Can you imagine what it would be like not to be able to eat snacks and crisps? Well that was a prospect that faced me a couple of years ago. Yes you could buy "light" crisps but they were too fatty for me and "healthy" snacks were either air or cardboard. So I was a bit stuck when it came to getting a convenient snack at times.

Then I happened to chance upon a packet of these Kettle Crispy Bakes in Mild Cheese and Sweet Onion flavour in the reduced section of our supermarket and seeing that they only had 1.9g of fat in per pack, I was quite eager to see what they tasted like.

I had a good read of the packet - these weren't made from maize or wheat - they were made from lentils (Oh no I'm turning into Neil on the Young Ones - I seem to live in lentils!). I was quite intrigued by this and opened the pack to quite a strong cheese smell which was stronger and sweeter (maybe this is from the sweet onion) than your Walkers Cheese and Onion and although slightly off putting to start with, mellowed down quite quickly.

So to the contents. Essentially you are faced with tubular shapes that look like fat penne pasta. They are a lovely golden colour and speckled with a yellow/orange powder which is obviously the flavouring. Does that sound appetising? Not sure but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

The flavours are nicely balanced but strong - they are full of flavour and because it is a strong flavour the natural reaction would be to say artificial flavouring but you would be wrong - you are looking at natural ingredients including dried Double Gloucester Cheese (my home town cheese) which is of course has an orange hue (but is supplemented with the natural colouring annatto), dried ordinary and red onion, paprika and dried garlic. They may not be to everyone's liking but I certainly like them!

The crispy base is made mainly from lentil flour. Texture wise they are crispy and a little crunchy (enough to annoy my husband!) - not wheat crunchie crunchy but neither do you feel like you are eating cardboard or air. They are not greasy - they are very dry to the touch but you will get the flavoured powder on your fingers. There is some substance in this snack and they are quite satisfying. You don't feel like rushing out for another pack straight afterwards and to be honest being quite strong flavoured I think it might be a bit too much!

They come in a foil packet like the one in the picture which is 24g and they are quite expensive at 45p a pack. I have only ever seen them in a multipack once but that was reduced so could not tell you the full price.

You can also get these Crispy Bakes in Tomato, Basil and Green Peppercorn and Salt and Malt Vinegar flavours. I have tried the Tomato, Basil and Green Peppercorn variety and it is quite unusual and strong. Fine for an occasional change but not my flavour of choice. I have yet to try the Salt and Vinegar flavour.

Nutrional, dietary and allergy information for this product is as follows:

Each pack has
Calories = 91
Protein = 2.5g
Carbs = 16g (of which are sugars 0.6g)
Fat = 1.9g (of which are saturated 0.3g)
Fibre = 1g
Sodium (they use LoSalt) = 0.16g (0.4g equivalent salt)

These are suitable for vegetarians and diabetics but not for vegans or anyone who requires a kosher diet. They are not organic but they are not tested on animals!

They are free from (and for a full list and comprehensive list see here http://www.crispybakes.co.uk/site/WebSite.do?id=50 1.54.30027) eggs, nuts, sesame seeds, MSG, Soya, artificial flavours, colours, preservatives, sweeteners and GM ingredients.)

All in all these are a lovely alternative to traditional crisps and snacks and I would recommend them. I just wish they were more widely available, you could get them in multipacks and there were more flavours.