No duck was harmed

These chips taste like the real thing but that’s down to clever chemists

reader suggested I have a look at these chips after I reviewed the Copper Kettle Wagyu Beef and Wasabi chips a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised to find that they actually had Wagyu beef in them and no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. The challenge given to me by the reader was to find the duck in these duck- flavoured chips. I didn’t have to look too far for a packet as my daughter had popped them in the supermarket trolley and was munching away on them when I got home. This is like cornflour but made from tapioca instead. This is dried onion. A common ingredient in processed foods, this is dehydrated soy sauce derived from both soy and wheat. Dehydrated garlic Commonly used as a filler in commercially produced foods but also as a flavour. It can be made from wheat or soy. These are lactic acid ( 270), which occurs naturally in milk, and calcium lactate ( 327), which is a natural acid produced from milk sugar. Spice extracts ( Colour ( 160c)) This is paprika a natural red colour. Flavour enhancer ( 635) A chemical flavour enhancer commonly found in processed food to replace the unpopular MSG. Unsure what this flavouring is, but as it doesn’t state that it is natural, I’m going to read it as artificial. Unlike the Copper Kettle Wagyu Beef and Wasabi chips, these do have artificial flavour and that will most likely be because there is no duck in the Peking Duck chips. Instead there are 16 flavourings all put together to make the chips taste like Peking Duck. And I have to be honest, when my daughter finally got around to offering me some, they did in fact taste duckish with a Hoisin sauce tang. I have to hand it to Eta — their flavour chemists really got the flavour right, but without any real duck in these I won’t be eating them. Instead I’ll stick to plain chips with three ingredients and without 16 flavourings. I just wish I could say the same for my daughter.