Packet #10 - M&S Flame Grilled Beef & Onion

"Hey! It's the weekend! Treat yourself to a bag of REAL posh crisps"

This what I thought on Saturday, so I descended the escalators of M&S to buy some high end crisps. The flavours were unusual, I opted for Flame Grilled Beef & Onion. OKOK - everything going well so far.

DISAPPOINTED is one word to describe my feelings as I munched my way down Grafton Street. The flavour was simply delicious at the start, but it quickly vanished as if by some sort of crisp magic (it was a very lovely meaty flavour btw).

The crisp itself, was, in a word, heavy. Not the greatest texture by a long shot. Overall a major disappointment, brilliant at the beginning, but boring by the end, and EXPENSIVE! If it were a footballer, it would be Michael Owen.

Mark.

Packet #9 - Skips

Skips are the one and only prawn cocktail flavour crisps in my eyes. Any other shape or form just seems wrong. I wouldn't be one for an ordinary prawn cocktail so I get my fix from skips.

Skips can be crunchy if you're looking for a good munch. Or like me if your mouth is tired from shouting all day you can just sit them on your tongue and they'll fizzle away. Perfect!

I've kind of covered the flavour all ready but you really do get a different flavour depending on how you eat this lot. It's much stronger if you let them melt a little first.

This particular pack came to me with 20% extra free. Bonus! My advice would be to take advantage wile you can. There's also no MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and they've kindly added the GDA's (Guidline Daily Amounts) to the front so you know exactly what you're getting.

Deano.

Packet #8 - Kettle Chips - Salt & Vinegar

When you buy a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, you expect the manufacturer to be attempting that classic chip-shop flavour! Why bother? You'll never beat real chips, so why try?

Those clever folks at Kettle Chips have realised this, and in admitting that they'll never be something they are not, they have succeeded in creating the best Salt and Vinegar Variety (S&VV) crisp I have ever tasted.

They've gone with SEA salt! I've no idea how they have harvested the salt from the sea but it offers a distinct and coarse coating to the rugged thick crisp. Crunchtastic!

BALSAMIC vinegar! It might sound like it arrived from the West Indies, and maybe it did, but regardless of how it ended up on the crisps, it delivers a fantastically sweet after taste to the assembly.

The geometry of the crisps can be entertaining - with many of the crisps looking tortured into an impossible contortion - perhaps this is an effect of their hand cooking methods!? Sometimes 2 or 3 of them will be stuck together! Ultimately, they deliver an almighty crunch.

The packaging boasts "absolutely nothing artificial" so that'll please the ethical members of crisp-club.

In summary, if you are a fan of the S&VV, I think you've found your new favourite C (crisp).

Gaffo

Packet #7 - Meanies

Ah Meanies, a childhood favourite if ever there was one. Mainly because they were 5p and you could usually pick up a bit of chocolate with your 20p too. Or there was Mega Meanies if you were feeling flush for 15p.

Well the size of the pack and the price has changed now. 30c will pick you up a mid sized pack of Meanies but they still pack the same pickled onion flavour we all love. A good strong crunch can be expected from these demon shaped crisps. A simple version of the corn based crisps as they don't get stuck to the roof of your mouth.

The pickled onion flavour is as delightful as ever. I wouldn't be big on eating pickled onions normally so I get my fix through Meanies. Not too strong of a pickled flavour but I would advise caution to anyone with any mouth sores. Perfect for a day in the park when you want to feel like a kid again.

Deano.

Packet #6 - Mighty Munch

Packet 6! And we reach the crisp that has created quite a stir in the crisping community. Mighty/Monster Munch. Are they better or worse then before? To be honest I didn't even notice they'd changed.

But enough politics, let's deal with the crisp in hand. Mighty Munch could so easily be thrown in with the "wheelie" or "chickatee" brigade, in that they're an odd shape and have the same stay in the back of yer mouth for a while texture. But they seem to bridge the gap between wheelies and chickatees to the more grown up S&V (salt and vinegar) C&O (cheese and onion) gang.

The taste is "hot and spicy" but they never really got too hot or spicy, but certainly have a bit of oopmh about them regardless. They're a great fun crisp, would I recommend them as an accompaniment to a nice sandwich? I'd have to say no. Would I recommend them to accompany a hangover? Most definitely.

Mark

Packet #5 - Walkers Sensations - Balsamic Vinegar & Caramelised Onion

After tasting the previous pack of Sensations I was a wee bit cautious about this lot. But it was a Friday night I was hungry so I thought why not give it a go.

And I'm glad I did. Same great crunch and texture as before only this time, packed full of flavour. First the onion hits you then comes balsamic vinegar. Neither flavour is too strong or over powering. I feel Walkers got the mixture just right here.

A massive improvement on the Thai Sweet Chilli pack which was evident by the speed in which they were eaten. They disappeared well before the start of Cranium and I look forward to taking on some more Sensations sometime in the future.

Deano.

Packet #4 - Walkers Sensations - Thai Sweet Chilli

Well I had the pleasure of eating a crisp, I would normally never buy, last Friday night. They were Thai Sweet Chilli flavour from the fancy Walkers collection called Sensations.

 At first bite I thought they were going to be magnificent. A good solid crunch and a nice thick crisp. Unfortunately for all they held in substance they lacked in flavour. A slight whimper of sweet chilli kicked in after the crisp had been eaten.

Overall, a little let down by this so called "sensation". I wont hold it against the rest of the Walkers family as there's still many a crisp to get through. The pack was still devoured in quick fashion so they weren't the worst.

Deano.

Packet #3 - Hula Hoops - BBQ BEEF (brown) Flavour

Oh, you do have to be in a funny mood to go for these don't you? I wanted a full on meal but didn't have the time for any of that lark so I opted for Hula Hoops brown. It tastes like a meaty meal, but it's not.

VERRY intense beef flavours with these bad boys. But truly delicious, although I could also see why such a crisp would divide the crisp community.

Overall, an absolute joy to eat and you get to put the Hula Hoops on your fingers for a bit of a laugh! Although your fingers will smell fairly unhealthy for a while after that. But then again, when have you ever noticed your fingers smelling healthy?

 Mark. 

Packet #2 - King Cheese and Onion

I had the pleasure of eating a pack of King cheese and onion this afternoon accompanied by a ham and cheese sandwich. Too much cheese flavour you might say. Oh no cheese is delightful so it was just the right amount.

Cheese and Onion, one of the very first crisp flavours. King, a classic staple of the Irish crisp market since 1963. Put them together and you've got a winner. Good with a sandwich, good in a sandwich and good with a cup of tea. You know what you get with a pack of King. Quality.

Flavour wise they were just right. A nice mix between the cheese and the onion. With a taste leaving you wanting more.

Deano.

Packet #1 - McCoy's Cheese and Onion

These crisps were consumed late in the afternoon and I was absolutely starving at a bus stop in mild (but not warm) weather.

The big thing about this particular crisp was the thickness, indeed McCoy's make a big thing out of the ridge's and the chunkiness of the crisp itself. And well they might! There was a real substance to the crisp, something you won't find with too many other brands.

Flavour wise, not too strong not too weak,  a lovely balance that left the pallet with a lovely sense of achievement.


The packet was devoured quickly and even had some finger licking at the end too. Overall a highly recommended alternative to the regular Cheese & Onion brigade.

Mark.

First post.

Hello fellow Crisp lover.

This blog should last until we run out of Crisps to taste, or die from eating crisps.

It will be updated as regularly as possible with one simple rule, to give you our honest opinion on Crisps in Ireland.

Enjoy the blog and enjoy crisps!

Love,

The Blog about Crisps.