Griffin’s Munchos Spicy Tomato

 

This is a little bit different. It’s an extruded wheat based (wheat pellets apparently, which doesn’t sound particularly tasty but there we are) crispy snack that allegedly tastes of spicy tomato. 

Well, it doesn’t taste of tomato and it isn’t spicy. Do New Zealanders have a lower tolerance for spicy foods than some people? I can’t know, never having been there, but I can tell you that this crispy snack is definitely not spicy.

I’m not saying I didn’t like them. I do. When I opened the bag there was a strong smell of freshly fried chips (French fries people) together with what smelled like a hint of vinegar. A very alluring smell for a snack. 

On the packet it says Can’t Stop the Munchies. I was dubious but that’s absolutely right. I naughtily ate nearly the entire packet in one sitting. Delicious! But not behaviour I recommend. I’m not suggesting that this snack has suddenly become a huge favourite, but should I ever visit New Zealand I would certainly grab a bag off a supermarket shelf.

I returned to the packet a couple of days later. Just as good. A faint taste of salt and vinegar. Lovely light crunch. And an interesting texture. Almost like several layers of very tiny bubble wrap, and translucent. And each individual munchie you pick up leaves tasty little shard-like crumbs, almost like snowflakes, on your fingers. There’s lots of finger liking with this crispy snack. 

I really do rather like them and what a relief! I was beginning to wonder if I still enjoyed crispy snacks of any kind.

Walkers English Bangers & Mash

 

This is the only World Cup tie in crisp that I have found this year. There nearly always seems to be a World Cup tie in. Not for the Olympics which seems to feature hundreds of sports, with more added every time, but for football which I think is one of the most boring sports in the world (just my personal opinion). Are crisps only eaten by football fans?

Anyway, yes I am aware the tournament is over, and that Spain won. Well done Spain! But I didn’t find these crisps until it was all over. And then I had to buy a multi pack.

So, what do we have here? English Bangers &Mash; oh, excuse me, the flavour is inspired by bangers and mash. Hmm…I’m not sure. The aroma is of something that might be sausage (bangers), but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the mash. 

Graffiti Artist taste tester tried a packet. He said he quite liked them. But his reaction was really tepid rather than enthusiastic.

I gather from the internet that I might also have bought Spanish Queso Wavy crisps, Portuguese Chorizo &Onion, or Wotsits Golden Balls Smokin’ Cheese. Only I haven’t seen any of these and I don’t propose to buy them off eBay. But you could if you wanted to. Probably for a limited time only.

You all know what Walkers crisps are like. Usually very reliable. I’m not sure this is one of their best offerings. I didn’t like them.

PS Unbelievable but true, my silly crispy snack blog which I only began because the weather on our summer holiday was very wet, has hit over one million views. 

Bluebird Rashuns Cheesy Bacon Attack

So I have a great big 190g bag of Cheesy Bacon Attack (interesting name for a flavour) Rashuns. Rashuns is also a strange name for a kind of crispy snack. Unless you’re used to it of course. I really didn’t want a party bag but beggars can’t be choosers.

This is another product from beloved New Zealand brand Bluebird. Who oddly decorate their packaging with penguins not bluebirds.

This extruded corn snack is a very odd shape. I thought at first it might be penguin footprints, but now I’m not so sure. So let’s class this as an unidentified shape. And I bet you already guessed it’s one of those snacks that aggressively gums itself to your teeth, and there’s apparently nothing you can do about it.

And what does it taste of? It’s a smokey bacon flavour but I don’t really detect any cheesiness. 

Not bad. I ate most of the packet by myself. But that’s because I live on my own.

Arnott’s Shapes Originals Chicken Crimpy

Chicken Crimpy seems a weird choice of name for a flavour, but maybe in Australia or New Zealand it makes more sense than it does here in North London.

This crispy snack is more of a cracker or a sort of cheese biscuit than anything else. Definitely not a crisp or chip. It’s an interesting oval, unusual, with a pretty scalloped edge. And it sort of tastes of chicken stock cubes.

Stock cubes? Yes, sort of. And just like my stock cubes, these crunchy crackers are made with chicken powder. So definitely not suitable for vegetarians.

These biscuitty crackers are quite tasty. The crunch is a bit hard, but not too hard, and I rather enjoyed them. I wonder if they would work well with a smear of unsalted butter? Or maybe some hummus.

As you can see these crackers come in a cardboard box, and then there’s a silver baggie inside. I am not convinced you can see the flavour.

Butterkist Sweet & Salty Microwave Popcorn

 I made a mistake.

I went to the local shop that sells the most interesting selection of snacks, and I fancied microwave popcorn. Did they sell it? Yes they did. And there it was on the shelf. I used to love microwave popcorn; nothing wrong with the cold stuff that comes in a bag, but the microwave kind is a different beast.

So after looking at the selection I grabbed a box. 

I grabbed the wrong box. In recent years my tastes have changed and while once upon a time I probably would have very much enjoyed the Sweet & Salty flavour, it’s not for me these days. Just too sweet. But absolutely nothing wrong with the popcorn itself.

Except that time when I allowed the microwaveable bag to open too far while the corn was popping, and then it gets stuck against the sides of the microwave instead of going around and around. And then it starts to burn. I should have tried to stop that.

Anyway, not for me. Maybe for you.

Serious Pig Giant Corn Scratchings

 

I was seduced by the effusive comments on the Serious Pig website. This giant corn snack is a vegetarian substitute for pork scratchings. Everyone seems to love it so I bought a small 35g packet.

Nope. Sorry. Not for me. Too hard. I don’t like the taste and I don’t like the smell. 

Do you think I should give up reviewing crispy snacks? I don’t seem to like very much of anything these days. 

Vegetarian though.

Cheetos Ketchup Flavoured

Here’s yet another example of a maize based crispy snack. These ones are shaped like quite chunky chips. But whatever the shape, this style of snack will always gum itself to the roof of your mouth and the sides of your teeth. It’s not an elegant snack, not recommended for a first date.

Now the flavour here is supposed to be ketchup which can be a brilliant flavour, but honestly it’s a little too fugitive in this case.

So it’s a pleasant crispy snack that doesn’t taste of very much. In a good way.

Serious Pig Snackingham Chorizo

You may recall that I have tried Serious Pig products before. Their Snackingham Classic is delicious. So I thought I might try the Snackingham Chorizo.

Still in a small 17g packet, still made with outdoor reared British pork. But this time with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. And what do you get? A smoky flavour which is very nice, but I think I still prefer the Classic.

Also still not a crispy snack but slices of air dried pork.

Co-op Limited Edition Dill-icious Dill Pickle Flavour Crisps

This is a wonderful crinkle cut crisp with a great bite and lots of good crinkles for the flavour dust to stick to.

Unfortunately the flavour is all wrong. I really enjoy dill pickle as a flavour, I love dill. But these crisps are far too vinegary for my taste. Far too vinegary. And I don’t like the way they smell. What a shame. And disappointing because Co-op crisps are usually very good.

Pretty packaging though.

The Fine Cheese Company Lemon, Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crackers

 

Yes, OK, I admit it. This product from The Fine Cheese Company in Bath is not really a crispy snack. As it says on the packaging, it’s a cracker. To go with your cream cheese or goats cheese or whatever else you fancy. But this is my blog and I like the packaging design.

I’m not sure you can tell that these crackers have been made with extra virgin olive oil, but you can definitely tell they’re made with lemons. Very lemony. A bit more lemony than I was expecting to be honest. Perhaps the extra virgin makes a difference. It’s hard to tell. Maybe it’s one of those ingredients that you notice if it’s not there. And of course everything needs salt.

These crackers are very thin but with a serious crunch, so they hold up better to buttering, or cheesing, than some much better known crackers. 

The only problem is that I don’t like them very much. And I don’t have any reluctant taste testers staying just now to offer a different opinion.