Tayto Meanies Pickled Onion Flavour

I can’t think why I have failed to post this tasty Irish version of Monster Munch before. It was a present from Cliffs of Moher taste tester’s mum at the end of November, and I tried the Meanies at once, so honestly I have no excuse.

As you might suppose this is the style of snack that tastes impossibly strong and sticks to your teeth so firmly that you wonder why you are torturing yourself. However, if someone offers you another bag you snatch it enthusiastically and start the torture afresh. Unless of course you don’t fancy pickled onion flavour.

Not a crispy snack for every day, and probably aimed at 8 year olds. But I confess I rather enjoyed them.

Tayto Salt & Vinegar (Republic of Ireland)

Here’s the final packet of Tayto crisps (and crispy snacks) from the exciting care package the Chef and I received from Ireland. So I thought I should take a look at the Tayto Website.

Where I found actual evidence that the Irish don’t care for what I always call Ready Salted as a flavour. They don’t make salt flavour crisps! Cliffs of Moher Taste Tester did tell me that its hard to buy salty crisps in Ireland. And, you know, why would she make that up? She wouldn’t. Of course not.

Plain salt flavour was just about the only kind of crisp you could get when I was a child so they hold a special place in my heart. And in fact, I often find I like the plain salted flavour best. So despite being of Irish extraction I confess I find this very weird indeed.

Anyhow. Onwards to the Salt & Vinegar flavour. The smell of vinegar is very strong but the taste of the crisps themselves quite gentle. A fine cut, a good crunch and a tasty crisp. I ate a few and the Chef ate all the rest. I think he enjoyed them.

And of course I mustn’t forget that Tayto run a theme park in County Meath, with rides and a zoo and visits to the crisp factory. Although, of course, I am writing this in the time of coronavirus and it’s not currently open. The wooden roller coaster named for Ireland’s great mythical hero Cú Chulainn looks absolutely terrifying. And it’s not very reassuring to read it’s not suitable for people with heart or back conditions, or pregnant guests.

Tayto Smokey Bacon (Republic of Ireland)

This Smokey Bacon potato crisp (or chip) from Irish crisp giant Tayto is a very good crisp.

The crisp itself has a lovely light texture, a nice crunch. But. Unfortunately the Smokey Bacon flavour is not particularly to my taste. Here’s a Welsh Smokey Bacon crisp from Taylors, or another version from Walkers which seemed to be surprisingly popular with the reluctant taste testers. But perhaps not with me. Or the Chef.

Bacon can be a good flavour for a crispy snack but I find myself less impressed by smokey bacon. I don’t really understand why it seems to be so popular.

At any rate, the crisps themselves are very nice so I dare say I might be pleased to try a different flavour.

Tayto Snax Potato Puffs Cheese & Onion (Republic of Ireland)

Cliffs of Moher Taste Tester tells me that one of her favourite Irish snacks is Tayto Snax Smokey Bacon. Unfortunately the Chef and I can’t tell you what we think of that because Cliffs of Moher sent us a packet of Cheese & Onion flavour instead. But you know I’m not complaining, because it was super kind of her to send us such a fun present while we are all in lockdown.

I was very pleased when I opened the packet because I thought we were going to be taste testing a crispy snack akin to the fabulous UK snack Quavers. But not so.

A bit too pale, the wrong texture - too fine, and the bubbles aren’t big enough  - the bubbles are important. And of course because we are such huge fans of Quavers, the Cheese & Onion flavour didn’t seem quite right. But worst of all, the bite is too soft.

So, very sorry but I wasn’t impressed. I don’t know why I found this such a disappointing crispy snack. Sometimes it’s impossible to say. And I can tell the Chef wasn’t impressed either because the bowl of snacks remained full: he’s so greedy if he likes something it’s gone in a flash!

However, apparently while this crispy snack didn’t work as a lunchtime snack for the Chef, he was much more interested post his pre-dinner shower. And I think started enjoying his snacking. In the end he ate quite a lot.

Tayto Rancheros Bacon (Republic of Ireland)

I don’t know whether to be disappointed or not that this crispy snack doesn’t look like a fake bacon rasher. I was quite expecting something more like Snacketti Bacon Strips from Swiss crisp giant Zweifel. But no.

No, what you get is a tasty, slightly bacon tasting crispy snack. Which isn’t printed with faux bacon stripes but instead has a sort of bacon style structure to it.

This is a gently flavoured bacon snack, and all the better for it. The Chef was quite impressed and ate half the packet in an absent-minded fashion while checking his emails. This is one of Cliffs of Moher’s recommendations. Although she says they are a bit weird.

Chuck Wagon photo Courtesy Library of Congress 

What I find a bit weird is the cowboy theme. What? Do cowboys only eat bacon? From my extensive research watching many westerns when I was growing up (they used to be on television all the time: it was the fashion) I had gathered that what cowboys ate was beans. When I read The Virginian, written by Owen Wister in 1902, (which spawned a Broadway play, a number of films and a long running TV series) I was struck that the characters rode across the endless empty plains of the Wyoming Territory eating tinned tomatoes straight from the tin. And then discarding the tins so they marked the trail. I don’t think I have ever noticed tinned tomatoes in a TV western.

In fact of course, a little genuine research tells me that cowboys ate salt pork not bacon at all. Obviously beans. And somewhat surprisingly, quite a lot of dried fruit.

KP Velvet Crunch Cheddar Cheese & Onion Gourmet Bites

Well now. For some reason I thought this crispy snack was going to be a potato crisp. But no. It’s made with tapioca and cassava and is more of a very fine-grained Popchips style of snack, or perhaps the texture of a Bunny Bites. You will have noticed that this misconception is entirely my fault because obviously I failed to look at the picture on the packet: patently not a crisp. However, it wasn’t just me. The Chef thought the same.

So, this fine, and perhaps velvety, snack from Ireland seems to be made on the same premises as Tayto snacks. Now, Tayto is owned by Intersnack as is KP Snacks, but for some reason the Tayto and Velvet Crunch brands don’t want to advertise this. And so far as I can tell, Tayto hasn’t gone down the KP Snacks route. But the ownership of crisp companies is often convoluted and complex, so let’s move on to the taste.

So what did the Chef and I think? A bit more oniony than cheesy. And the texture is so oddly light you rather eat them without noticing. I think I would prefer a snack with more substance. A bit more of a crunch. This crispy snack may have 60% less fat than standard crisps but (a) it isn’t a crisp, and (b) it has a fair percentage less crunch. And I think crunch is important.

Velvet Crunch was relaunched by KP in 2017 to reflect its new “healthier positioning”. I suppose that’s why the number of calories features so large on the front of the packet. Interestingly, the two other flavours, Thai Sweet Chilli and Salt & Vinegar, have 1 less calorie each than today’s snack.

Tayto Mighty Munch Hot & Spicy (Republic of Ireland)

Goodness gracious! What terrifying creatures we create to convince the children to eat crispy snacks. As if we need to. Mighty Munch, made to scare the mightiest of appetites, these hot and spicy flavour snacks will stomp all over your taste buds. As a mighty muncher, you don’t scare easily. You’re not afraid of what goes bump in the night or crunch in the dark. Boo.. see, you didn’t even flinch!

Very similar to the U.K.’s much loved but terrifying-tasting Monster Munch, this maize based snack is amazingly tasty. Mmmn... yum yum! Obviously they gum themselves to your teeth just like every other maize based snack but that is only to be expected.

 I’m not sure what they actually taste of (I mean, you know, spice extract? What is that exactly? Which spices? Who knows?) but I’m not sure it really matters. And apparently these crispy snacks have been dunked in a volcano for maximum tastiness. Do they have volcanoes in Ireland?

If you’re looking for a full frontal bonkersly tasty snack this could be the one for you. I got mine posted to Switzerland by a friend (amazing!) but perhaps you could visit Ireland for a holiday one day? Or get yourself some Irish friends.

And if you haven’t seen one of those TV programmes about the making of crispy snacks and can find an online video of a machine extruding maize snacks, it’s definitely worth taking a look. Unfortunately I am writing this in a country where none of the videos I’m thinking of is available so I can’t choose a good one one for you. But I know they’re out there. It’s a very exciting process!

The Chef wasn’t quite prepared to admit to enjoying his Mighty Munch; but he did say it’s a very moreish snack and if you have a bowl of them set right in front of you, you won’t be able to stop yourself. And he did eat quite a lot.

Suitable for vegetarians.

Tayto ChicKatees ChicKen (Republic of Ireland)

I know I have discussed this chicken flavour maize puff snack with Cliffs of Moher Taste Tester because I was so stunned to discover a maize puff that didn’t taste of cheese. I distinctly remember standing beside her desk one lunchtime at work and saying, “Chicken? Who on earth thought of that?

Well, apparently Irish crisp giants Tayto thought of chicken flavour, so here we are with a bright blue packet covered in slightly hysterical cartoon chickens. Obviously.

Feelin’ peckish? asks the packet, inside this bag are Mr Tayto’s delicious ChicKatees prime for a kickin’. What are you waiting for? Don’t just sit there reading the back of this packet, dive on in there and show those chickens who’s boss! Why a capital K in the middle of the word I don’t know.

Well, yes. Hmm. It’s a typical maize based snack. Or is it? The traditional Cheesy Wotsits style snack is cheesy. The Danish crispy snack Kims Ostepops which the reluctant taste testers learned to love after a single bite is cheesy. The ever fabulous M&S Cheese Tasters which, obviously is a cheesy snack.

Or, yes OK, the rather different Tesco Sausage Roll flavour... but that was a Christmas special so you could argue it doesn’t really count. Oh, er, and Cheetos Spirals Cheese & Tomato Ketchup from Poland. Oh alright then. I have argued myself out of my own argument. But do admit that chicken flavour is a little out of the ordinary for a maize puff snack.

Slightly unfortunate: it’s not a very chickeny taste. After a bit of practice you can convince yourself it’s a chicken flavour, but it isn’t very strong. I thought the most chickeny bit was the left over flavour dust at the bottom of the packet. Do not neglect the flavour dust.

It’s quite tasty as snacks go though, and the Chef and I had no trouble snacking down this little packet in double quick time.

Tayto Wheelies Bacon (Republic of Ireland)

 

Wheelies says the packaging, that crispy bacon flavour that makes you want to do a few heel clickers before free styling down the hill, hoping that your brakes still work. Or crazier still, attempt your new superman seat grab. Man that’s extreme snacking!

Well, that all sounds very exciting but, being the world’s most unlikely motorcyclist (reluctant taste testers are you surprised?) I have no idea what it’s about. Of course this is a dirt bike or trail bike or something, designed for bouncing around hillsides in mud. Which doesn’t make it any more attractive to me. A failed ex-boyfriend thought it a good plan to make me ride a motor scooter down a Spanish cliff with no edges. Guess what? Not a good idea. It was absolutely terrifying. He said I was cowardly, I said I was being sensible. I would far rather walk than plunge to my doom because I had never ridden a scooter on the flat let alone down a cliff.

Anyway, I am quite a fan of crispy bacon, and very partial to a maize based snack. So when an exciting parcel of crispy snacks arrived from Cliffs of Moher Taste Tester and her mum in Ireland (Hello!) I picked this to try first.

Right, step one: don’t sniff the packet. This snack smells disgusting! But I poured them all, not very many because it’s only a 20g bag, into a bowl and put them on the window cill to rest. And? Actually they taste pretty good. There’s that strange granular texture you get with maize based shapes, and obviously they stick to your teeth as though they’ll be there forever and get the better of your dental hygienist, but the taste is savoury and quite a bit bacony (albeit suitable for vegetarians) and the Chef and I had no difficulty in snacking down these wheel-shaped snacks.

Plus! There’s a little guy throwing his rubbish away responsibly. We haven’t had one of them for a while have we?

O'Donnells of Tipperary Hand Cooked Crisps Irish Sea Salt

This a a hard to find crisp. Apparently the Irish don't much care for plain salted crisps (how weird can you get? It's my favourite flavour), but Cliffs of Moher taste tester’s mother tenaciously tracked a packet down for us to try. Apparently she visited just about every crisp emporium for miles around. In Ireland obviously.

And actually, I wonder why O'Donnells make sea salt crisps if the local crisp buying population aren't mad keen on the flavour? I guess I will never know the ins and outs of it.

Anyway, the reluctant taste testers fell upon this crisp like a flock of gannets. Or perhaps a plague of locusts.

Delicious. A lovely crisp. You don’t get much better.

Keogh’s Crickle Cut Irish Sea Salt & Crushed Black Pepper

A great big crunchy crinkle cut crisp; this was specially imported exported from Ireland by Cliff's of Moher's mother who seems very keen to assist in the crisp tasting activities of a bunch of people she's never met.

Grown with love in Ireland. Deliciously fresh Irish potato crisps. Gluten free. Handcooked on our Family Farm. The Keogh family believe that good things come from Mother Nature and that is why we have been working the land growing delicious Irish potatoes for over 200 years. We are now hand cooking Ireland's finest crisps in small batches on our farm, 'from crop to crisp', grown and cooked with love in Ireland. Loads to read on the packet which, as ever, is full of more information than you might expect.

My crisps here were grown in a field called Malahide (you can see pictures of your named field on the Spud Nav page of the Keogh's website), the potato variety Lady Claire, and cooked by Magdalena. And the sea salt comes from the O'Neill's, at Irish Atlantic Sea Salt.

But why is this crisp so sweet? And really peppery. I think the reluctant taste testers would have preferred more salt less sweet.

But, you know. Still a tasty.

O'Donnells of Tipperary Hickory Barbecue Flavour

Hmnn... I confess I am quite disappointed. Cliffs of Moher taste tester told me this was a truly great crisp with a fab flavour. And guess what? I didn't much like it.  But I shouldn't be surprised because I almost never lie the barbecue flavour crisps and of course that's what this is.

However, worry not readers, because the reluctant taste testers paid no attention to my pickiness and liked this handsome Irish crisp anyway. And I suspect that unless you share my unreasonable dislike of BBQ as a flavour, you will enjoy them too.

This really is a handsome crisp and if it didn't taste all wrong for me I think I'd like it quite a lot.

So don't listen to me, listen to the reluctant taste testers and know that they approve. And this crisp won an Irish Food Award in 2013.

O'Donnells of Tipperary Irish Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt Hand Cooked Crisps

Another sensational crisp from Irish crispmeisters O'Donnells of Tipperary. All the reluctant taste testers who expressed a preference loved this crisp. Except Tall Elegant taste tester who can be a bit picky about salt. Her one trial crisp ended up in the compost bin (we do our very best on the recycling front).

We have to thank Cliffs of Moher taste tester for buying these wonderful crisps which I understand can only be found in the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately she left them at home and we had to wait for her mum to post them. But lucky us because here they are.... or were... before we snacked them all up.

All our regulars loved this great crisp with just the right crunch and a fabulous flavour. Brand new taste tester from the New Forest took our snacking activities in her stride and enjoyed this crisp too.

I snaffled a few at the bottom of the packet for the Chef to try at home and, despite the fact that he doesn’t like salt & vinegar much as a crisp flavour, he polished them off in no time at all. His considered opinion? An excellent crisp.

Top marks all round. If only we could buy them in a handy North London branch of Waitrose (obviously other supermarkets are available).

O'Donnells of Tipperary Hand Cooked Crisps Mature Irish Cheese & Red Onion Flavour

What a wonderful crisp this is.

Posted to London by Cliffs of Moher taste tester's mother from darkest Ireland, this packet of crisps arrived at my house, went back to the office and was snacked up quick smart by the reluctant taste testers who were all very enthusiastic.

I see from the packet that this crisp won the Irish Café Quality Food & Drink Awards in 2015 and I'm not surprised. It is always harder to write about a really fabulous product than one you don't like (yes, I know that seems a bit counter intuitive), but what can one say?

Lovely crisps, nice crunch, great flavour. Everyone enjoyed it.

Tayto Waffles Bacon (Republic of Ireland)

Cliffs of Moher taste tester went home to see her mum for Easter and watch as much of their new Shetland Seasons 1 - 3 DVD as possible, and she bought a packet of crisps too.

It’s a small, 35g, packet and the waffles are quite big - nicely made though. I was impressed they aren’t all furry and the waffle shape works really well, not blurred and a bit vague. And you get more in the packet than often happens. Very nice.

And the bacon flavour is very true, quite bacony. Nice crunch.

I think most of the reluctant taste testers liked this crispy snack, even Senior taste tester who normally complains if the snack isn’t actually a crisp.

O'Donnells of Tipperary Hand Cooked Crisps Ballymaloe Relish & Cheddar Cheese Flavour

A great surprise this week when Cliffs of Moher taste tester got a parcel from her mother in Ireland. Because as well as the expected contents, there was a packet of genuine Irish crisps for me and the reluctant taste testers to try, and a jar of Irish relish for Noble Friend. Well, that’s a very kind gesture from someone I have never met, and may never get to meet.

An especially kind gesture as this is a crisp probably not available in the UK, in fact a brand of crisp I had never heard of; and so would not have searched for. But what a treat! This is a great crisp.

What a tragedy it would have been never to have been made aware or this brand, because this is a really great potato crisp. Nice big crisps with a very good crunch, and a fabulous flavour. I had never tried Ballymaloe Relish before (unlike Noble Friend who loves it), but I thought it made a pretty great crisp flavour. The cheese element isn’t very noticeable but that does not detract from a really top flavour. Although it would be interesting to see what it would taste like sans cheddar.

I think all the reluctant taste testers enjoyed this Irish crisp very much. Except Tall Elegant taste tester who doesn’t much care for tomatoes.

And I would just love to try a plain salted version of this wonderful crisp because I think that's the ultimate test of a good crisp. But Cliffs of Moher taste tester tells me that the Irish don't really care for plain salt as a crisp flavour. Speaking (writing) as a person with a Scottish name but lots of Irish ancestry I find that very weird.

Nevermind. This is a fab crisp. Get yourself to Ireland and try it for yourself because I don't think you can get this crisp brand anywhere else. And well done Ed O'Donnell for deciding to diversify.
Read about O'Donnell's here.

Tayto Cheese & Onion (Republic of Ireland)

Well now, the reluctant taste testers have tried Tayto crisps before but what I had not appreciated was that the crisps we tried were not the genuine article. At least they were... but they were Tayto as recommended by Tall taste tester who comes from Northern Ireland and were purchased at Tesco and Fortnum & Mason.

This packet of Tayto crisps was kindly purchased in the Republic of Ireland by Cliffs of Moher taste tester, a native of Southern Ireland, possibly even a native of County Clare, which is not at all the same thing as Tayto crisps bought in the UK.

And I gather that your genuine Irish crisps are a vastly superior product.

I'm not sure I'm going to comment on that for fear of causing a rift in Anglo-Irish relations which is possible at any time (and I won't say more than that). However, I am prepared to say that this is a very tasty Cheese & Onion, a very nice finely cut crisp with a light crunch.

Deary me though! Cliffs of Moher taste tester has a lot to learn. Although she put out a bowl of crisps in the kitchen; she threw the packet away before I had the chance to document it. I had to wash off a load of coffee grounds. Pah!

I rather like the little graphic on the back of the packet which I think shows Mr Tayto visiting Tayto Park.