U Chips Ondulées Poulet Braisé

Another crisp we picked up from the nice little supermarket we discovered while on holiday in France.

Crinkle cut in the fine French fashion, this crisp has a lovely bite. Not a bad braised chicken flavour. I don't know why the French seem to have have braised chicken and the British have roast chicken but it does seem to be the case much of the time. I have had (actual) roast chicken several times in France (mostly much nicer than in the UK) , but at least one hotel we stay in regularly replaced the roast with a braised chicken. And I didn't like it as much so that was a shame.

This braised chicken flavour is pleasant. It's not the same as a roast chicken flavour (how do they do that? you wouldn't have thought it was possible to differentiate the flavour on a slice of fried potato). But I think I'd still prefer a roast chicken crisp. But see the previous post for a sensational grilled chicken flavour crisp. And once again we ask ourselves: how do they make them different?

Vico Saveur Poulet Grillé

Oh what a fabulous crinkle cut crisp!

I bought a multi-pack of little 20g bags of Vico crisps at the supermarket in Reims, and this is one of them.

As ever, I was dubious about a meat flavour crisp but I was wrong. And again I was dubious about a chicken flavour crisp but there I was really wrong.

I've tried several chickeny crisps in pursuit of a really great one I remember from years ago. I tried both Walkers chicken flavours a couple of years ago: Simply Roast Chicken and Sensations Roasted Chicken & Thyme. And neither tasted quite right. Frankly the Simply Roast Chicken wasn't very nice at all, and the Sensations flavour is a bit herby.

I have also tried Bret's Poulet Braisé and Lay's Saveur Poulet Rôti. Neither of them nasty. Just not what my taste buds are remembering. Tech taste tester thinks I may be hankering after a Golden Wonder Roast Chicken crisp. I think maybe he's right.

Anyway, this crispy chicken flavour is just superb. Although I'm not convinced you can taste the grilled flavour rather than roast or braised chicken. And the tech taste tester, who is a big fan of meaty flavour crisps, absolutely agrees that this is indeed a top quality crisp. All the taste testers like this a lot, even the Chef who doesn't really care for crinkle cut.

And in a really contrary way... you know I'm always saying that I like to have the option of buying a small packet of crisps? Well, in this case I kind of wish the bag was bigger. Even though the multi-pack had two of this flavour somehow it wasn't quite enough.

I would definitely buy this flavour crisp again.

First published on 9 September 2015 

I think I will give these wonderful crisps another puff because they are very good.

The only person who doesn't like them is Managerial taste tester. Who knows why? Everyone else had forgotten we'd tried them before, and everyone else still liked them a lot. Which I feel is a very good recommendation.

Tiger Sour Cream

This is a brown bag of potato chips with sour cream flavour. Enjoy:-) says the packet.

Tiger, or now they seem to have changed the name to Flying Tiger, sells all sorts of things you didn’t know you needed or maybe didn’t even know existed. I gather it’s a great place for craft supplies or cuddly cacti (yup! Just what you never knew you needed). And apparently sometimes they sell crisps.

Which are very tasty. Tech taste tester was a big fan. He said he really loves sour cream as a crisp flavour. I have to say I didn’t think this crisp tasted of sour cream, it’s more of a very gentle cheese and onion flavour.

Sour cream usually has that strange breathy effect. These crisps don't.

No matter. It’s a very tasty crisp and the reluctant taste testers were pleased to approve. Even Senior taste tester (he’s very picky). A nice crunch too. It’s a good quality crisp.

I bought wooden pig-shaped gift tags as well as a packet of crisps.

Paul Chardonnay Wine Vinegar

Made in Yorkshire for the French! says the packet, Vive la Pomme de Terre Britannique, as we say in Lille.

Well, that's an interesting departure. I expect these crisps will be available at branches of Paul all over  France; check them out at motorway service stations.

What a great crisp this is. What a great taste. Every single reluctant taste tester tucked in enthusiastically (except Tall Elegant taste testers because she doesn't like vinegar). Even the empty packet smells fabulous.

I often protest that crisp packets are too big. In this case what a shame we only got to enjoy 40g of this lovely crisp.

Thanks very much to Noble Friend for discovering it. Apparently there are two other flavours to try.

Tesco Bunny Bites

Here's a crispy snack aimed squarely at little children, possibly girls rather than boys.

Made of potato, maize and tapioca starch these cheerful little bunny shapes (face only) reminded us strongly of Pom Bears. And none the worse for that.

Tasting of nothing at all, but in a very yummy way. The reluctant taste testers liked these a lot.

And very many thanks to Noble Friend for donating them to the cause. She thought we might not have tried them, and she was right. But now we have.

Risi Buscalios Sabor Barbacoa / BBQ

Way back when we were still having summer holidays, way back in 2018, taste tester from the New Forest went to Spain on a family holiday, and I am pretty sure it was she who brought home this little packet of barbecue flavour snacks. Gluten free!

Not too strong a flavour, rather tasty corn snack. Not bad.

And interestingly, the packet is labelled in English, Spanish and Arabic. I wonder if you can buy this brand in Morocco? I think so, because my iPad just handily presented me with a Moroccan flag 🇲🇦.

Brown Bag Crisps West Country Farmhouse Cheddar & Onion

Senior taste tester brought this empty (empty!) packet into the office for me.

Natural & delicious says the packet. Proper British hand-cooked potato crisps. Cooked in sunflower oil and gluten free. Hmmn.

I thought Senior taste tester was going to recommend this packet of crisps. No. He was going to tell me he thought the taste was too strong. OK then... I've not tried them myself so there we are.

Choco Palomitas

This is kind of a weird crispy snack. Kind of a weird chocolatey snack. Hmmn... I'm not sure about this packet of snacks brought home from Spain by taste tester from the New Forest.

Not just me (for a change), I think all the reluctant taste testers thought this just a tiny bit (rather a lot) weird. It is crispy - not just chocolatey - but I confess Senior taste tester would look askance at it. He favours crisps that look like crisps.

Not nasty. Just weird. So next time you go to Spain you should try it for yourself.

Carrefour Crackers Goût Pizza

Another, yet another apéritif snack found in France, this one fashioned into the semblance of a miniature pizza.

Once again it's not what I could call a cracker; it's more of a crispy snack if you ask me. But never mind how you describe it, it's pretty tasty. At first glance it's a bit really? but in fact the pizza-ness works rather well.

The reluctant taste testers and I were impressed and snacked enthusiastically.

Yum yum.