Britain has a very real litter problem, but like many people, I'm guilty of failing to recognise this credible threat to the environment. However, a chance discussion on Twitter about discarded crisp packets has suddenly hammered it home to me. And I thought it would be fascinating for British Crisps to take a look at this curious situation, one which mixes two unusual bedfellows in the form of litter and nostalgia.
Somehow, I'd managed to make it all the way to 2023 without having heard of Transform-A-Snack. They were, I assumed, a relatively recent addition to the crisp world when I found a packet of their Spicy variety in the local shop. But I was wrong. Transform-A-Snack had, in fact, been launched in the early 1990s by Red Mill Snack Foods and now fell under the Golden Wonder brand. Well, I thought, it's clearly time for British Crisps to make up for lost time, and promptly bought a packet for 39p.
Well, this article isn't really about crisps, it's about a savoury popcorn snack called SunDog which was released in 1999. But SunDog was produced by Walkers and came in one of their standard crisp packets, so it's just about fair game for British Crisps. I'm not going to be reviewing SunDog as my memory, good as it is, isn't quite meticulous enough in its detail. In fact, I only ever bought one packet of SunDog - luckily, I retained the packet, hence the pictures - but somehow it managed to carve out an unmovable spot in my memory banks.
It's time for British Crisps to swing by the offerings of Seabrook, a curious brand which until 20 years ago was mostly limited to the North of England. However, their inimitable crisps have gradually been heading south and are now accessible to many more regions. And this is good news for everyone. Anyway, today I'll be venturing into a bag of their crinkle cut sea salt and vinegar to discover what lies within.
As I grabbed the packet of Hendo's off the shelf in B&M for my latest British Crisps review, I couldn't help but ask myself "What on Earth is Henderson's Relish? Is it some sort of Lea & Perrins rip-off?" But it turns out I had made the mistake of an absolute beginner. For, as the "Strong & Northern" tagline indicates, it's a delicacy from the North of England.
A quick trip to Poundland resulted in me leaving the shop with not, for once, a bottle of curious aftershave I'd never heard of, but a packet of Big Streakers instead. And, for a 125g bag of genuine British crisps, it certainly represented value for money in the current cost of living crisis. However, would it send my taste buds into a stratospheric ecstasy or leave them holding a lifelong grudge against me?
As the keener eyed amongst you will have noticed, this inaugural post is indeed a welcome to the world of British Crisps, a world where I shall endeavour to review crisps from up and down the land. So, WELCOME!
Now, it would be fantastic to regale you with a tale of how this website came to be, but rather than being a touching, emotional journey starting on the factory floor of Walkers, I’m just a guy who enjoys crunching crisps and stringing sentences together.
The site, at present, is rather blank. In fact, as I type this, there’s nothing on the site whatsoever. But, it shall fill up, oh yes, it shall fill up. And whilst it will certainly be reviewing mainstream hits – how could I miss out Monster Munch? – I’ll also be doing my utmost to uncover the hidden gems of the British crisp industry.
Right, it’s time to get crunching…
