... Now this isn't unfamiliar territory - oh no! Some of you may remember my brief Wheat Crunchies obsession (the worcester sauce ones are ace!), if not then you're in for a treat!
For I am not just writing about the Pickled Onion Space Raiders - lordy, lordy no! - I am also going to touch ... Read review
Advantages: cheap munchies that do the trick... variety of flavours Disadvantages: salt & vinegar not so great
...writing about the Pickled Onion Space Raiders - lordy, lordy no! - I am also going to touch upon the lesser known 'Spicy' and 'Salt & Vinegar' varieties... don't say I'm not good to you.
A wee word though, I had to amble down to the corner shop (unlicensed, alas) to get the Salt & Vinegar pack and... shock-a-roonie - they had no Beef flavour. I'll try to remember what they were like, don't worry. AND I even checked the Co-op when I ... ...+
Now, Space Raiders are well known and loved among many generations - apparently when they were launched in the 70's they were 10p a packet even then! Alas, this was not to continue as at some point inflation has caused them to rocket (heehee) to... 15p. Which is a bit baws, really. 30 pence could get you 3 packets, now only 2?! I blame the Government (can we bar Alistair Darling from snack places as well as our pubs?). And they're ... more
** WARNING : This review may offend if you... - don't like crisps or are on a diet and snap at the mere mention of snack foods - do not like the odd sweary word (I admit, they do pop out!) - do not like innuendo (how could I do it with a simple snack review? You evidently have not been exposed to my filthy, corrupting mind before) - do not like long reviews. I tend to ramble.
By continuing to read, you accept the above warnings and in no way, shape or form will moan at me about it unless it really is a pants review. Any criticism regarding swearys, innuendo, length or insensitivity to diet-ers will be ignored. Or brought to everyone's attention and laughed at. Okay? Smashing! **
---
Due to popular demand from my ever-adoring public, I have dusted off the old brain cells (what's left of them) and sought inspiration for a review topic.
Well... I say sought but I really mean 'bought packets of crisps, ate crisps, decided to write about crisps'. Now this isn't unfamiliar territory - oh no! Some of you may remember my brief Wheat Crunchies obsession (the worcester sauce ones are ace!), if not then you're in for a treat!
For I am not just writing about the Pickled Onion Space Raiders - lordy, lordy no! - I am also going to touch upon the lesser known 'Spicy' and 'Salt & Vinegar' varieties... don't say I'm not good to you.
A wee word though, I had to amble down to the corner shop (unlicensed, alas) to get the Salt & Vinegar pack and... shock-a-roonie - they had no Beef flavour. I'll try to remember what they were like, don't worry. AND I even checked the Co-op when I was there getting my cider but they didn't have Space Raiders at all which was rather pants.
+ GET ON WITH IT, WOMAN! +
Now, Space Raiders are well known and loved among many generations - apparently when they were launched in the 70's they were 10p a packet even then! Alas, this was not to continue as at some point inflation has caused them to rocket (heehee) to... 15p. Which is a bit baws, really. 30 pence could get you 3 packets, now only 2?! I blame the Government (can we bar Alistair Darling from snack places as well as our pubs?). And they're technically not crisps, they're 'Corn and Wheat Snacks'.
KP Snacks are the makers, part of that big ol' United Biscuits corporation who also make Twiglets, Hula Hoops and even Jaffa Cakes according to their flashy website. Oh wait, I've just read that they own Wheat Crunchies now too. See kids, we're all one big happy faceless capitalist regime... I mean, family.
The packets are black with the face of an alien on the front - the flavour of the snacks determine the colour of the alien (to avoid confusion, bless) although it does also say what the flavour is next to it. With a wee sunflower saying made with a blend of sunflower oil and banner stating less than 100 calories per packet. So here we go, on a packet by packet basis - pint of cider at the ready to quench any thirst I may have... let the munching begin!
*MUNCH*
The snacks are shaped just like an alien's head - like a bloated triangle with little holes punched through for the eyes and mouth. Each little shape is about 2 keyboard keys high (my ruler method strikes again!) and almost 2 keys wide at it's... widest point. They look quite smooth as well - like an obese rice cracker or something. They're also quite sturdy - only one or two ever seem to break in the bag and they emit an ever-so-satisfying KERRUNCH! when you munch on them - evidently the manufacturer's point, since the back of the bag has a spiel on it about how only "munchin' crunchin' snacks" can stop the Space Raiders invasion. Riiiiiight.
~ SPICY FLAVOUR, ORANGE ALIEN FACE, 62 CALORIES PER BAG
The spicy flavour and smell is... rather delicate. It does leave a tickle on your tongue and the roof of your mouth but let's be honest - the Monster Munch Flamin' Hot variety pack more of a punch, and they're still rather wimpy in terms of hotness! Still, being a snack aimed at kids they can hardly burn the mouths off the little darlings, can they?
Oddly the spicy ingredient is apparently curry powder - I can assure you they are in no way curry-ish, possibly due to the tomato powder that's in there too.
I had 12 (and a bit) snacks in the bag (I can't see a weight on the packet, counting 'em will do!
* Dietary stuff - Suitable for vegetarians. "Contains milk, soya, wheat, gluten. Produced on a line handling egg, mustard."
Overall score for Spicy - 6/10
The flavour is nice, even if not as strong as I'd like - and they hold together much better than Monster Munch that always leave you with flakes on your fingers. Ooh my fingers smell a bit spicy now. Thank god it's not Scampi Fries I'm reviewing... ANYWAYY...
~ SALT & VINEGAR FLAVOUR, BLUE ALIEN, 62 CALORIES PER BAG
Well these don't smell very salt and vinegar-y at all! Yes there's a slight hint of vinegar but all very discreet - ahh, could be good for eating if you don't want someone to smell your snack-y treats! Although they'd hear you eating them a mile off. Nevermind.
The salt and vinegar taste is a lot stronger in other snacks - the Chippy Sticks for example, what a heavenly pong! These are subtle, and I do wonder if their kerrrunchy density means the flavour can't absorb as much. You still get a slight 'sting' on the tongue from the flavour
I had 11 shapes in the bag (boo!), still quite curious there's no weight.
* Dietary stuff - Suitable for vegetarians. "Contains milk, wheat, gluten. Produced on a line handling egg, soya, mustard."
Overall score for Salt & Vinegar - 4/10
Rather poor performance - they were still munchable but as pleasant as the corn-y taste is, I needed more of a flavour to overwhelm that.
~ PICKLED ONION FLAVOUR, GREEN ALIEN, 70 CALORIES PER BAG
Ahh yes bit more of an aroma here! Admittedly the pickled onion isn't as strong as I thought I recalled but still sent a tickle up my nosey when I inhaled a bit enthusiastically.
These aren't caked in flavourings and powder and what-not, but the pickled onion flavour is there, puckering my tastebuds with the slight sour-ness. Again, not as strong as I would have liked but these do seem to be the most flavoursome of the three - although a very slightly softer crunch I noticed. Ahhh and it seems the pickled onion taste / breath is lingering... good good, at least I'll know I didn't imagine eating them.
I counted 14 snacks in this bag! Highest number by far! Woohoo!
* Dietary stuff - Suitable for vegetarians. "Contains wheat, gluten. Produced on a line handling, milk, soya, mustard."
Overall score of Pickled Onion - 8/10
If I were sneakily eating these in work, they'd be ideal - the Walker's version stink to high heaven and the whole room knows you're food and you haven't offered to share. Although there is the noise factor. So I'm being generous in that sense but cannot possibly award full marks as I wanted a bit more zing for my whopping 15p and 14 snack shapes.
~ BEEF FLAVOUR, RED ALIEN, CALORIES UNKNOWN.
From what I recall they were beefy... crunchy... don't think they were too strong - not generally a fan of beef flavoured snacks, but I recall these were quite adequate. Shan't bother going into more detail or scoring since that'd be daft with no beefy snacks before me. Sorry. At least I told you about them!
+ CONCLUSION +
Let's face it, for 15p a packet you can sort of expect not to be blown away by the quality (or quantity) of something. Upon saying that though, I feel Space Raiders are a respectable part of the Snack Kingdom - fairly evident in their 30-ish year reign. Granted, they did themselves no favours by going up by 50% (I know, it's mad!) but it's fairly inevitable. As Mars Bars got smaller, Wagon Wheels shrunk, Curly Wurlys shrivelled... and Transform-a-snacks got round balls in them and are only available in 20p bags now... nothing is sacred. For 15p though, you have an idea of the quality you're getting, and you can't accuse these snacks of failing expectations!
Haven't seen Tangy Toms in a while. Or Chippy Sticks. Or those Dandy 'Corky The Cat' prawn cocktail fish shapes, those were great!
I'm hungry again...
+ LINKS, ETC. +
Round up - Space Raiders are 15p a bag and you get around a dozen snack shape in them. Allegedly available in slightly bigger bags at a higher price, but that information is from a Wikipedia entry someone was bored enough to create (with a few spelling mistakes, tut tut).
There is an address for KP Snacks but you can find it on the United Biscuits website...
www.unitedbiscuits.com
also, someone on Bebo has a page dedicated to 10p crisps...
www.bebo.com/10pcrisps
Cheers for reading, sorry diet-ers!
P.S. The title came from a bizarre thought that popped in my head while studying the shape of the snacks... make of that what you will. :P
bandcamp 03.06.2008 (03.06.2008)
Ciao members have rated this review on average:
very helpful
Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
Advantages: Cheap and extremely tasty. Disadvantages: Leaves you with bad breath.
...perfectly - KP Pickled Onion Space Raiders.
You are not given a weight for these crisps on the bag but by doing a quick calculation on the nutritional values I reckon they must be around 15g. For this size of bag you only have to shell out a measly 10p but I do know that there is a bigger bag available at 20p. You will not find these readily available in supermarkets, although a few might stock them. They are most likely to be found in local shops ... ...off a luminous appearance. Space Raiders is in yellow with a red shadow effect around the lettering. You are also advised that they are only 10p so they should be well within kiddies' pocket money budgets.
Nutritionally this small bag provides 81 calories and 3.8g of fat - brilliant for crisps, albeit a small amount. However, as you open the bag you become aware that there is actually quite a lot in there but they are very lightweight.
The smell ...
lorrmid 13.05.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
Advantages: They taste abseloutely gorgeous, really cheap Disadvantages: I cant think of any, they are so good
...I am talking about is Space Raiders Corn Snacks – Pickled onion flavour, of course.
WHAT ARE THEY?
Space Raiders are Corn snack like crisps, which have a heavy dose of pickled onion flavouring on them and taste gorgeous. You know when you have an odd crisp in a packet with a ton of flavouring on it, which you can see and they taste lush? Well every crisp in space raiders is like this. Each corn snack is shaped like a space shape (you know, like ... ...are tiny in size but Space Raiders are the same size as a regular bag of standard crisps! I know there are a lot of !!!! in this part but I just think its amazing that such a gorgeous tasting packet of crisps only costs 10p for a decent sized bag.
WHAT FLAVOURS ARE THERE?
There are three flavours available – Beef, Pickled Onion and Salt and Vinegar. I have submitted this op under Pickled Onion Flavour as it is my favourite flavour and it tastes ...
Sweetiesarahjane 29.09.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
Advantages: Yummy and cheap. Similar to Monster Munch, but a fraction of the price. Disadvantages: They make your breath smell. You only seem to be able to buy them in small independent shops.
...of alien heads, but since Space Raiders are a fraction of the price I will forgive this. Most of the knobbly bits like toes fall off the Monster Munch shapes anyway. The flavour isn’t quite as good either, but it is very similar, and certainly an acceptable substitute.
If you haven’t tried Monster Munch, it’s a bit hard to explain what Space Raiders are. They are corn & wheat snacks, but the corn and wheat are expanded; a bit like ... ...KP foods, yet the name Space Raiders is a registered trademark of United Biscuits. Whatever. The packets are black, with a big green alien face on the front, and “Space Raiders” and the price written at the top in yellow, which helpfully means they’re the same price everywhere. The overall design of the packet hasn’t really changed since I was at school. Oh yes, and there’s some claptrap on the back about aliens using ...
xadoc 04.01.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
...of need has to be Space Raiders. Why? Well it's simple. Unlike your ordinary packets of crisps such as Walkers, Space Raiders are always packed to the top and bulging. Secondly, they are outstanding value! Still only 10p!! Bargain. Especailly when you think that a normal packet of crisps is 30/40 odd pence - and Space Raiders are about 10 times nicer!
Space Raiders are 'corn & wheat snacks'. A little like chunky crisps. Each corn snack has a big ... ...either an alien head, a space ship etc. The texture of the corn snacks is huge. They are really big and chunky, and all of them are like that!
They do not only come in Pickled Onion flavour, but also Beef (my personal favourite) and Salt and Vinegar (although I rarely seem this flavour!). All of the flavours have great tasting, but like I said - in my opinon, Beef are the nicest. All are coated in their flavouring and when you have finished the ...
RobStead 16.11.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
Advantages: lovely sour taste, thick, cheap Disadvantages: can become stale after a while
...of a nibble and it much cheaper than your normal, well-known brand with their competitive prices. If you compare the price of, say a 27p bag of monster munch, you can get almost the same amount of Space Raiders for 17p less.
Hope you found this helpful.
Happy reading ...
cheung 23.04.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks
Similar products and search queries by other users »
Space and, Space Raiders and, Space Pickled and, Space Onion and, Space Flavour and, Space Corn and, Space Raiders Pickled and, Space Raiders Onion and, Space Raiders Flavour and, Space Raiders Corn and, Space Pickled Onion and, Space Pickled Flavour and, Space Pickled Corn and, Space Onion Flavour and, Space Onion Corn and
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Space Raiders Pickled Onion Flavour Corn and Wheat Snacks? Click here
