OK … there are already far too many reviews of Kettle Chips on Ciao, and mr-zeeman isn’t going to be able to come up with a stunning new angle on the product that hasn’t already been tried. Unless I start making wild allegations, of course … like, for instance, I could say that one of my Kettle ... Read review
Advantages: A fairly loud snack Disadvantages: Eating an entire bag results in massive lager-craving.
...far too many reviews of Kettle Chips on Ciao, and mr-zeeman isn’t going to be able to come up with a stunning new angle on the product that hasn’t already been tried. Unless I start making wild allegations, of course … like, for instance, I could say that one of my Kettle Chips was formed in an uncanny likeness to HRH Prince Charles, complete with wing-nut ears and tiny impecunious chin. This info would interest anyone who has found a sentence from ... ...to the extra-large bag of Kettle Chips was the bright orange Sainsbury’s “reduced price” label … which effectively lowered the cost from a purse-wrenching £1.39 to a far more manageable 70p.
The second thing was the unusual combination of ingredients that had been used to flavour the chips … ie: Gorgonzola Cheese with Leek and Rosemary. I’m always up for eating any kind of foodstuff that contains the letter Z, so this combo caused ... more
OK … there are already far too many reviews of Kettle Chips on Ciao, and mr-zeeman isn’t going to be able to come up with a stunning new angle on the product that hasn’t already been tried. Unless I start making wild allegations, of course … like, for instance, I could say that one of my Kettle Chips was formed in an uncanny likeness to HRH Prince Charles, complete with wing-nut ears and tiny impecunious chin. This info would interest anyone who has found a sentence from The Koran inside a tomato, or bought a root vegetable in the crumpled form of Mother Theresa …
But to get back to cash-earning basics …
The first thing that attracted me to the extra-large bag of Kettle Chips was the bright orange Sainsbury’s “reduced price” label … which effectively lowered the cost from a purse-wrenching £1.39 to a far more manageable 70p.
The second thing was the unusual combination of ingredients that had been used to flavour the chips … ie: Gorgonzola Cheese with Leek and Rosemary. I’m always up for eating any kind of foodstuff that contains the letter Z, so this combo caused me to salivate like one of Pavlov’s Mongrels.
And thirdly, I was attracted by the bag. What follows isn’t going to impress Ciao-persons who object to enthusiastic descriptions of packaging minutiae - but as manufacturers spend a small fortune researching the phenomena of what constitutes an attention-grabbing container, I don’t feel that what mr-zeeman is about to write is entirely irrelevant. The bag is constructed from a thickish opaque, silver-coated plastic and is inflated with some sort of gas … giving it a balloon-like appearance and suggesting that it contains more chips than it actually does. In fact the bag measures 20cms x 32cms – but contains only 150g of food product. Which isn’t actually very much. British Racing Green, beige, and gold are the dominant hues … and on the front, a black ‘n’ white rustic-looking image of two burly chaps boiling potatoes in a waist-high cauldron is what catches the eye.
The flip side provides information about the contents in several European languages. For example, the German word for “ingredients” is “zutaten” and the Dutch phrase for “select potatoes” is “geselecteerde aardappelen” The ingredients (or “ingredienti” in Italian) are all natural things rather than genetically modified monstrosities. And they are hand cooked in sunflower oil rather than being mechanically dropped into a vat of molten lard.
A table of nutritional values reinforces the taken-for-granted assumption that any process which involves boiling potatoes in oil and then adding cheese is going to produce a high-fat, high-carbohydrate, end-product. On the plus side though, the product is gluten-free and imparts 3069 kJ of energy ... which is enough to power a small boat.
Basically Kettle Chips aren’t chips at all. They’re crisps. They’re brittle slithers of potato which would cause an outcry from the lodger if I tried to pass them off as chips, alongside a fried egg. Quite why the firm have decided to call their crisps chips is anybody’s guess. But in all probability it’s to appease foreigners, who refer to chips as French Fries and insist upon (mistakenly) referring to crisps as chips.
Upon inhaling the contents of the bag, I can report a strong potato aroma with background notes of cheese and onion, and a vague suggestion of rosemary. Which isn’t surprising really. Visually the chips are darker in colour than the more frivolous brands of crisps; they are a lot less uniform in size; and a lot more gnarled in appearance. They are also considerably thicker. Appearance-wise they’re totally unlike chips, but very akin to crisps.
A cursory bite confirms that these things taste pleasant enough, although they’re rather too salty for my palate. Using gorganzola in the recipe was rather a waste of expensive Italian cheese though, as the cheesiness of the product could just as well originate from a slab of cheaper Irish Cheddar, or imported Red Leicester. The leek content does, however, provide a distinct vegetable-like difference to the usual acrid onion flavour which mr-zeeman associates with cheese and onion crisps … and the rosemary imparts a pleasant herby twist to the taste experience.
Feeling reasonably satisfied with this purchase, I remained on the alert whilst conducting other foraging trips around the immediate neighbourhood. In Spar I found two bags of Kettle Chips could be had for £2. Not as cheap as Sainsbury’s, but these packets had the possible advantage of not being past their sell-by date. I opted for the “Salsa with Mesquite” and “Sea Salt with Crushed Black Peppercorns” varieties.
The “Salsa with Mesquite” was, quite frankly, a bit of a gamble as I had no idea what sort of animal, vegetable or mineral “Mesquite” was (having automatically poo-pooed the initial notion that it was perhaps a derivative of Mescaline - as Spar don’t trade in hallucinogenic drugs). I did recognise “Salsa” as being an energetic dance which is gradually out-manoeuvering Line-Dancing in terms of ballroom popularity Up North, though.
Encased in a maroon version of the previously-described bag, it appears Kettle manufacture their Salsa and Mesquite “chips” in Norfolk, and add a mixture of dried tomatoes, peppers, paprika, vinegar, garlic, onion, citric acid, dextrose, and mesquite smoke extract to the spuds. Now to mr-zeeman this is taking things a little bit too far. When you mix a whole host of lovely colourful paints together, the result is a disappointing slurry of mediocre brown. Similarly, when you mix a whole host of aromatic veg together, the result is a hot taste which rather defies description … “A spicy tomato fighting its way through a cloud of smoke on the back of a potato” would be my conclusion. And I think the crisps were ever so slightly more rust-coloured than those in the previous bag.
A sinister-looking Gothic black was the bag colour chosen by Kettle’s PR team for the Sea Salt with Crushed Black Peppercorns “chips”. Not being much of a Sodium Chloride aficionado, mr zeeman cannot detect any taste difference between salt hauled up from the mines in Cheshire and salt trawled in from the World’s oceans. Both are lip-curling, heart-attack-inducing, food-spoilers. Crushed peppercorns are alright if they’re being sprinkled over a pizza by a bronzed Italian waiter in tight trousers … but they’re not a food item which mr zeeman craves on a regular basis. Hence I, personally, found the salt ‘n’ pepper crisps to be rather a disappointment.
Incredibly, there are further varieties of Kettle chips to delve into ~ including the ordinary potato-flavoured ones in a white bag which are perhaps the most sensible. However, despite the eccentric “inventiveness” of the Kettle firm; their hands-on approach to crisp manufacture; and their devotion to actual foodstuff rather than e-numbers, I am only going to award their “chips” four stars because they are far too salty to be eaten without recourse to frequent gulps of lager.
Useful serving suggestion ...
All varieties make an excellent, textural, loud, filling for sandwiches.
PS ...
Kettles claim that they'd love to hear from "you", and hence supply a freephone number - 0800 616996; an address - Kettle Foods Ltd, Barnard Road, Bowthorpe, Norwich NR5 9JB; and a website - www.kettlechips.co.uk.
Advantages: A really crisp potato chip Disadvantages: none
...that I don't like, but Kettle Chips have to be one of my favourite snacks. Maybe they remind me of my childhood, my Mum used to peel and slice some potatoes very thinly and then deep fry them, the result was much like a Kettle chip.
Kettle chips are produced at a factory in Norwich, interestingly enough by a firm called Kettle Foods!
I have always thought of them as an adult snack, let the children enjoy their Monster Munch and their Wotsits and ... ...suits me fine! but Kettle Chips do have that extra something special about them.
The bright red share-sized bag informs you in clear white writing that it contains Sweet Chilli Kettle Chips, the bag contains 150g and costs around £1.50.
The chips are hand cooked in sunflower oil, they have no artificial colourings or flavours and are low in saturated fats.
They have been approved by the Vegetarian society and are fine for vegans to eat.
100g ...
Sarahjh1 27.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kettle Chips
Advantages: Like you have made them yourself! Disadvantages: May seem a little expensive.
...case when it comes to Kettle crisps. To obtain the unique flavour of the Kettle crisps brand, only premium Russet Potatoes are selected. Golden Wonder and Walkers crisps are not so fussy! These Russet potatoes are then cook by hand in the best quality sunflower oil, thus producing that homemade flavour and texture found in Kettle crisps. I love them because when I make my own crisps, when drying them in the oven, I tend to over do it and burn them. ... ...have been oven dried. Kettle crisps do not have, artificial flavourings, colours, monosodium glutamate or artificial sweeteners added to enhance the flavour. Basically what you see is what you get.
There are plenty of flavours to choose from, including Lightly Salted (a true potato flavour with a hint of salt), Mature Cheddar and Burgundy (that is an acquired cheesy taste, Yuck!), Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar (not as salty as many cheaper varieties ...
wulise 06.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kettle Chips
Advantages: lots of flavours, tasty, hand cooked, crunchy....excellent! Disadvantages: a little more expensive than other brands
...crisps, which consisted entirely of Kettle Chips - no Walkers in sight. After deliberating over which flavour to go for, I eventually decided on Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar, as this combination is generally my favourite flavour.....
"So what makes Kettle Chips different?" Well, firstly I'd say the price! At around £1.20 to £1.50 for a 150g bag, they're not the cheapest available. 50g bags are also available (the size I bought) for around 60 - ... ...Kettle Chips are made completely from natural ingredients. None of those unrecognisable chemicals present in so many snacks - if there's anything on the packet that you may not recognise, it'll be explained. Such as: what is maltodextrin? Apparently, according to the back of the packet, it comes from tapioca, so that's ok. Secondly, Kettle Chips are hand inspected and hand cooked, so you won't end up with nasty green looking crisps that you occasionally ...
emmorticia 24.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kettle Chips
Advantages: a healthy(ish) snack - what more could you want! Disadvantages: once you start you won't want to stop until the pack is empty
...to purchase a bag of Kettle Chips earlier on in the day so these were my snack of choice. On this occasion I had purchased the Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorn variety, but there are flavours to suit all tastes – more of these later.
The first thing you notice with a bag of these chips is the packaging – they look like an up-market snack! The Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns variety comes in a black packet, but other varieties ... ...and black pepper extract.
Kettle chips are suitable for vegans (approved by the vegetarian society) and are gluten free.
Nutritional information (if you’re interested) – a 50g serving contains 225 calories and 11.5g of fat. So for a whole packet (150g) you’re looking at 675 calories! So if you can bear to share a packet with anyone, your waistline might appreciate it! Otherwise, be like me and don’t worry about it!
Kettle ...
jools30 11.12.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kettle Chips
Advantages: THEY TASTE REALLY NICE Disadvantages: None
...I’m talking, of course, about Kettle Chips. What did you think I meant? Honestly, you lot disgust me.
Inspired, or rather uninspired, by the artificial taste of Pringles, I decided to seek out a more superior snacking opportunity for a dull Saturday night in. Don’t get me wrong, Pringles serve a purpose, but they’re so… synthetic. I wanted my arteries to be clogged by something classy. And so to the Kettle Chips.
The crisps ... ...in this department. Not the Kettle Chips. The finger factor goes off the scale, at least 10 dips were had by your faithful reviewer and they nearly equal Pickled Onion Monster Munch. N-E-A-R-L-Y.
If these crisps were a prostitute, they’d be a real high class one that could possibly pass for a genuine date. Pringles in comparison are a toothless hag. At £1.49 (in my local Co-Op, prices probably vary), they’re a pretty cheap night out ...
peppersinclaire 19.11.2001 (11.12.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kettle Chips
Product Quality
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As a crisps lover I don?t usually mind paying the 30p or so a packet, and usually save even more on buying multi pack?s. I admit I have cut down on the number of crisps I do eat, for health reasons ? but I haven?t given them up altogether ? I simply don?t have the will power.
However on a recent trip to my local Sainsbury?s, I noticed a packet of Kettlechips on the shelf that looked totally different to the usual packs you see sitting there.
Upon examination I could see they were ?specials?, though still hand cooked and still using all natural ingredients. However when I saw the price my mind was made up and I placed the packet back on the shelf for someone else to buy. I felt the asking price of £1.99 for 120grams was far too extreme for a bag of crisps ? as nice as they might be.
A couple of weeks later feeling slightly fed ...
Advantages: Tasy, vegan Disadvantages: Not very healthy
The latest acquisition from my work's snack machine was a pack of Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar kettlechips. Chips in this context are just an American term for crisps, and these are just a bag of nice crisps. Priced at 60p for a 40g bag, they are one of the larger bags in the machine and have a rather posher feel than many brands.
Kettlechips are manufactured by Kettle Foods. They are hand cooked potato crisps that have been produced since 1982. Since 1988, they have also been available in the UK, with the Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar flavour being added to the range in 1997.
The crisps
The first thing I noticed about the crisps is that they are rather thicker than normal crisps and slightly tougher. Many of them are large and the crisps have folded over or doubled back on themselves, so it can be quite messy and undignified ...
Advantages: Great tasting, pure snack, excellent quality Disadvantages: Not all supermarkets stock it
I have tried and tasted this make of salt and vinegar crisps and compared to all other known makes of salt and vinegar crisps I have found Kettlechips comes out tops by a very long way.
* PACKAGING, AVAILABILITY COST AND APPEARANCE *
Kettlechips Sea salt and Balsamic vinegar are packaged in a blue strong airtight plastic bag with the KettleChips silver written text logo at the front and the flavour written in black on white text box at the front of the pack.
They are sold in 50g and 150g packs and typically cost £1.39 for 150g packs and £0.50 for 50g packs.
They are available at many Tesco, Morrisons, Safeway and Sainsbury's stores.
* TASTE, TEXTURE AND COMPARISON *
The taste and texture of KettleChips sea salt & balsamic vinegar is out of this world. I have found they are extremely crounchy, three times thicker ...
