Packet #53 Tyrrell's Worcester Sauce & Sundried Tomato

It's Tuesday, it's lunch time you've managed to avoid being flooded but you're still freezing cold and starving. What to do? Buy a massive bag (150g) of crisps of course. That's the easy part. The hard part is choosing which crisps to buy. I've found myself going for the usual staples recently, King, Might Munch, Meanies. All fine choices but not very helpful when you're trying to review every crisp in the land. So I found myself in a fancy supermarket and became indecisively engrossed in the selection of crisps, that was until my eye caught the bright orange pack of Tyrrell's Worcester Sauce & Sundried Tomato. Decision made.

A massive bag means massive crisps. The majority here were in tact and provided a good mouthful. I even plucked out a bunch of crisps which were trapped together by one monster crisp.The crunch, the flavour, the sensation. Amazing. Tyrrell's have made the decision to leave the jackets on while they hand cook their crisps, this adds an extra bite to the crunchiness. The crunch is strong and firm leaving you with the option to eat the pack crisp by crisp if you so wish. This pack however is all about the flavour. The sweetness of the sundried tomatoes blends brilliantly with the sharpness of the Worcester sauce. The subtle hints of pepper and spice  draw you back in for more of the sweet tangy tomato.

Overall a delightful experience and a fine choice of snack for any time of the day. You can see at the end of the pack it says 'excellent with a chunk of cheddar.' I didn't try that but I was thinking how good it would be  as I devoured the bag. I'm really looking forward to trying some of their ten other flavours and three different types of vegetable crisps. Well done Tyrrell's, England's greatest export since John Aldridge.

Deano.

Packet #52 - Mc Coy's Salted

Sandwiches, like crisps, are a highly important aspect of any diet. A crisp sandwich is obviously a treat you can rarely pass up. But on occasion crisps serve as an accompaniment to a nice sandwich. As I rushed out the door this very morning I was faced with a difficult task. I had a multi-pack of Mc Coy's staring back containing three flavours - C&O (cheese and onion), S&V (salt and vinegar) and of course - ready salted. I opted for ready salted as I thought, as a side dish to my packed lunch they'd be perfect. The Peter Taylor to a Brian Clough, if you will. Or the Nigel Barker to a Tyra Banks.

As it was a multi-pack there wasn't the regulation amount of crisps available, that's okay I paid €3 for twelve bags of crisps, overall I win. The crisps themselves were well packaged in sturdy foil, keeping the crisps inside nice and fresh. The flavour, if I'm honest, wasn't up to much. Although getting the balance right when it comes to Ready Salted is quite difficult - too salty, horrible, too little, well just a bit bland. The latter was the choice that came to mind with these lads, not up to much in the tickling taste buds department. But with ready salted that's not necessarily such a bad thing. The texture of the crisps were fantastic though, nice and thick, full of spud like goodness.

Overall I'd say they're an adequate crisp. Would I buy them on their own? No. Will they be the last flavour left in the multi-pack? Yes.

Mark

Packet #51 - Monoprix Crackets - Goût Cacahuète

Hello cripsisseurs. After a brief jaunt to France I am bringing you a rare foreign report. France is not known for its crisps. Yes the cousin of the potato crisp, the French fry, bears the nations name but I have been reliably informed that the Belgians invented these thin chips and the French stole it. Or perhaps they were rebranded because “Belgian Fries” sounds weird and boring. So how would this nation of gourmands fair when it comes to a snack of the salted variety?

I was gagging for a bag of msg laden goodness after excessive consumption of salad the previous night. I stumbled upon a “Monoprix” supermarket and grabbed a packet of their own-brand “Crackets”. I didn’t know what flavour or type of crisp they were at the time but, Google Translate has since informed me that they are peanut flavour and that they are crispy. Two things I worked out pretty fast. Underneath it bizarrely says they are “for the evening light with pirouettes” (or maybe Google Translate failed me on that occasion). I ate them walking down the street in the late morning.

Crackets have a slightly sticky and crunchy texture. Definitely not organic, hand-crafted fair here. The flavour was unknown to me and the closest thing I can compare it to, is peanut butter. After an initial cautious first few, I found myself loving these odd shaped delights. So much so, I am not ashamed to say, that I consumed all 90 grammes and didn’t share one with the homeless looking hippy who asked for a handful. These are definitely a case of strange but strangely addictive. 

Rory.

Packet #50 - Hula Hoops - Original

The Hula Hoop has been sampled twice before by the seasoned crisp eaters who run this exquisite blog.  "Very intense" they said about the BBQ Beef flavour, "ok" they said about the Salt and Vinegar variety, but what of the classic (and some would say most popular) red bag?

First we have to get something out of the way. Hula Hoops have a distinct advantage over other crisps, and that is that you can put one on each finger and wave your hands around pretending that you're partially made up of potatoey goodness.  But, in this, my first crisp review, I'm going to try not to be distracted by the aesthetic and focus on flavour and texture.

Flavour: It's good, but not great. I know there are those who enjoy the standard ready salted flavour, which these deliver, but frankly I'm looking for a little bit more. Having said that, if you are having these as an accompaniment to a sandwich or something, they lend themselves to almost any combination of flavours (cheese/chicken/ham/egg mayo, not so great with jam though). In summary, solid salty flavour, so if that's what you want you're in luck.

Texture: This is where the Hula Hoop comes into it's own as far as I'm concerned. You can sense the potato, the denseness means you get a proper chew, and if you want to you can even suck them for a while until they get soggy then mush them up with your teeth (or maybe that's just me).

The Original Hula Hoop is a solid crisp, fantastic for filling you up when you're hungry and adaptable which makes them a good accompaniment to many other things. Perhaps this is why it's so many people's favourite. I think they're hard to beat on texture, but I'd like a bit more excitement in terms of flavour. 

          Louise