This is the last of the pop chips range and having done so blindingly well in all my reviews. I'm disappointed to see that they can get something wrong.

The vinegar is really really sour. It's not leaving a great taste in my mouth at all.
Also - for a range that has done salt content so well, these are pretty under-salted.

So the vinegar is overdone and very sour and there's not enough salt. These need to be worked on.

3/10




Looking back at the pop chips range. They've done surprisingly well. For a crisp that goes into the 'healthy' category... they have in fact done amazingly well. The crisp has a great texture to it and the flavours have been well executed. All of them leading to an addiction I can't relinquish. The original and barbecue being my favourites.

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.

This is another classic done well. (you wouldn't believe how easy it is to ruin a classic)

Vinegar is sour but not in an overdone way, salt is the right amount and potato has a great flavour. The crisp is curly and the crunch is great.


7/10

mmm, vinegar definitely has a cider taste to it... sweet sweet apple.

Think i'd quite like to give Burrow Hill cider a try - i'm impressed by this.

Not over salted, cider isn't too overpowering.. slightly curled crisps with a good crunch to them.

7/10



That concludes my reviews of Pipers crisps, all together a pretty impressive range.. and those spicy tomato mmmmmm!!! I've got to get more some more of them! All of the range had a good crunch, but weren't oily at all. The flavours were rich and the packaging is nice. The flavours have a nice little story to them and I look forward to seeing what new flavours they have to come!
J

Unfortunately not as impressed with these guys..

Crunch is good as the crisp is thick, still a little oily.

Flavour: a little over salted and the vinegar is super sour, not overly offensive but not in my good books.


Sorry boyos.


4/10

Noo!!! Another dissapointment from Kent Crisps! The lush images on the packaging, the nice write-ups on the back, the thick crunchy crisp - all gave so much promise...

But they've overdone the flavour again, the vinegar is very very sour and the crisps are caked in it. Salt content is also pretty high. If you had a cut on your finger - it'd be stinging right now.

Still going to hold out hope for the rest of the range, but so far i'm all vinegar-ed out!


2/10

A tasty (but not sweet) vinegar (made by Ellsey?) and the right amount of salt. 

They've done salt & vinegar proud.

I've also just noticed on the back on the crisps they stamp it with when it was cooked and who it was cooked by. This one was by Robert. Thanks Robert.
That's a nice touch I think, each crisp packet has had a different name stamped on it. Much more of a personal approach to crisp making, they're obviously quite proud and so they should be, with a crunch that good.

7/10

Salt & Vinegar with a little twist, apple. Which normally is quite subtle but in this case the apple is very prominent.

And it works, a nice sweet flavour comes through that even wipes out the over oiliness of just crisps. 


6/10

'Classic done well'


Fairfields take on another classic and do it well. This time using Aspall's Cyder in their vinegar - it works. 



7/10