Economy crisps... the best so far! (Asda Crisps in General)

Member Name: xxfoxyredxx

Product:	Asda Crisps in General
Date:	20/03/09 (141 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and taste nice!

Disadvantages: Cheap crisps none the less, horrid packaging

When it comes to crisps I simply can't get enough of them which is why of late I have been trying out shops own 'cheaper' brands with regularity. Cos I scoff anywhere up to 5 bags in a sitting it doesn't make sense to be buying Walkers to feed my addiction financially if I can at all help it!

I love mooching around Asda and of late have found myself trying out an awful lot of economy purchases out of idol curiosity more than anything else!

I am reviewing Asda 'Smart Price' 12 Variety Pack Of Crisps to be specific!

The Packaging....

12 green and white plastic bags (18g a bag so smaller than the average size you buy) and they are stored in a big white and green outer bag. On that in green and black writing I'm told they are Asda 'Smart Price' 12 Variety Pack Crisps which contain 4 x Ready Salted, 4 x Cheese & Onion Flavour and 4x Salt & Vinegar, then there is a large picture of a large golden crisp on there, size is stated (216g overall) and I am told they are suitable for vegetarians. On the back of the bag this time all in bright green writing I'm told again what they are, nutritional information for each flavour is given, allergy advice is listed along with storage instructions, contact details for Asda are given, the best before date is stamped on and finally there is a bar-code on there. This is real economy packaging at it's best and your under no illusion to that as soon as you see them sat on a shelf!

The individual bags again are white and green with a picture of a crisp on the front of each one and you are told what they are and the flavour is clearly stated on each as is the size and the fact that they are vegetarian. On the back of the bag ingredients and nutritional advice is given as are storage instructions to keep them fresh, contact details for Asda and finally best before date is stamped on clearly. All I can say about these is that if my Mother had given me these when I attended school I'd of binned them on the way there! They scream cheap and kids get bullied for far less and even now I eat these in private to be perfectly honest with you! lol.

The Crisps In General...

As I have already said quite small bags. Easy to open, fresh they are and all flavours look like you'd expect a crisp to appear, slightly golden but rather thin and flaky. Some crisps look more cooked than others of course with slightly browned sections to the surface and some crisps do have a bit of black potato on them which makes me think that these are not the best quality potatoes. None of the variety of crisps are overly greasy but you can taste a fair amount of grease content in these as they lace your mouth after you've eaten a bag with a feeling like film. They do feel slightly greasy on fingers and bits of flavourings do therefore stick to your fingers but again, not really all that badly considering!

Ready Salted Flavour....

Well salted potato crisps these really are. You cant see the salt on these but they taste salty enough and it's ingrained into the potato. What I do like about these is that the salt does allow the natural potato flavour to really come through really nicely. These for me were the slightly greasier crisps overall and I did notice in the four bags (I ate in one sitting like the greedy little pig I am lol) that although most crisps were a nice golden colour some were kind of going a bit translucent and looked like grease had set on the potato to cause this. Taste wise they really please me! Didn't make me overly thirsty and were nice and crunchy and crispy with not too much flaking and it's fair to say I really enjoyed those!

Salt And Vinegar Flavour....

These I found more laced with vinegar than of salt and didn't find the flavour evenly distributed throughout the crisps. I found the flavour of vinegar a little overpowering though not too smelly and to be fair the vinegar never tasted cheap and nasty. The crisps were not soggy are too greasy they were just a bit zingy for me and made my lips tingle a bit too much! Tasty? They were and not too harsh in the flavouring department I found them rather nice but they did leave a tinny after-taste!

Cheese & Onion Flavour....

Distinctive in flavour and rather flavoursome indeed. Your in no doubt at all with these which flavour they are from the moment you open the bag till when your eating them. You can't see the flavouring/colouring on these crisps and once again they are are deeply crunchy and tangy and I enjoyed these a lot too. I find with a lot of economy crisps if you dip them in something or ram a bag between a couple of bits of bread that all flavour is lost. True when it comes to the ready salted flavour in this pack and the salt and vinegar but I found the cheese & onion to really hold their own when dipped in a dipping sauce or as a sarnie! Really tasty, my breath did honk along with my hands after eating them but tasty they really were!

Overall....

Forget the packaging for starters. Also don't bother comparing them to leading brands because if you do that then you won't like them it's as simple as that. However if your comparing them to Sainsbury's and other superstores 'cheap' crisps then these for me so far really have come out on top. They taste as they're meant to. The flavours are easily recognisable. Ok simple flavours they are but remember they are economy crisps! Personally I'd have no problem serving these in a dish to mates or having them in bowls at parties. They are not overpowered by seasoning or added sweeteners and are really a no frills crisp and its as simple as that!

Allergy Advice....

Contains gluten, milk and barley.

Nutritional Information...Per Bag....

Ready Salted Flavour....

Energy 97Kcal
Fat 6.3g
of which is saturates 1.6g

Salt & Vinegar Flavour....

Energy 92Kcal
Fat 5.6g
of which is saturates 1.5g

Cheese & Onion....

Energy 90Kcal
Fat 5.6g
of which is saturates 1.5g

Only available in Asda and I paid 72p for this pack! Bargain and very worth a go!

Summary: A money saver for sure!