---Introduction---

I've just had my midmorning snack of 2 Tesco Salt and Vinegar Rice Cakes, and they have inspired me to write a review since there isn't one on DooYoo already, and I think that they're a pretty good thing to have in your desk at work/cupboard at home!



---Rice Cakes in General---

There isn't really a great deal to say about rice cakes in general - they can also be known as puffed rice cakes. Basically they are disks (and 3 and a half inches in diameter) made of rice and maize. Generally seen as a healthy and boring snack, rice cakes have got a bad name for themselves, but in my opinion they're really not as bad as people make out, especially ones which have some flavour.



---Tesco Salt and Vinegar Rice Cakes---

My rice cakes of choice are the Tesco Salt and Vinegar Rice cakes which come in a bright blue packet (Tesco also do barbeque flavour in a red packet). They have a clip at the top of the packet so you can reseal it, but I never seem to manage to open it properly - if I don't seal it in some way the top cake tends to go stale.

I am pretty sure that there are 15 in a pack and they currently cost £1.07.



---The Nutritional Stuff---

According to the Tesco online shopping website each rice cake contains 31 calories. However, if you look at the packet it says 28 calories - so, even better for those watching their weight. I'd say that three rice cakes are as substantial as a packet of crisps (and you can spread out eating them - I find it impossible not to eat a packet of crisps in one go), so they're not going to make you huge!

Unsurprisingly since these are salt and vinegar flavour, these are not the best snacks if you're trying to be careful with your salt intake. Each rice cake contains 0.3g salt which is 5% of your daily recommended amount. Mind you, that isn't anywhere near as bad as something like tinned soup. Having 2 or 3 of these rice cakes as a snack on a work day is not going to make your blood pressure go through the roof!

The rice cakes mainly contain brown rice (69%), maize (17%) and seasoning (made up of lots of things).

These rice cakes are suitable for vegetarians, but although they don't have nuts in them, it can't be guaranteed.



---The Eating Experience---

The smell of salt and vinegar is quite strong as you get the rice cake out of the packet.
The rice cake is crunchy, and then chewy. The salt and vinegar flavour is strong, but not in a nasty way. It's difficult to describe eating a rice cake - I would imagine most readers will have tried them. The only down side of eating a rice cake is getting covered in crumbs.

Personally I'm happy to eat these rice crackers on their own as I find that the salt and vinegar flavour is enough (unlike on plain rice cakes which really can be too bland). However, on the front of the packet the rice cakes have lettuce, cheese and red onion topping them (as a serving suggestion), so if I was going to have these as a lunch no doubt I'd add something to them to make them more substantial.



---Overall---

The only niggles I really have with these is that my desk drawer at work ends up full of rice cracker crumbs, and also that people always say to me "Are you eating rice cakes on their own with nothing on them?" which gets a bit annoying!

So in conclusion, definitely worth having in, but probably not if you don't like rice cakes in the first place!