Howdah Onion Bhaji

On our recent road trip I managed to pick up 20 different bags of crisps or crispy snacks. Some I can't remember exactly where I got them, but not these crispy crunchy Onion Bhaji snacks.

These came from Gloucester services on the M5. and since I've been there I have been boring all and sundry with tales of what an amazing building it is with its fabulous green roof (even the petrol station part has a green roof) and huge windows. And guess what? This motorway service station has been named on the 2016 RIBA National Awards List. How improbable does that sound?

Unfortunately our visit there was marred by nose to tail traffic but I can report that the Farm Shop is wonderful with a great selection of foods (and other stuff I did not have time to investigate), much of it from small local suppliers. The bread looked very nice and I would certainly have bought a loaf if we had not been on our way to the Peak District. The loos were super clean and designed so you don't have to sidle in sideways with your elbows clamped to your waist; this is an important point that should be given more consideration by many public spaces. And finally, the car park was full of happy smiling people. Quite a lot of them proudly clutching a handsome loaf of bread.

Anyway, back to the crispy snack which is curvy and small with a pronounced onion bhaji aroma. And a pronounced onion bhaji flavour too. Very tasty with a slightly dull crunch, and a hot aftertaste. I thought this crispy snack was pretty good, and most of the reluctant taste testers seemed quite enthusiastic.

Of course, Tall taste tester had to say this crispy snack looks like deep fried slugs. Which I suppose it might if deep fried slugs were a bright orange. But I suspect they wouldn't be. So don't pay any attention to that.

It's good to find a slightly different sort of a crispy snack.