Proper Crisps Big Cut - Smoked Paprika product reviews

I like to tell myself that I cook delicious food that packs plenty of flavour, paprika is a regular spice that gets used in a lot of my dishes, so when I saw that Proper Crisps had created a potato crisp that incorporated this flavour, I was certainly intrigued to say the least.

The packaging is delightfully vibrant, with the white, yellow, and red colours complimenting each other well. There is no doubting what the company was called as the large logo sat prominently near the top of the bag. These crisps were made in New Zealand, are suitable for vegans, gluten free, and have a 4-star health rating.

Once the packaging was opened the unmistakable smell of smoked paprika escaped out of the bag. I grabbed a decent handful out to inspect them, the rich colour which was a mix between orange and red was beautiful, the crisps were a decent size in both length and thickness. The sweetness of the smoked paprika joined with the sea salt made these a pleasure to eat, and it was hard to resist the temptation, if you are looking for a crisp that delivers on its promise of a big, satisfying crunch, then look no further!

I can see this product becoming as regular item in our grocery shop due to its deliciousness, I have noticed that this flavour is also available in a smaller pack size, handy for out and about. I am now excited to hunt out some more crisps with interesting flavours, I would highly recommend these.

I don't think I've had much when it comes to paprika, so getting a bag of chips, paprika flavour, was going to be interesting, at least I thought so. I had a very eager twelve year old who kept bugging me to try them and ended up grabbing some aioli dip from the fridge to try with these. Opening them up, they had a beautiful colour to them but I couldn't detect much of a scent from them, neither could my twelve year old but they were still keen to try them. The packaging is nice and definitely catches the eye compared to other brands.

I tried these chips both with and without dip. Without dip these were very boring, it didn't seem like it had any real flavour to the chips at all. My twelve year old thought they were delicious and asked if we could get more when we do our next shop. When I used it with the aioli dip, it was improved but all I could really taste was the aioli with a hint of something else. I didn't find anything about these to rave about, other than the real nice crunch that these chips have. I may buy these for my twelve year old but beyond that, I'm not too interested.

Once we saw the word "paprika" on the packet, we were unanimous in insisting that these crisps be used as part of a Mexican dish with beef and more paprika. I wanted to use refried beans as well but Mr 13 does not like them so we opted for some whole kernels of corn instead. Miss 11 made the beef mix in advance, adding tomatoes and onion to the mix. The plan was to top it with grated cheese and sour cream once we were ready to eat, and then add the crisps around the outside.

It was even more successful than we had hoped for. Everyone liked the beef mixture, and the crisps were strong enough to withstand being dunked into it. I had wondered if there would be enough crisps for four of us (two adults and two fast-growing kids) but they were surprisingly filling. (The packet does suggest that it is enough for 3.5 people). I think that is due to the thickness; we are used to thinner crisps that do not have so much substance. And the flavour is quite delicate. You can just taste the paprika, but that is useful when you are feeding children who may not like a strong flavour.

We thought they would be really nice broken into smaller pieces and spread over the top of macaroni cheese. This would give a crisp finish to the surface, and would make it much more interesting than if it were just covered in cheese alone. It would also be good on top of cauliflower cheese - in fact, any cheese or fish based bake that relies on oven browning to finish it off.

One of the things we all like about Proper Crisps is the care that is taken by the production team. The packets are glossy and eye-catching, and they are designed to end up in the soft plastic recycling system rather than just discarded with the general rubbish collection. The contents are made from natural ingredients and it shows - there are no brassy after-tastes or strange looking lumpy bits, just full sized slices of real potato. I have made potato chips myself in the past, using a vegetable peeler and a deep fryer. I would not say mine were as visually attractive, but the taste and texture were similar.

This variety is set to be one of the children's favourites. My daughter and I liked them, but Mr 13 and Miss 11 were most enthusiastic. Miss 11 said it was one of the nicest flavours she had tried, and a perfect substitute for nacho chips. Mr 13, who is fussier than his sister, said he appreciated the slight tang of the paprika which did not "annoy" him as other spices tend to do. He does not like curries or anything with too much chilli, so this was an amazing comment from him. This is a flavour we will certainly purchase again.

"These are da bomb!" exclaimed hubby as he tucked into these crisps. I had to wrestle them off him so I could get some whilst he was happily munching away. Feedback included, 'These crisps have the best crunch I've tried' 'The thickness of the chip is perfect', and 'Even with no flavour, these crisps would be fantastic!' My daughter came along and she began to tuck in, agreeing that these were great crisps with a lovely flavour. She did argue that they could have been a little spicier, but I thought they were perfect just the way they were.

Proper Hand Cooked Crisps are quality crisps and I would personally like to thank Andrea who made these crisps. There weren't many large chips in the bag, but the chips were full of a lovely smoky paprika flavour, were a great thickness, and had the best crunch. There are no nasties in these crisps, no msg, and they are non-GMO and gluten-free. The packet does say that it is addictively delicious and I can really see why.

My biggest criticism would be that the packet wasn't big enough with hubby, my daughter and myself all fighting over them. I think they should make some extra large bags as these crisps just got eaten way too fast! I'd definitely recommend them, although hide them from others so you don't have to share!