21st November 2010, on the menu today...
Seabrook Sea Salted Crisps
As much as I love Walkers, I have a big soft spot for Seabrook Crisps. I used to have these when I went to visit my Grandparents on the coast and they were a regular feature at cricket lunches. One great thing about them is the variety of flavours they offer the consumer - sixteen at last count - with everything from Worcester Sauce crisps to Tomato Ketchup ones. Personally, my favourite crisp has always been a simple salted one - I know I'm boring - so I thought I would choose this flavour to review here.
Design:
Whenever I see the shapes, fonts and colours of this packaging I am immediately transported back to my childhood visits to the coast. It's eye-catching and fun in the way a day at seaside is. Moreover, the annoying health message is tucked away at the bottom making it relatively discrete - still would be much better without it. As for the packet's reverse, the blue and red colour scheme is continued, there is a smattering of graphics around the periphery of the design and, of course, the customary nutritional info and quality guarantee. However, of note, is the appearance of the Seabrook's slogan "Once tasted, loved forever" at the top right. Simple and direct, this slogan fits the brand very well given their focus on originating new and different flavours. Finally, the choice of a crinkle cut crisp always seemed a very good one to me given its connotations of the undulating sea.
Taste:
With these not just being salted but sea salted my young mind immediately assumed they must be something extra special that was way beyond your everyday packet of salted crisps. These days, I wouldn't say they were a superior crisp just a different one with their own merits.
First and foremost, their thick ridged-shape design makes them more resistant to the bite and crunchier than a standard crisp. Moreover, the level of salting is well judged and a definite potato flavour comes through that you get from say a packet of Walkers Ready Salted. All in all, these are a safe bet for the crisp eater that deliver on both taste and texture.
TV Advertising:
Have you considered...?
Seabrook Crisps are MSG and gluten-free, vegetarian and cooked in sunflower oil - lower in saturates than traditional oils for frying.
History (as per the Wikipedia entry):
Seabrook Crinkle Cut Potato Crisps (often shortened to Seabrook's) are a brand of crisps in the United Kingdom. They are produced in the Northern English city of Bradford and are extremely popular in the north, though less so in the south. The company does offer a mail order service, where customers can buy boxes of 48 packets of crisps, and can mix flavours. They are best known for the use of sea salt on their crisps and for offering a list of unusual flavours, together with more traditional ones. These have included cream cheese and chive, Indian tandoori and Mexican chilli although as of recent, these flavours have been reduced.
The company was founded in 1945 by Charles Brook, and is believed the name arose due to an error in a photo processing shop; instead of writing C. Brook on his film, the clerk wrote Seabrook, and the name stuck. The original Seabrook factory was in the Allerton area of Bradford, opening a larger factory in the Princeville area during 1979/80, however, production continued at the Allerton factory until 2004.
Each crisp packet contains 31.8 grams, and until recently was made from the traditional crisp packet plastic, that allows for a window to view the crisps, and emblazoned with the words "See What You Buy" on the front. The Seabrook company has since changed its packaging to foil.
The company is a co-founder and sponsor of The Blah! Party, a registered political party currently led by punk rocker Raymond 'Captain Sensible' Burns.
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