CONOR POPElooks at crisps
WALKERS SALT & VINEGAR€0.75 for 34.5g €21.73 per kg
While the Walker people are as guilty as anyone else for overhyping some of their crisp ranges, this entry-level product lacks much of the nonsense found elsewhere and that is very much to Walkers credit. The claim that this bag contains 100 per cent British potatoes might play well in its home country but we’re not sure how impressed Irish crisp lovers will be by such a boast. The crisps are very thinly sliced and have a nice crunch to them. They are not as greasy as their more upmarket rivals and do not seem to have be sprinkled with quite the same amount of crushed/aged/withered/pulled from the vine sea salt as Tayto and King. The problem is salt and grease are what make crisps nice and the bottom line is these are nowhere near as tasty as the others.
VERDICT:A little dull
STAR RATING: **
PASSIONS SEA SALT CIDER VINEGAR CRISPS€1.39 for 150g €9.26 per kg
Even Aldi is at it with the fancy talk. These are “gently” cooked from the “very best potatoes” and have been made with sea salt and cider vinegar. Only they haven’t, as there is no sea salt here. Or cider vinegar. There is, however, the flavour of both, which is not quite the same thing. Aldi also assures us that the potatoes are “farm sourced” (as opposed to?) – and they even have a picture of the farmer on the packet to prove it. Nonsense aside, the crisps are very good. They are extremely crunchy and bursting with flavour. They’re not even that greasy and, when compared to other “gourmet” crisps, they represent very, very good value for money indeed.
VERDICT:Cheap. And farm sourced!
STAR RATING: ****
KING GOLD STANDARD CRISPS€0.95 for 50g €19 per kg
Well, hasn’t King got awful flash? We were practically blinded by the shimmering gold packaging it has dressed its upmarket crisps in. King has “crafted” these crisp in association with Leo Burdock, better known for the fish and chip shops dotted around Dublin. What does this mean? Well, King claims these crisps were made using “a secret recipe thats been handed down to master chefs for 100 years” and the seasoning has been inspired by the world-famous Leo Burdock’s salt and vinegar flavour. No, we dont believe this actually means anything either. The crisps are nice though – crunchy, salty and greasy. What more could you want?
VERDICT: Flash
STAR RATING:***
TAYTO BISTRO CRISPS€1.05 for 50g €21 per kg
We love Tayto. Always have always will. And these crisps are excellent. But seriously, guys, whats going on with the packaging? Bistro? Crushed sea salt? Artisan? Aged malt vinegar? Gourmet? Delicately sliced? Slowly cooked? Theyre only crisps for the love of Pete, not a side order on the menu of a Michelin-starred restaurant. And anyways, just so we’re clear Mr Tayto, there is no actual crushed sea salt or aged malt vinegar in the mix, merely flavourings developed in some lab somewhere which are supposed to mimic those things. And what’s with the serving suggestion? We are never going to serve these with some raw potatoes, a salt mill and a bottle of vinegar no matter what you suggest.
VERDICT: Overblown but still lovely
STAR RATING: ****
TAYTO CHIPSTICKS€0.60 for 28g €21.42 per kg
Okay, so, these may not be actual crisps in the conventional sense of the work and nor have they been slowly hand cut but they are a potatoey snack and when it comes to strong vinegar flavours and moreishness they are very hard to top. They have a lovely sharpness to them and an intense flavour that, we suspect, is down to the magic E621 flavouring. What’s E621 you may ask? Its monosodium glutamate. Now while some people may view the addition of MSG as something bad, Pricewatch is not among them. These are light and airy and will disappear almost the instant they meet your tongue . We know there is very little that is natural about these but sometimes that doesn’t matter. They are dear but do come with added nostalgia and tasted as good as we remember.
VERDICT: Old school
STAR RATING
:*****
