Slightly deceiving here, that fairfields farm (who i've reviewed on here before) have decided to branch out and do a second brand of crisps.

When reviewing fairfields farm, I felt there were very strong points, and pretty weak points. I wasn't overly impressed with the lack of flavour in their Cheese & Chive. 

So will Jack pots Cheddar and Spring Onion be an improvement?

Yes. These are packed full of creamy cheese flavouring and an extreme amount of herbs. I think that people not usually liking cheese an onion could be swayed when trying these. It's such a full and mature cheesy flavour that makes them extremely moreish. The crisps can be a little soft at times but overall a good crunch.

8.9 out of 10

Leighton & Brown have hit the spot again. 

This is the second crisp creation from the new to the scene hackney crisp makers.

Sweet potato makes a good crunchy crisp, and in this instance doesn't feel too sweet. The cheese is good and the jalepeno tops it off perfectly without taking over the whole flavour. The packet says 'smokin hot' but I wouldn't worry about that.
These are no Death Rain, but they have a tang that works so well with the sweetness of the potato.

Definitely a pack worth trying. I saw them on sale in Albion, Shoreditch if you're looking..


8/10

I'm going to start off by saying, I am a Haggis liker.  I do enjoy a wee haggis when in Scotland, but I can see why a lot of people would not like the idea of it.. they aren't the prettiest of meals (see image!)

But saying that, I think that Mackie's have created something everyone (who eats meat) will love here. I can't vouch for it's true haggis flavouring but it certainly had a porky taste. The adding of cracked black pepper is the big thing here. It gives the crisps a really nice tang. 

Last week I was invited to Brown Bag Crisps HQ in Shepperton Studios to have a little chat about crisps - and give theirs a try. Here I am with Chloe, a crisp lover who is pretty passionate about the crisps they make.

I also met Phil, of Phil & Viv who created brown bag. Both were really nice people who know their crisps so I was in good company.

The interview they did with me will be up shortly on their blog:  
http://www.brownbagcrisps.co.uk/brown-bag-blog/


Before the invitation, i'd heard very little about brown bag crisps - they have a limited amount of stockists, but among them are Harrods - which is a good representation of what brown bag are all about. They are crisps for the crisp connoisseur, I found that to be extremely clear when in conversation with Phil, who's passion in his quest for the best crisp flavours are extremely critical and well educated. I learnt many things about the crisp industry and what actually goes into making a good crisp, some of which I'll share in this brief write-up.

First up are Lightly Salted, and immediately i'm struck by the real difference in brown bag crisps. They are the only crisp in the UK to be cooked in Olive Oil (which is why they have the price tag that they do.) This really makes a difference, the flavour of the potato is brought out and it's a smooth, full & rich flavour that you don't get from crisps cooked in sunflower oil. The crisps are curly, but Phil tells me the reason behind this as it's not the usual shape of a brown bag crisp. This year has been very very bad for potato crops as Phil frustratingly explains, every crop is different and you have to adjust your method accordingly. Mostly - it's about perfecting the amount of time that the crisp is in the oil for, they have to experiment on every new crop to get the best out of the potato that they can. This year has been bad, so they've left them in oil for longer - meaning the crisps are a lot more curly.

As you may have noticed on my blog, the classics (Salt, Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar) will never get over a 7/10. For fear of not spoiling that regime too much - Lightly Salted get a 7.5/10. The amount of salt is perfect, but it's the smooth flavour of the olive oil that makes this crisp as good as it is.

Next up are Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar, I open up the pack and take a mouthful of salt, wince and look up to see Phil's horrified face. As he probably well knows from my site, I give very very honest reviews and for someone who strives to make the best flavours above the rest and has won awards for his salt & vinegar, he was pretty horrified to see i'd found myself an unfortunate odd bag that had been over-seasoned. He quickly rushed to find me another pack, which was very different - and since taking some home I can say that it was just an odd pack so am willing to let it slide, as brown bag have won great taste awards two years running for this flavour alone. Which for a classic - I believe is a big achievement, people have tasted salt & vinegar thousands of times before...so why are these so good?

Well the underlying olive oil potato is still quite clear, the crunch of the crisp is almighty and satisfying and the seasonings are perfectly distributed. the vinegar has the right amount of sweet and sourness to it and the salt has a very full flavour to it. Which is a strange thing to say about salt but after noticing this, Phil tells me why there's a difference... Crisp makers in the UK get their salt from the sea and dry them in big oven in the UK. Brown bag have sourced their salt from the continent - meaning that it's not been oven dried - but dried in actual sunshine before it's brought over here. This makes a difference and is one of the reasons Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar has done so well. It's a great 7.5/10 from me.

So i'm halfway through their range and am pretty happy. The one thing I was scared of the most was meeting really nice people and then having to slag off their crisps. Luckily brown bag are such crisp lovers & connoisseurs themselves.

Now here is the real shock for me. Cheese & Onion has been done and overdone. This classic is the most favourite walkers (and so favourite crisp) in the world. So how can it ever been bettered? 

The word that hit me from the packet was 'Manchego' - one of the best cheeses you could ever come across. I don't think I can include these in the cheese & onion category. They are simply much much more than that.
The cheddar and onion is still there and good on its own, but the manchego shines through here and blows this flavour into one of my personal favourites.

A lot of crisp companies like to put their names to farms (e.g Piper's Lye Cross Cheddar & Onion).
Which Phil tells me, is something he will never do. He says that just like the potatoes, the cheese quality varies throughout the year. So he is constantly tasting the cheeses to make sure he is still getting the best flavour out of it. This is a great method that I implore. 

9/10 for Mature Cheddar, Manchego & Onion

So now to the finale, the very last crisp from brown bag. Oak Smoked Chilli.

And it's another success. What's been oak smoked here is actually the sugar. Most crisps have sugar in them to even out the flavour, but none of them have played with it in such a way as this. The sweetness to these crisps are addictive, the chilli kick is powerful and full (which hits you after 5 seconds) but it's nicely set off by the sweetness that really makes these crisps work.

9/10

So brown bag give a massive big sign off from me, they tell me they have a smoked bacon flavour on its way using real bacon (Phil wouldn't have it any other way) which I look forward to. Let's hope they get a lot more stockists in the future. I will be spreading the brown bag crisps word for sure.

Damn. Pop Chips are gooooood!

A healthy crisp that tastes this good is a rare thing to find, but pop chips have really pulled it off.

I'm just munching through my third pack of original (not sure how that happened?!) & I can't get enough. It's just a plain salted crisp, it shouldn't have so much flavour to it... but it does.

There's no oil involved when cooking these babies, they squash potato down into tiny little kernels, and pop them just like popcorn. It reminds of the fascinating addiction I realise I have when I'm in an indian restaurant and just can. not. put. down. the. poppadoms.
Which is essentially what these are, a potato poppadom. Without any oil you get a good idea of what the potato tastes like, and it's good. These aren't over seasoned and the crunch is a really satisfying one. 

I'm usually pretty hesitant when approaching snacks that are made to be 'healthy' as healthy and flavoursome is not a common thing to go together in the snack world. Props to Pop Chips.


9/10

Holy Moly, this is one FINE crisp!

What a flavour. It's like a sweet walkers heinz ketchup flavour, ramped up a few notches, with some deep & intense spices.

The crisp gives great crunch, the oil level is good and the amount of seasoning is overdone - which in some cases means it's too much.. in this case you just want more and more and more and more and more.

This is one of those hall of fame crisps that will go down in Crisp Nation history.

9.6/10

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G

Seriously - one the best new flavours of this year.

You have to like your spice to enjoy this, but if that is your thing (it is mine) than you're in for a treat here. 

Has the kind of chilli flavour that goes into a chilli con carne, very strong flavour. It goes great with dips (they recommend sour cream) and come in a nice share size. The tortillas have a perfect thickness and crunch.

Shared these around the office and everyone agrees, great new flavour. Go out and buy these as soon as you can, you'll not regret it. Seriously good chilli nachos 

9/10

Quite an interesting new flavour here.

Heres is a description of Lancashire sauce

Which sounds pretty good as a condiment, and it turns out is very good as a crisp flavour. Kind of worcestershire sauce like, but maybe a bit more subtle. It's got an indian influence (includes curry powder) but it's not spicy, it's sweet. 

Really enjoyed these, go out and try!


8/10

Leighton Brown are very new to the block, they're based in Hackney, East London and this is their one and only flavour to date.

I'm not usually a massive fan of crisps not made from potato or corn, they have a much more chewy rather than crispy texture to them.

In this case it really works, the ingredients seem really natural and fresh, the parsnip still has a little chew to it but it's ok, parsnip has such a good sweet flavour to it that's very prominent.
The manuka honey serves the parsnips well, but the real ingredient that makes these is the mild spices (including mustard & Celery). It gives it a great tang that will make you want to lick your fingers. They're not over or under seasoned too.

Clearly these guys are ones to look out for in the future, they tell me they have another flavour in the making so hopefully we'll be seeing them before christmas, but for now: www.leightonbrown.co.uk.

8/10

"Sweet Chilli perfected"

Wow. I'm pretty blown away by fairfields here. They've gone full out on flavour, and done it really well. Really intense sweet chilli, leaves a great tang in your mouth, the crisp has the perfect crunch, & it's not overly spicy. 

Go and buy these crisps!

9/10