Latest news with #Frazzles
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Something a bit naughty': British snackers fall for the posh crisp
When it comes to crisps, British appetites have traditionally been sated by a packet of Frazzles or a bag of Skips. But, according to chefs, supermarket insiders and social media, 2025 is gearing up to be the summer of the posh crisp. Jay Ledwich, a crisp buyer at Waitrose, said demand for premium and unusual flavoured crisps was 'soaring'. This week, the shop became the exclusive British supermarket stockist of what it is tipping to be the next viral hit in crisps – a fried-egg flavour from the Spanish specialist Torres. It follows other savoury sensations from the brand, including black truffle, caviar, and sparkling wine flavours. Crisps' popularity isn't limited to the snack aisle. The fashion brand Balenciaga is selling a £1,450 glossy 'salt and vinegar' leather pouch and a £625 'spicy chili' crisp charm. It follows Anya Hindmarch's sequinned Walkers crisps bag, originally released in 2000 and now housed in the V&A. This week the US brand Lay's released its new campaign that stars football legends including Lionel Messi munching on its classic salted crisps. Elsewhere, at parties, traditional blinis are out. Instead at-home cooks are whipping up crisp canapés – such as Pringles topped with a dollop of sour cream and caviar. Millennials have swapped the customary bottle of bubbles for the host for a £26 tin of Bonilla's sea salted crisps. Online, there are viral recipes for chocolate biscuits topped with salty crisp crumbs. The American chef Alison Roman suggests serving marinated anchovies with Kettle-style crisps, while the Spanish chef Ferran Adrià proposes folding plain crisps into whisked eggs for a speedy take on a tortilla Española. At hipster-filled bars, natty orange wines are served with bowls of salted crisps topped with Serrano ham. The Greek-inspired restaurant Oma and its sister restaurant Agora in Borough Market, south-east London, feature homemade hot crisps on the menu. The chef/owner David Carter, who fries agria potatoes in rapeseed oil before flavouring them with everything from garlic to kombu dashi,said the idea stemmed from wanting 'something a bit naughty when you sat down'. After trying out fava and chickpeas, he settled on 'the humble crisp', which he said ticked the salty, spicy and crunchy boxes. Over at Toklas restaurant on the Strand, its take on mussels escabeche features crisps instead of bread. The head chef, Chris Shaw, described the British as having 'a sort of love affair' with crisps. He argued it played into nostalgia. 'We've all had them as part of a packed lunch. Or as a kid on holiday. There are good crisps [and] shit crisps. But they all bring you back to a moment.' At £4.95 for a 125g packet, Torres sits at the upper end of the upmarket crisp market but flavours beyond the standard ready salted are booming across the crisp category. Marks & Spencer recently introduced a black truffle version (£3.75 for 125g) to its own label collection. Kettle's latest range includes a sriracha mayo version and dill pickle and jalapeño (£2.40 for 125g). At Tyrells, you can pick from Wensleydale and cranberry to roasted chicken and sage (from £2.75 for 150g). There are also specialist snack sites that stock smaller British brands, such as Taste of Game, which does a smoked pheasant and wild mushroom crisp. Natalie Whittle, the author of Crunch: An Ode to Crisps, said the trend reflected a wider cost of living challenge: 'Crisps have always had a kind of chameleon ability to be high or low in the supermarket food aisles.' For those dining out less, Whittle said crisps offered an opportunity to enjoy 'something a bit more cheffy' at home. The writer sometimes invited a friend over for just a bag of posh crisps and a glass of wine. 'It is fun to break the monotony and rigid doctrine of making meals all the time,' she said. However, for some, tradition would always trump the novel. While Shaw said he enjoyed 'the strange sulphur' flavour from Torres fried-egg crisps, his favourite was still 'an acidic numbing' packet of pickled onion Monster Munch.
Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Tesco launches 'ultimate' new ready meal but shoppers have one complaint
This Tesco ready meal has left people divided – with some wanting to pick it up when they do their next supermarket shop. However, others were disgusted by the combo Mac and cheese is a comforting, firm favourite dish for many, and Wotsits are many people's favourite crisps - but what would happen if the two combined? Well, it turns out it would be pretty controversial, with many people undecided as to whether it's something they actually want to try or not, with some saying: "I love mac and cheese and Wotsits, but the two should not mix". New Food Spotter UK shared that they'd found the ready meals in Tesco, and there are three to choose from. You can get flamin' hot, sweet and spicy, or really cheesy, which is billed as "the ultimate cheesy mac". For £3.25 Clubcard Price, you can pick one of these meals up, but some people had one complaint. They weren't happy about the price point. One shopper fumed: "So basically overcharging you for Wotsits when you can literally just add them yourself? Okay." Another penned: "I'm sorry, but in what way do these mac and cheese meals look or sound good?" A woman joked: "I'm fuming. I invented crisps on mac and cheese, but I use Frazzles". Somebody else said: "I love mac and cheese and I adore Wotsits, but that sounds sickly". "I live for Mac and cheese and would die for Wotsits, but I'm not convinced they should be together," another sceptic mused, but some said it sounded "yummy" and they "want to try". Somebody else thought it was a healthy meal, but then they noticed the traffic light system on the food was for "half the pack," writing: "I told everyone its less than 400 calories and I've just noticed that's for half the pack". One woman said that you "can't beat homemade mac and cheese," so if you would prefer to make your own at home, here's a recipe: Homemade mac and cheese Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil and cooking 250 grams of macaroni or another small pasta shape according to the packet instructions, then drain and set aside. In a separate medium-sized saucepan, prepare the cheese sauce by melting 50 grams of unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir in 50 grams of plain flour and whisk continuously to form a smooth paste, cooking for about one to two minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Gradually add 500 millilitres of full-fat milk to the mixture, pouring it in small amounts at a time while whisking to ensure the sauce stays smooth and lump-free. Once all the milk has been incorporated, continue cooking until the sauce thickens slightly. Lower the heat and stir in 200 grams of grated mature cheddar cheese, adding a little at a time to allow it to melt evenly. You can also add 50 grams of grated parmesan cheese for extra depth of flavour, along with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a pinch of nutmeg for a subtle kick. Season the sauce to taste with salt and black pepper. Combine the drained pasta with the cheese sauce, stirring well to coat all the pasta evenly. Transfer this mixture to a greased ovenproof dish if you'd like to bake it. For a crispy topping, sprinkle over some breadcrumbs (about 50 grams) and extra grated cheddar cheese before placing the dish under a preheated grill or in an oven set to 200°C (fan 180°C) for about 10 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling. Serve the mac and cheese on its own, or pair it with a simple green salad or some steamed vegetables for a complete meal. Enjoy your creamy, homemade mac and cheese. And if you want to really push the boat out, you could even add your own Wotsits!
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The TikTok star turning Monster Munch, Frazzles and Scampi Fries into gourmet sandwiches
A TikToker has been wowing millions after unveiling her unique approach to sandwich making. Nell Carter, known on TikTok as @Nell'sKitchen, has revealed to viewers her distinctive sandwich recipes which incorporate some of the nation's favourite crisps. Taking the familiar favourites of flame-grilled McCoy's, pickled onion Monster Munch and Frazzles, Nell has revolutionised the idea of what a crisp sandwich can be. READ MORE: Solar eclipse 2025: Exact time to watch the Moon cover the Sun in rare event this week READ MORE: 'I'll never return to Krakow after what happened on my sister's hen do' To create her unique sandwiches Nell, from Yorkshire, shows viewers how she bakes crisps into her bread before adding even more as a filling. Her creations have now taken the video platform by storm with Nell's videos reaching up to 2.1M views. Nell's original creations have now sent TikTok users into a frenzy for crisp sandwiches, with one user writing on the platform: "Honestly that looks like my idea of heaven." Another TikTok user added: "This looks utterly insane." Through showcasing her recipes Nell hopes to champion the use of crisps in sandwiches more often, as she said that crisps are often viewed as an "afterthought". 'The hardest thing to achieve with a pre-made sandwich is the crunch,' Nell explained. 'Why not try and make the crisp the hero product?' So far, Nell has dabbled with Scampi Fries, Mini Cheddars, Discos, Frazzles and more. "I've always picked challenges that I think are going to be relatable to my audience, which is majority UK,' said Nell. "Crisps are something we all enjoy, something we're all a part of. 'I'm just showing people you can re-imagine something you have known for years in a new way to find a little bit of excitement out of something very commonplace.' The 28-year-old also said she used to view her passion for creating sandwiches as a "side hustle" after reviewing supermarket Christmas meal deals, while at university. 'It then turned into an annual feature and during lockdown, I started creating my own recipes and food blogs," she said. From showcasing her recipes on TikTok Nell has now pursued her own sandwich catering business based in London.
The Independent
24-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Eating too many ultra-processed foods? This is how to cut back without cutting corners
It's hard to look at a packet of Monster Munch or a chocolate biscuit now without the words 'ultra-processed food' (UPF) flashing through your brain. It's almost enough to put you off, but then you get sucked in by the nostalgia factor of Frazzles or a desperate need to dunk a Hobnob in a cup of tea. Or maybe not. If you've read Ultra-Processed People by TV doctor Chris van Tulleken, you might already be religiously checking the labels on your favourite snacks, pasta sauces, cereals, yoghurt, sausages, vegan meat alternatives and – worst of all – bread. You might even be putting them back on the supermarket shelf when you realise half the ingredients are pure gobbledegook; a confusing blur of additives, emulsifiers, preservatives and flavour enhancers, none of which resemble any real ingredients you could buy individually. UPFs 'are industrially processed foods and contain ingredients that aren't typically used in home kitchens,' explains food writer and registered nutritionist Delicia Bale. 'They're also normally high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt and low in fibre and micronutrients. In research, they have been described as 'hyper palatable' – they're designed to be over-consumed.' That's why, once you pop you can't stop with crisps, why a packet of chocolate buttons is gone without you even realising, and why two slices of white bread doesn't seem to touch the sides. And the other problem is, some things you would never expect to be ultra-processed, are, like stock cubes, shop-bought pastry ('One of the harder ones to make from scratch,') and mayonnaise. 'It's going to go off quite quickly if you make it yourself. I swap it for Greek yogurt,' says Bale. 'If you find one that's not too sour tasting, it'll work quite well and it also increases the protein slightly and decreases the fat in recipes.' Even some tins of coconut milk have added emulsifiers. 'I don't really understand why, because coconut milk still separates, even with an emulsifier in it,' says Bale, bemused. Then there's bread, which she calls 'probably the most widely consumed ultra-processed food'. Homemade, it's just four ingredients: flour, salt, water and yeast. But check the back of your supermarket loaf and the ingredients list may shock you. Even when you are aware of UPFs and the many health dangers associated with eating them, including an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, they are ubiquitous, so can feel borderline inescapable. Which is why Bale, 27, has written her debut cookbook, Unprocessed Made Easy. 'When reducing UPFs in people's diets, they don't really know where to start,' she says. 'So my book is focused on direct swaps for foods that typically are processed.' She provides homemade trades for everything from granola and pancakes, to noodles, soups, pizza and burgers, while keeping costs low and, crucially, meal prepping speedy. Because this is the major issue; besides UPFs being so darned delicious and available, it seems so much quicker and easier to just buy the tinned soup or the plastic-wrapped ready meal, than buy a set of ingredients, then go home and transform it into a meal. 'People have less time, so they rely on those foods,' says Bale, without judgement. But the fact is, 'a meta analysis on ultra-processed foods found that, looking at all the different studies so far, there's been no positive association seen with consuming UPFs.' Unless you count the taste. Bale's mother was a personal trainer, so she grew up eating 'pretty healthy' and has been interested in eating well since. While studying nutrition at the University of Surrey, she began writing recipes and fell in love with food photography. Now she has 116k followers on Instagram and one million likes on TikTok. She says her interest in tackling UPF consumption comes from the fact 'it's not about restricting one particular type of food. Obviously, restrictive diets aren't sustainable, I like this [area of nutrition] because I think [reducing UPFs] is something people can maintain long term.' Growing up in Canada has also had a major impact on her understanding of food. 'The way people eat here is quite different,' she says of Britain. '[In Canada] people's main meals would be more unhealthy, but here, people's meals are generally pretty healthy, but then they're eating a lot of the high fat, high sugar, high salt snack foods. People don't really eat crisps or chocolate every single day [in Canada], and then I moved here, and that's what people were eating in their packed lunch.' Compared to other countries, Britain is something of a UPF stronghold. 'When we're comparing ourselves to every European country, and especially Mediterranean countries, they're still consuming some UPFs, but it's only about 10 to 20 per cent [of their diet] whereas here, it's closer to 60 per cent,' says Bale. A study in 2019 found it was a whopping 57 per cent, and for teenagers, closer to 80 per cent. She's not asking you to go full on cold turkey though. 'I still do eat some UPFs,' she admits. 'It's quite difficult to avoid, especially in social situations. I don't think it's something that needs to be removed from people's diets entirely. I just think it needs to be reduced by quite a lot.' She recommends starting off by swapping one meal a day for something non ultra-processed and 'not feeling like they have to remove everything all at once, because that can be quite overwhelming, and also not thinking they need to completely cut it out and never eat it again. A restrictive mindset makes it so people, if they eat one UPF, they think, 'Oh no, I've broken my diet,' and then they give up trying.' Bale is adamant: 'It doesn't have to be difficult to make changes to your diet and eat healthier or eat less UPFs. It doesn't have to be super complicated.' You can do it. 'Unprocessed Made Easy' by Delicia Bale ANutr (Ebury Press, £20).
