Mallory

I broke down and bought a Mars bar in Publix in the US not so long ago. It was white, and so stale I had to throw it away. I bought a box of Cream Crackers a few weeks ago. I looked at the sale date on them and some were new and some were expired.

Lays and Walkers are horrible. I only like Ruffles plain and Cape Cod potato chips. Flavoured never took off in the US. Americans seem to like them plain. I've seen all sorts of things offered, but they never seem to become popular. The thought of prawn cocktail crisps makes my stomach churn. Ugh.

Pulaski

OoooK.

Nutmegger

This must be regional, because flavored crisps are very popular around here -- BBQ, salt and vinegar, nacho, various cheese options, hot chili, etc. etc. -- the aisles are full of the same favorites year after year -- they aren't attempting to find a market, they have one.

Pulaski

Same here in NC - there is much more retail space devoted to the sale of flavoured crisps than plain/ unflavoured ones, and there is quite a variety of flavours, though no prawn cocktail, or some of the more exotic flavours seen int he UK, such as marmaite, though that is hardly surprising as there isn't much marmite sold in the US. The flavours do vary a bit over time too - there used to be a Lay's hot barbeque flavour, but that went away a couple of years ago, but I recently noticed a new hot and spicy barbeque flavour has appeared - bought a bag, but haven't tried them yet. That said, I do wonder if it might be retailer specific, with a lower-market retailer stocking a wider variety of flavoured crisps that Publix, which is generally considered to be the fancy grocery in the markets it serves in the SE. I can't say I have noticed that for crisps, though I will check the next time I go grocery shopping later in the week, but I have noticed for example that the "midmarket" chain grocery that I shop at has many more flavours of Breyer's icecream than the fancier Kroger-owned retailer (which Publix goes head to head with in NC and some nearby states), where I do most of our shopping.

And what's with calling either Lay's or Walker's crisps "horrible"? Both are widely considered to be a premium crisp, and as someone who previously worked in the salted snack business, I would only rate M&S crisps higher than Walker's, as think many people would. There are some cheap retailer branded crisps that are "horrible", and KP crisps aren't great either - often some combination of a dark yellow or orangy-brown colour becuase the potatoes were old, meaning that some of the starch had turned to sugars which then caramellized during frying, and using "old" oil that had already been used for frying lots of crisps, leaving the crisps greasy. .... Compare cheap crisps to a blond and non-greasy crisp from Walker's or M&S.

And BTW @Mallory, your Mars Bar was just fine to eat. The whiteness was just sugar that had leached out of the chocolate, most likely because it had been stored at too high a temperature, but chococate products last for years so I sincerely doubt it was stale. Granted I am sure it didn't look great, and it would probably have been withdrawn from sale in the UK if the manufacturer or retailer had become aware of the suger/ temperature storage issue.

Mallory

I meant I personally don’t like Lays, but DH loves them. They are too soft, I like harder texture. I don’t live in an area with many British people, so that Mars bar had probably been there for several years!

Nutmegger

For a really crunchy taste explosion, look out for Riceworks chips in Sweet Chili flavor. I have to ration myself, they are so good!

joto

I loved the Walkers Prawn Cocktail flavour crisps and the other little round prawn cocktail flavour thingys that melt in the mouth. If I get a real hankering for them, I need to do an online order. Wish I could just go to the local supermarket and pick up a few packs.

joto

When I first tried crisps, it was Smiths, with the little blue twist pack of salt, then they went on to the little square packet, you had to tear open.

Pulaski

KP Skips. They were a huge seller for KP when I worked for them.

tom169

Not heard of those in a while!

The Mirror

What does everybody think about Cheetos Flam'in Hot Chipolte Ranch Crispy's? Made with real cheese, how much real cheese, who knows but they are absolutely sensational. I was told that they are only available in western regional markets.

- I've boxed up enough bags to last into 2022, just in case the are discontinued