As I sit here in Crisp Nation HQ, the skies outside are blue & the sun is shining.
I'm hopeful for this summer to be a great one, one with BBQs a plenty, where you're 110% sure that someone will be bringing big old share bags of crisps and soaking up the excellent flavours of new crisp makers that are making their mark on the UK market.
Sure in 10 minutes it'll be grey and hailing - but for now I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

Corkers have really impressed me. As an independent crisp maker there's a lot to learn, a massive corporate beast to fight against, and many subtle flavouring techniques that make all the difference. So to see Corkers do so well fills me with British pride.

Their crunch is unparalleled. Their flavours are right on. 

Here they've perfected a not too sweet, sweet chilli. Sure I'd like to see them chucking in double the amount of flavouring - but the essential ingredients are there for a great flavour. A peppery paprika and a herby finish. Just tip a little more in and i'll be sound as a pound.

7/10

Well I didn't this combo coming! Flaming hot monster munch, flaming hot wotsits, chilli heatwave Doritos & Worcester sauce french fries... All in one. That's pretty mental.

Sure they're fun... But what it highlights for me is how much better flaming hot monster munch & chilli heatwave Doritos are than flaming hot wotsits!

Flaming hot wotsits are pretty sickly... And unfortunately even though I love french fries Worcester sauce - I just can't taste it with all that flaming hot in there...

Pretty exciting packet of crisps as they come... 

7/10

Another classic done well by trusty old Corkers.

Here we have an excellent example of cheese & onion. There are many options for a crisp maker of where to take this flavour and I think Corkers have made the right choice.

Red leicester doesn't quite have the tang of mature cheddar - but the creaminess really comes out here. Tastes great. 

Onion Caramelised is something of a favourite of mine, I love them in burgers, I love them as chutney and I love them in a ploughmans.. all of these things have something in common - cheese.

Cheese and Caramelised onions go together like peas & carrots. It's represented here with a subtle sugary sweetness that is more than welcome on these super crunchy, herby looking morsels.


Highest a classic gets is a 7, and boy do Corkers deserve it.

7/10

At the home of honest crisp reviews (and new crisp news) I feel like i'm being dishonest by actually liking a whole range...

But I'm really struggling to find anything a-miss with Corkers. They really are the quality crisp maker that everyone likes to make out to be.

That crunch... I mean it's just great. 

Here we have a sausage taste VERY similar to that of the image behind the crisp. What you see is what you taste. Personally I'd like a bigger hit of mustard as it's a little subtle for my tastes - but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea. They're really moreish though.

Bravo!

8/10

I'm holding a packed of Gressingham Duck & Hoisin Sauce Flavour crisps by Corkers. Holding it, looking a little perplexed. On paper it just doesn't work does it. Duck flavour crisps? You gotta be ducking kidding me.

But wait, let's think about this. Duck - Crispy Duck - Crispy duck with Hoisin sauce. Chinese pancakes - potato starch. I'm seeing a connection. Let's have a dabble.

Yes people. Yes. This is the real deal. A super rich and aromatic hoisin flavour with paprika notes snapping at your taste buds. I like this muchly. There is something about the potatoes that seem different with Corkers as well. Just great quality. 

A bold move by corkers but they nailed it. I also believe in British made. An extra point for that. The migration is this way folks, get in line. 

8.5/10

I was so impressed by the potato in the Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar that I just couldn't resist. You know when you sit at your desk and there's a packet of crisps sat there screaming 'eat me!! eat me you know you want to!'

Yeah.. this sea salt was calling to me, pleading and begging. I had to put it out of its misery.

And I'm glad I did. 

Going in for sea salt at corkers gives a real insight to the awesomeness of the crisp. 

It has a perfect crunch and thickness, it's not greasy but not dry, the skin is left on and the curl of the crisp is of no detriment (potato crisps change throughout the year - sometimes they're a better crop than others, and need more time to cook, sometimes they curl up and sometimes they're flat. Usually a curly crisp it's not that good a crop.. but in this case they taste great.)

Really impressed with the range so far, I'd recommend going and checking them out yourself!

7/10

Next up in the corkers range is Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar and i'm starting to get a real taste for how good these potatoes are. So moreish, such a difference, such a great crunch.

Salt levels are good and the vinegar has less of a walkers tang and more of the favoured cidery sweetness which is welcome. 

Mostly i'm reeling from the taste of the potato.


As with all the classic flavours, the highest mark will be 7/10, but these are a well deserved mark. 

7/10

So, my first dip into the range of Corkers - an independent crisp makers from The Fens, Cambridgeshire.

Their press release sells the quality of the crisp on the type of potato it's made from - the Maris piper, as well as being grown naturally in boggy marsh land giving a nutty flavour. I have to say I agree with them here.

The potatoe tastes fantastic. The thickness is great, the crunch supreme and the skin is left on. It looks and feels like a proper potato crisp.

The flavouring is a favourite of mine and they've really done it justice here, you can't taste any fakeness or chemicals in this flavouring. Just great, tangy pepper. It really does have an awesome peppery kick that is so important in a pepper crisp. 

I'm really impressed with this brand so far, not only have they produced one of my favourite black pepper crisps, they seem like a fun company. They hold the record for the biggest packet of crisps (1.141 tonnes of crisps! Don't tell me you're not fantasising about having a bath in that...) and they sent the first bag of crisps into space! Respect!

9/10