Tasto Japanese Seaweed Crisps

Tall elegant taste tester has been to the Far East recently and brought back this offering for the reluctant taste testers and me. She is now covered in confusion because she has subsequently discovered that the signature crisp of Tasto is apparently curried crab and she stupidly bought Japanese seaweed instead. Doh! I think we can forgive that. Of course we can. We'll live. I mean, it's very kind of her to bring any crispy snack home with her.

And what did we think? Japanese seaweed? Sounds disgusting doesn't it? But in fact not so weird as you might suppose.

And the reluctant taste testers, far from saying "ugh yuk, what's this nonsense?" said, instead that this is a very tasty snack, delicious, they liked the umami, and what was the flavour because they were rather enjoying it.

OK. So the reluctant taste testers are getting really international in their appreciation of crispy snack flavours. And good for them. Or... why not?

A pretty good crisp, not a bad flavour, not a bad crisp. Tasty. We quite liked these.

M&S Christmas Belgian Dark Chocolate Coated Chilli Tortilla Chips

This is another product I went back to the shop to buy another packet and found it had disappeared from the shelves. Maybe it will return (would be fun for Christmas Day) but it does seem odd that products are so ephemeral these days.

I'm not sure that the reluctant taste testers were terribly fetched by the idea of a chilli tortilla with a thick layer of chocolate. I confess I was rather dubious myself. However, I decided that this is a rather fabulous crispy snack. Hence the attempt to buy more. And they did all get eaten up.

The outside of the packaging looks like this, the inside is a shiny and golden. No point in scanning that because it doesn't really come across, but it does make a great backdrop for the tortilla chips.

The chocolate is really good and thick, the tortillas not too chilli-y (maybe a little more chilli would not be a bad thing) but the whole effect... I decided I really liked it. It's a very nice combination.

Maybe you'd look at this and think ooh that sounds a bit odd. But I think these tortillas are rather good. Give them a try if you spot them on a shelf.

Walkers Cheese, Cucumber & Salad Cream

This is one of the new (presumably limited edition) sandwich filler flavour crisps from Walkers. And what a strange sandwich this would be. Or would it?

I have to say I have never made a cheese, cucumber and salad cream sandwich. Having just typed that I'm sitting here thinking, well, maybe that would be quite tasty. And yes, it probably would be; depending on the cheese of course. From the photograph it could be basic cheddar. But I've never thought of building such a sandwich. And we don't usually have Heinz Salad cream in the house; we have Hellman's Mayo instead. So... you know...

Am I right in thinking that not so long ago Heinz tried to get rid of their Salad Cream? Yup, here we are (I'm afraid this link is from the Daily Mail but it is interesting); in 1989 Heinz considered scrapping Salad Cream. But after a massive public outcry (apparently led by Roy Hattersley MP) the scrappage was quickly cancelled and it seems the product has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Here it is starring in a Walkers crisp flavour!

And oh dear! Do you see what I thought there? "Not so long ago" I wrote. And it turned out to be 1989. Oh dear, oh dear. That makes me feel very old....

Anyway...This isn't a bad crisp. Quite fine cut, a little pale in colour and tasting slightly of little gherkins rather than cucumber. But interesting. It's hard to pick the cheese or the salad cream but most of the reluctant taste testers quite liked these crisps.

It's still a bit weird. In fact, somehow the whole sandwich filler flavour thing is a bit weird. But the way crisps are going I guess you have to come up with new flavours all the time. So why not?

The Mail on Sunday Asks: Just How Healthy Are "Healthier Crispy Snacks"?

The Mail on Sunday's Health page decided to take a look at the so-called healthier crisps on sale these days. Ans there's no denying there are plenty of them.

The Mail says: It is the snack trend of the moment: crisps made from root vegetables, beans, chickpeas, egg-whites or, if it must be potato, baked rather than fried. They promise not only to preserve our waistlines but also boost our health. I am not convinced this is correct. Healthy option crisps are an old story and most of them say they are "guilt free" rather than try to convince you they are actively good for you.

So anyway the Mail on Sunday asked nutritionist Fiona Hunter to examine some of the most popular "healthy crisps"... and her verdicts may come as a surprise. Well, maybe, but I hope you've noticed that my sidebar shows "crispy snacks that may be a little more healthy for you than most". They may be slightly healthier but I'm not convinced that any crispy snack is particularly healthy because almost all are chock full of salt (and fat and goodness knows what else) and these days salt is universally agreed to be a bad thing.

So what's the verdict then? Here's my synopsis, and my comments, going anti-clockwise round the page.

Popchips Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips
The packet says "All the flavour with less than half the fat of fried crisps."
Fiona says 3/10
Low in fibre so no positive contribution to your diet.
I think Fiona is a bit optimistic expecting a positive contribution from a crispy snack, but there you go. I tried Popchips Barbecue Flavour and wasn't that impressed. I seem to remember the texture was fine. But not the flavour.

Walkers Sunbites Sun Ripened Sweet Chilli
The packet says "An extraordinarily tasty multigrain snack, 30% less fat than regular crisps."
Fiona says 5/10
Multigrain is one of those terms that sounds good but offers no nutritional benefits whatsoever.
I tried a packet of Sour Cream & Cracked Black Pepper Sunbites and rather enjoyed them.

M&S Eat Well Spicy Chorizo Sweet Potato Snacks
The packet says "Baked not fried."
Fiona says 8/10
Fewer calories and less fat than many other snacks... fibre equivalent to about two oatcakes.
The reluctant taste testers and I haven't tried these. Mostly because I tend to avoid sweet potato snacks. I have to admit this is a pretty good score but I don't terribly like chorizo so not sure about the flavour.

Tyrrell's Mixed Root Vegetable Crisps
The packet says "Hand cooked beetroot, parsnip and carrot crisps with sea salt. No artificial ingredients, Free from gluten."
Fiona says 4/10
The bag contains more fat than a McDonald's cheeseburger.
Frankly I think I'll stick with a cheeseburger! Again, I haven't tried this crispy snack because I don't usually buy vegetable crisps. But there's really nothing to stop me expanding my horizons.

Chirps Free-Range High Protein Egg White Bites Sour Cream & Onion Flavour
The packet says "Made with free-range eggs: high protein, low in carbohydrate, low fat, low sugar, natural flavouring, 30% less calories than other crisps."
Fiona says 3/10
Low in fibre and the highest in salt of all the crisps we looked at.
I have never seen an egg white crispy snack and the concept sounds all wrong to me. What do you think? I mean, what do you have to do to an unsuspecting egg white to come up with a crispy snack? I might try this for the purpose of research but reluctantly.

Yushoi Sweet Chilli & Lemon
The packet says "Baked, source of protein, high fibre, made with 68% green peas, no artificial colours, flavours or MSG."
Fiona says 7/10
Peas are better than a potato-based snack... you should feel fuller for longer.
The reluctant taste testers and I tried Yushoi Snapea Rice Sticks Smoked Salt & Szechuan Pepper. I've got to say we weren't mad keen. I've tried several pea based snacks and honestly? I'll take potato every time. However, the most popular post on this blog is pea-based: M&S Eat Well Green Chilli Lime & Coriander Pea Snaps. Which the reluctant taste testers and I thought were horrid. And that has absolutely not stopped anyone wanting to read about them. Remarkable.

RW Garcia Organic Thai Sweet & Spicy Tortilla Chips with Flaxseed
The packet says "The perfect organic snack. Organic, non GMO, transfer free and gluten free certified."
Fiona says 5/10
The suggested serving size (50g) is far too big for a snack...
This sounds like clutching at straws. I have never seen any RW Garcia products but certainly 50g is about twice the size of a small packet of crisps - which I would usually take as a serving.

Beanitos White Bean Chips
The packet says "Source of protein, high fibre, gluten free... beans are better."
Fiona says 8/10
As much fat as a bag of [Walkers] cheese & onion, but similar protein to a 150ml glass of skimmed milk and the same amount of fibre as two and a half Ryvita Multigrain crackers. But available only as a 170g pack so you might end up eating more than the suggested serving of 28g.
Again, I have never seen a Beanitos product but this crispy snack seems to get the best review (and I have quoted it in full).

The thing is, most people don't expect to get their fibre or protein from a crispy snack; they don't say to me "well, I'm hoping this crisp will lower my cholesterol/blood pressure". No, they expect to get a quick fix of salty yumminess.

I can't help feeling it's going to take a whole lot of education to make your average snacker think about protein in their snacks. And a whole lot of crispy snack manufacturers making completely different crispy snacks.

Of course that would be considerably healthier for all of us, but a miserable prospect for me. I love salty crispy snacks. I know they aren't good for me... OK, they're bad for me. But I can't help loving them. Is it my fault my parents decided sweets and chocolate were a bad thing and gave me and my brother salty crispy snacks instead?

Actually I really do eat fewer crisps and crispy snacks than you think. I have the reluctant taste testers and the Chef to help me out and often try only 1 or 2 crisps. Yes of course, sometimes I eat a lot more, but truly I could be eating a great many more crisps than I do. And the great thing is to understand how bad for you the average crisp is.

So my advice is:

• Don't feel the need to eat "healthy" crispy snacks that you don't fancy.
• Eat fewer crispy snacks. Eat crispy snacks as a special treat, as a luxury that you will savour. Save up your crispy snack ration for the weekend or a special occasion. Make a packet of cheese & onion or slightly salted something to look forward to. Try not to nosh down a vast packet of high salt, high fat, low protein, low fibre (which is to say totally normal) crisps every day.
• And eat them slowly; a small packet lasts longer that way. 

Sounds simple doesn't it? If you think you eat too many crisps why not give it a try?

Dao Fruits Mixed Fruit Chips

Yes, I know. Not my usual territory, but this packet was brought home from the Far East by Tall Elegant taste tester who has been away for a couple of weeks.

This snack was provided by Lao Airlines and included banana, jackfruit, sweet potato, pumpkin, taro, and pineapple. I'm not convinced that sweet potato is a fruit but I'm not going to argue with the manufacturers.

The packet suggests you could try this snack at home. At tea time. On a picnic. Or outdoors. Which is weird considering the packet also says quite plainly "Lao Airlines"! Outdoors? On the wing perhaps? Maybe they just expect you to stuff it into your hand luggage and take it away to eat in a jungle.

The reluctant taste testers and I did not get to try this fruity snack as Tall Elegant taste tester ate it on her Lao Airlines flight. But it was handsome of her to bring the packet home for posterity.

I asked her if these fruit chips were good and she said yes. Yes, very nice, really really nice. She was very impressed with them. So fly Lao Airlines then for the highly recommended fruit chips.

Pom-Bär Paprika

This is a huge 100g bag of Pom Bears I found in Switzerland.

Now, I rather enjoy Pom Bear original. It's a lovely flavour of not very much. And increasingly I find I really like a crispy snack that tastes of not a lot. So I wasn't really sure I wanted to enjoy paprika flavour Pom Bears.

But they are kind of moreish.

The Chef really enjoyed his share of the packet (about half) and most of the reluctant taste testers were happy too. 'I really like a Pom Bear' they said as they snacked into a slightly orange, slightly smiling potato foam bear-shaped snack. Even Discerning Architectural taste tester likes Pom Bears, although Tall taste tester wasn't that impressed.

We have now tried Pom Bear Cheese & Onion and Pom Bear Original. So it was interesting to try another flavour. And indeed a flavour not bought in the UK.

KP Frosted Honey Roast Peanuts & Cashews mixed with pieces of Belgian Milk Chocolate Honeycomb

As we step forward cautiously into this brave new world of ever stranger politics (forthcoming attractions: elections in The Netherlands, France and Germany), perhaps it's time to buy more nuts.

Regular readers will have noted that I haven't had a whole lot to say about nuts until just recently. There are so very many potato crisps to write about, and crispy snacks, and popcorn, that I thought nuts might be an unwelcome distraction.

However, I couldn't help observing the stealthy entry of nuts, alongside crisps and popcorn, into the weird and wonderful world of fancy flavours. Dutch taste tester tells me she welcomes this departure. Apparently interesting flavours of nuts have long been on sale in The Netherlands. I gather they are called Cocktail Nuts.

Anyway this little packet of Christmassy nuts (snowy Christmas trees on the packet - what a giveaway) almost leapt off the supermarket shelf into my shopping basket.

Oh dear. The Chef and I think this packet of nuts is rather good. We could get seriously fat. And the reluctant taste testers haven't got a hope of trying this packet because I don't think the Chef would be happy to see it leave the building. But I will buy another packet for the Christmas tea table when the relations come round.

Peanuts and Cashews, all covered and coated in sparkly honey roast yumminess and chocolate coated honeycomb! Amazing eh? Who could possibly resist? Apart from people with a peanut allergy obviously. Which is a dreadful thing. But seriously give them a try if you can find them.

Not nearly enough chunks of chocolate coated honeycomb. But that is a tiny criticism.

Oh, and shock horror.... none left in the supermarket just one day later. And no space on the shelf for them either. None at all in two other supermarkets the Chef has investigated. Did I imagine buying this fabulous product?

Update: the reluctant taste testers have now had an opportunity to try this amazing product. And found it almost universally fabulous. Senior taste tester (who has given up remarking when something is not a crisp - no! it's not - you're quite right) did suggest somewhat grumpily that the taste is a bit sweet but everyone else ignored this truth. History Graduate taste tester (back again) said it was without doubt the best selection of nuts ever. Yum!

And: luckily this product is now available in the shops again!

M&S The Collection Bucks Fizz Hand Cooked Potato Crisps

What was the Senior taste tester thinking? He sprang this crisp upon the reluctant taste testers and me without any warning so we had no idea what we were crunching into. And I have to tell you that it was a bit of a shock.

Have a crisp said he. So I did. Aargh! And oh dear.

If you don't know what Bucks Fizz is, let me enlighten you. It's a cocktail made from two parts Champagne to one part orange juice. Slightly different from the more prettily named Mimosa which is half and half Champagne and orange juice (or other citrus fruit juice). So obviously it's fizzy. And these crisps are fizzy too.

I really cannot reconcile myself to the idea of fizzy crisps. Somehow fizz and potato crisps don't seem to be made for each other. Naturally I don't want to prejudice you in any way against these crisps but I didn't like them at all. Orange doesn't seem to be a good flavour for a crisp and fizzy crisps are just wrong. The reluctant taste testers weren't mad about them either.

The crisps themselves are rather nice. A good crunch and the skin left on. But they have these little gold bits scattered across them (edible gold of course) and then there's the weirdly fizzy flavour dust.

I have to confess I had already bought a packet of this new flavour from Marks & Spencer. I'll keep them now for Christmas to surprise and stun the family.

We tried two different Prosecco flavoured fizzy crisps last year, and I'm sorry to say that both of them made it onto the Crispy Crunchy Snacks We Really Didn't Like list (see the sidebar).

Walkers Tear'n'Share Lightly Salted Crisps

This 150g packet of lightly salted, thicker cut crisps from Walkers comes in their new (fairly new) Tear'n'Share packet. The idea is that you grab the packet and pull. And you get a bowl. So no need for an actual bowl then.

But I couldn't open the packet! I put my thumbs in the designated "place thumbs here" spot - a red thumb-shaped place - and I pulled, and pulled but nothing happened. So I had to resort to stabbing the perforated line with a small sharp knife to help me break into the packet. Maybe I didn't push down strongly enough. Or perhaps I am simply not strong enough to fight my way into a crisp packet. You'd think I might have had plenty of practice.

But the bowl design works really well. The top part of the packet folds inwards and lo! you get a bowl.

Plus these lightly salted crisps are very nice indeed. Very nice on their own, very nice with a dip. This is an excellent crisp..

Not so lightly salted either. I wonder how salty the fully salted version is? Or perhaps they don't make a salted version any more. Anyway, this definitely deserves a yum!

Belin Les Frenchips Goût Poulet Rôti

Cuites au four & maxi craquantes says the packet. And maxi craquantes is right. These very fine roast chicken flavour crispy snacks are extremely craquantes - very crunchy indeed. Very crispy really because they are so fine is seems better to say crispy than crunchy. It's a fine distinction I know, but there you are.

And the flavour? Interesting... it seems that the reluctant taste testers who knew they were trying a roast chicken flavour crispy snack picked the flavour with no trouble at all and agreed it was really chickeny. Those who weren't told didn't get the flavour. Obviously I knew because I bought the packet so I found it odd that those who didn't know did not pick this flavour which had seemed so obvious to me.

Well, again, I guess there you are.

Trés trés nouveau says the packet. Not just new, but very very new. Amazing!

And apart from the name "Frenchips"... friendships? ..... what did the reluctant taste testers think?

Delicious. Pity the extreme thinness of the crispy snack leaves us with so very many breakages but the taste and the crunch is just great. Everyone loved it.

Yes, a great shame so many of the very fine crispy snack (almost but not quite biscuitty) thins were broken. This could be because the packet was bought in France, driven to Switzerland and then driven home to London. But I suspect not. I think it's because the fineness makes them very brittle. But that does not affect the excellent taste.

There are other flavours which I hope to discover next time the Chef & I are in France.