Tesco's Tremendous Tortilla Chips - Ultimate Value at 25p! (Tesco Value Tortilla Chips)

Member Name: beckles88

Product:	Tesco Value Tortilla Chips
Date:	09/11/09 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Taste nice and cheap!

Disadvantages: High fat and salt content (but this is the same with all torilla chips.)

**Overview**

I'm more of a sweet than savoury girl but I do like the occasional snack and dip combo, my fav dip being houmous or salsa. The snack then depends if I'm being really naughty or not so naughty, really naughty = tortilla chips or sweet chilli sensations, not so naughty = celery and carrot sticks. Last year for the first time I moved away form home and lived in student accommodation, this meant money was tight and the money I did earn from work was more preferably spent on clothes or nights out, food was not a priority! Therefore supermarket trips became bargain hunting trips and I became a bit of an expert on which value brand items were good substitutes for normal brands and other which were not quite so tasty. In my opinion Tesco Value Tortilla Chips are definitely one of the best value items.

**What is in Tesco Value Tortilla Chips?**

The ingredients of these tortilla chips are simple and include maize, sunflower oil and salt, like all tortilla chips are. Tesco Value Tortilla Chips are suitable for vegetarians and the allergy advice on the packet is quite complex, the recipe and the factory itself contain no nuts but there is no guarantee that the ingredients are nut free. These disclaimers seem to be getting more common on food packaging with manufacturers making sure they are covering their backs.

**Nutritional Information**

per 100g bag
Energy: 480kcal
Sugars: 0.4g
Fat: 24.4g
Of which Saturates: 10.4g
Salt: 0.8g

These are quite high in fat and calories but this is the case with all tortilla chips, as I said these are my naughty savoury snack of choice so not something I eat all the time. This being said you also need to factor in the fact that you are eating these snacks with dips which also have calories and fat in them.

**Packaging**

The packaging is in the general Tesco value theme and some may argue that they look cheap but I don't think they look that bad. The packaging is white on the top half of the packet and the bottom half is see-through so you can see the triangular crisps and there is a red band at the bottom. There is the Tesco value brand logo with the blue stripes on the top left corner. 'Lightly salted tortilla chips' is written in red on the white section of the packaging. The back of the packet has ingredients and nutritional information as mentioned above. I know some people who wouldn't pick up these tortilla chips just because of the fact that these are Tesco value brand and this is quite obvious from the packaging but this doesn't bother me one bit and I don't think it should bother anyone. I'd rather save my pennies where possible rather than splashing out on more expensive goods just because the packaging looks less cheap.

**Look and Taste**

These tortilla chips look like any other tortilla chip, they are triangle with a slight cure, the chips come in different sizes and are a golden colour, with tiny bubbles and little flecks of brown on the surface. But lets face it there isn't much that can be done to make a tortilla look extra special, the manufacturers need to appeal to customers with the taste, price and branding.

When putting the tortilla chip in your mouth you do experience a slightly salty taste but I do not think this is too overpowering as I'm not a big fan of salt and I really love these crisps. There is a nice warm flavour which is hard to describe its an almost wheaty flavour, I think that these crisps taste almost identical to Dorito's Cool Original but maybe a little less salty.

The chips have a nice texture as you put them in your mouth and have a really nice crispy crunchy texture as you bite down on them. I find the chips don't go soggy in your mouth or in a dip, they are also sturdy enough to scoop a good size of dip onto them without them cracking in your dip. Also if you handle your chips well you don't normally end up with many of the smaller bits which are to small to dip without covering half your hand in the dip as well. These chips also last well, if I'm eating them on my own I only tend to have a third of a bag so I roll the top of the packet over and the chips stay nicely crispy and crunchy for a fair few days without going soggy.

My favourite way to eat plain tortilla chips is to lay them on a baking tray and cover them will salsa (which can be homemade or shop bought) and then sprinkle grated cheese over the top. I then place the baking tray under the grill and wait for the cheese to melt. I then put jalapeños on the top of my nachos but this is because I like it hot and spicy, it is totally your own preference. These are quite messy to eat by hand but absolutely delicious! I also love these chips with a bowl of rice and chilli topped with crème fraiche, Mmm mmm mmm!

**Price**

These tortilla chips are great value at 25p for a 100g bag, there isn't much you can get for 25p these days, most bars of chocolate are more expensive than this. Premium brands are generally at least £1 pound so this is at least a 75% saving, I recommend that if you have branding issues you put them aside and try these tasty snacks.

**My Opinion**

I love, love, love Tesco's Value Tortilla Chips. They are great value and taste and what more do you honestly need in food? Ok they are a little bad for you (or maybe a lot bad) but so are all tortilla chips and everyone deserves a little treat now and then. Don't let the packaging put you off, if you really are ashamed hide them in the bottom of your trolley and once the tortilla chips are in a bowl you'd have no idea that these were from a value range. The one thing I would say to Tesco is can we have more flavours please, like a chilli one or a cheesy one, but you can add your own flavours with dips or toppings. I recommend that you save yourself some pennies and try these chips, after all "Every little helps!"

Summary: A perfect snack, highly recommended!