Crunch time
Egg white bites. Quinoa chips. Coconut curls. Just some of the (supposedly) healthy new ‘crisps’ we tested – so you don’t have to!
BLAMe it on our nationwide obsession with wholesome food or the fact that, as the party season cranks up, hosts are looking for snacks that are a talking point in themselves, but the humble crisp has had a radical makeover.
As sales of regular crisps dwindle, a whole range of alternatives has sprung up in their place, all purporting to be healthier than the original. But are they as satisfying?
here, self- confessed salt- andvinegar addict CLAUDIA CONNELL puts them to the test.
A VERY TOUGH EGG TO CRACK
two Chicks, Smokey Jalapeno egg white bite ‘Chirps’, £1.69 MAde with 22 per cent egg whites, these are the brainchild of Two Chicks, which produce cartons of liquid egg white — designed for people too lazy to crack an egg.
All products are called ‘chirps’ and the aim is to create something with the bite of a crisp but without the fat and carbs. A 28g pack has 116 calories and a very low 0.3g of saturated fat plus 10g of protein. They are crunchy but there’s one big problem — an overpowering eggy taste that lingers for hours. 2/10
PALE IMITATION OF A WOTSIT
Hippeas Chickpea Puffs, Cheese and love Flavour, £1.10 If The cheesy Wotsit family had a runt in their litter it would look like these chickpea puffs. They’re a pale, pasty version of the radioactive orange-coloured Wotsit.
At 90 calories for a 22g bag, they’re the same as a bag of Wotsits, although much lower in saturated fat and higher in protein due to the 39 per cent chickpea content.
After eating, my mouth feels dry and heavily coated in a bland film of nastiness. Nicely crunchy, but there’s no hint of cheese in the flavour. 5/10
SUPERFOOD SUGAR SNAPS
Emily Veg Crisps, Crunchy French Beans, Sugar Snap Peas and Black Edamame, £1.29 The brainchild of Briton emily Wong and her partner, Alex, the idea for veg crisps came to her while travelling in the far east. Packets of her snacks contain sickening love poems between Alex and herself.
Luckily the product doesn’t make me feel nauseous. The vegetables are crunchy and delicious. The only added ingredients are oil and salt.
The sugar snaps are my favourite, but there were only two in my packet. The 95 calories in a 23g pack seems high, but they do provide one of your five a day — more than you can say for crisps. 8/10
ALMOST AS GOOD AS PRINGLES
Marks & Spencer Miso, Soy and ginger Parsnip Crisps, £2
The first thing that hits me is the unpleasant pong as I pull open the packet. It smells like a kitchen bin that needs emptying, but the taste more than makes up for that. They are mouthwateringly delicious. Just like Pringles, I can’t stop eating them and polish off the 100g bag in seconds. from the nutritional information, I see I’ve consumed a whopping 547 calories and 22.8g of sugar — no wonder they’re moreish. 9/10
CARDBOARD CRISP, ANYONE?
Eat Real Quinoa chips, chilli and lime flavour, 70p MAde with quinoa, corn and rice flour, they are light and crunchy. however, the cardboard colour is slightly offputting. The chilli flavour is blow-your-head- off strong — and I enjoy a vindaloo. After a few crisps, my lips and tongue are numb.
At 165 calories for a 30g packet, they’re more calorific than a packet of Walkers Crisps — and I know which I prefer. 3/10
SNACK THAT’S NOT WORTH ITS SALT
Eat Real lentil Chips, Creamy Dill Flavour, 70p TheSe look similar to Quavers, but are lighter in colour. They have a lovely crunch and the dill flavouring is subtle and unusual.
I hate lentils so I’m relieved to discover I can’t taste any lentil flavour. What I can taste is potato, so although the crisps are made with 48 per cent lentil flour they also contain potato starch.
At 466 calories per 100g, they are slightly less fattening than Quavers ( 534 calories per 100g), but they do have a whopping 2.8g of salt, making them a not-so-healthy alternative after all. 7/10
SPICE THEM UP WITH SALSA
Beanitos Black Bean Chips, £2.25 If you dropped a regular dorito chip on the floor and left it there for a week, it would probably look something like this. dark brown with black specks, these black bean chips won’t win any crisp beauty contests, but they taste far better than I imagined — a bit like a sexed-up Ryvita.
on their own, they become rather monotonous, but when dipped into salsa they are fine.
At 426 calories per 100g, they are marginally less fattening than doritos (520 per 100g). They have double the protein and far less fat and carbohydrate, even if they leave my mouth feeling dry for hours afterwards. 6/10
BROCCOLI, BUT FAR WORSE
the giving tree Broccoli Crisps £1.89 eVeR eaten broccoli and thought to yourself that they would make excellent crisps? Never? Me neither. These vacuum fried florets are quite simply foul. even if you hate fresh broccoli, you’ll like it more than these. They smell mouldy and taste stale and strangely ‘fishy’. If you ever host a party and want everyone to leave, serve these — you won’t see your guests for dust. 0/10
TOO HEAVY ON THE PEPPER!
ape Slightly Peppered Crispy Coconut Curls, 95p The worst thing about these is that they look exactly like toenail clippings which hardly makes me eager to pop them in my mouth.
however, I do, and instantly taste the beautiful sweetness of the coconut. Then the pepper hits me and I start to choke violently. A 20g packet contains 107 calories and counts towards one of your five a day. But I can eat only a few before I give up rather than risk choking to death.
They may claim ‘we’re about being awesome’ on the pack, but I would definitely question their understanding of ‘lightly peppered.’ 4/10
KITCHEN FLOOR COURGETTES
Vita Snack Zucchini Crunch, £1.69 The good news is these contain hardly any calories (52 in a 15g pack). The bad news is they are revolting. They are dried, shrivelled old pieces of courgette that look like something you’d sweep off the kitchen floor.
They are high in fibre and iron, but it feels just like you’re eating stale, chewy courgette — and I’m not even that fond of the fresh variety.
I manage two before I do something unthinkable to crisps — I bin them. 2/10