Eat Real Sea Salt Veggie Straws, 110g

Eat Real Veggie Straws are thin, crunchy straws made from pea and rice flour rather than potato, and this is the plain one, seasoned with sea salt. It is the 110g sharing bag, which the label suggests serves five. The full product name on the pack is yellow pea and rice based snacks with tomato, kale and spinach, seasoned with sea salt, and the pack names Eat Real Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the straws are made from yellow pea flour (28%), rice flour, potato starch, rapeseed oil, salt, tomato powder (0.7%), sea salt, kale powder (0.3%) and spinach powder (0.3%).

How much veg

The name says veggie straws, and the vegetables are there, but in small amounts: tomato powder at 0.7% of the product, and kale and spinach powder at 0.3% each. They add colour and a little flavour. The body of the straw is yellow pea flour, at 28%, with rice flour and potato starch.

Pea flour

Yellow pea flour is made from dried yellow peas ground fine. It gives the straws a slightly sweet, nutty flavour, and the label gives 8.6g of protein per 100g.

Rice flour and potato starch

Rice flour and potato starch make the dough light and help it form thin, airy straws. Rice flour contains no gluten, and with pea flour and potato starch in place of wheat, the pack can carry a gluten free claim.

Tomato, kale and spinach

The tomato, kale and spinach powders are dried vegetables ground fine. At a combined 1.3% of the product they tint the straws red and green and add a faint savoury note, rather than making a vegetable portion.

Rapeseed oil

The only oil on the list is rapeseed oil, a light oil, and the label gives 1.6g of saturates per 100g.

Salt and sea salt

The straws are seasoned with ordinary salt and sea salt, with nothing else, so the taste is the pea and rice dough, the salt and a faint note of tomato.

The straw

Pea and rice flour with potato starch make a light, airy dough, formed into thin straws with a crisp, even crunch. The shape is easy for small hands and good for scooping a thick dip.

Why a straw shape

The thin straw shape gives a lot of surface for the salt and a crunch that breaks cleanly. It also makes the straws easy to pick up, dip and share, which is why straws suit a party bowl.

Compared with the barbecue straws

Eat Real Veggie Straws with a Sweet Barbecue Glaze add a sweet, smoky seasoning to a similar straw; this plain one has 1.79g of salt per 100g against 1.88g for the barbecue straws.

Numbers per serving

The label gives 105 kcal (439 kJ), 4.6g of fat, 0.4g of saturates, 13g of carbohydrate, 0.2g of sugars, 1g of fibre, 1.9g of protein and 0.42g of salt for each 22g serving. That is about 5% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 7% of the fat and 7% of the salt. Per 100g it is 480 kcal (2009 kJ), 22g of fat, 1.6g of saturates, 60g of carbohydrate, 0.9g of sugars, 4.1g of fibre, 8.6g of protein and 1.79g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 22g is red, over the 17.5g line, and salt at 1.79g is red too. Saturates at 1.6g are amber, just over the 1.5g line, and sugars at 0.9g are green.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients, and the listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the straws are suitable for vegans and vegetarians and carries a gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Kosher

The pack carries the KLBD mark, the kosher certification of the London Beth Din.

What the pack leaves out

The pack says there are no artificial flavourings, and sugar and colours do not appear on the list; the colour of the straws comes from the tomato, kale and spinach powders.

Who it suits

A plain, vegan, gluten free straw suits a mixed table and younger children, and the light texture is easy going. The salt figure makes a 22g serving the sensible portion.

Five servings

At 110g, the bag suggests five servings of 22g. Tip a serving into a bowl with a dip rather than eating from the bag, and clip the bag shut.

Serving ideas

Straws are made for dipping: houmous, a green herb dip, a tomato salsa or a guacamole. They also make a light party bowl snack beside potato crisps, and a crunchy side for a wrap.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the straws make a light, gluten free topping for a soup, a salad or a pasta bake.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place, and the bag is packaged in a protective atmosphere. The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other Eat Real packs

For a sweeter straw, Eat Real Veggie Straws with a Sweet Barbecue Glaze come in the same 110g bag. For lentil chips, we stock Eat Real Salted Lentil Chips and Chilli and Lemon Lentil Chips.

The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.