a diet!
2. Not entirely sure these fall in the category of crisps, but...Twiglets!
1. It's got to be Walkers Ready Salted! They go with everything :)

Happy finger licking!
Gillian

Sarah's Salty Selection

Dear Desert Island Crisps. Here's my 8, all conservative Classics!

1)  Lightly Salted Kettle Chips

2)  Salt and Vinegar Walkers

3)  Wotsits

4)  Salt and Vinegar French Fries

5)  Cheese and Onion 

6)  Those crunch square ones – can’t remember name...

(I think you mean Smiths Square Crisps Sarah?! - Scott)

7)  Sweet Chilli Kettle Chips

8)  Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar Kettle Chips

Sarah, Peterborough