Golden Wonder Chippies Curry Potato Sticks, 100g

Chippies are thin potato sticks from Golden Wonder, like chips shrunk to a crisp, and Chip Shop Curry is the one that tastes of curry sauce on chips. This is the 100g sharing bag, which the listing says holds four servings. The full product name on the pack is chip shop curry flavour potato sticks, and the maker on the label is Golden Wonder Ltd.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the sticks are made from potatoes, sunflower oil and a chip shop curry flavour of salt, sugar, spices (curry powder, chilli powder, fenugreek seed powder and ground ginger), dextrose, buttermilk powder (milk), dehydrated onion, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium 5' ribonucleotide), yeast extracts, an acidity regulator (sodium diacetate), citric acid, flavouring and curcumin for colour.

Potato sticks

Chippies are cut from real potatoes into thin sticks, like tiny chips, and the listing says they are cooked in sunflower oil until golden. They give a light, crisp crunch and pour into a bowl like a handful of chips.

Chip shop curry

Chip shop curry sauce is a mild, sweet curry, and the seasoning follows it: curry powder, fenugreek and ginger for the warm spice, sugar and dextrose for the sweetness, onion for the body and a little chilli.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek seed gives the maple like, slightly bitter note that makes a curry powder smell like a curry house. It is a common spice in curry powders.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk powder, from milk, softens the spice and adds a creamy tang, like the smoothness of a curry sauce. It is the reason milk is highlighted.

Sodium diacetate and citric acid

Sodium diacetate, made from the acid of vinegar, and citric acid give a light tang, the sharp edge of chips with a splash of vinegar under the curry.

Flavour enhancers

Monosodium glutamate and disodium 5' ribonucleotide strengthen the savoury taste, with yeast extracts behind them. This bag does contain MSG.

Curcumin

Curcumin, the yellow of turmeric, gives the seasoning its curry colour, and the pack says there are no artificial colours or preservatives.

Numbers per serving

The label gives 127 kcal (530 kJ), 7g of fat, 0.8g of saturates, 13.7g of carbohydrate, 0.9g of sugars, 1g of fibre, 1.9g of protein and 0.46g of salt for a 25g serving. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 10% of the fat and 8% of the salt.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the label gives 507 kcal (2118 kJ), 27.9g of fat, 3g of saturates, 54.7g of carbohydrate, 3.6g of sugars, 3.8g of fibre, 7.4g of protein and 1.83g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 27.9g is red. Saturates at 3g are amber. Sugars at 3.6g are green. Salt at 1.83g is red.

Salt

The Chip Shop Curry Chippies carry 1.83g of salt per 100g and the Salt and Vinegar Chippies 2g; both are red on the front of pack scale.

Curry powder and chilli

Curry powder is itself a blend of spices; with chilli powder, fenugreek and ginger listed beside it, the seasoning has a layered, warm spice.

Ginger

Ground ginger adds a warm, slightly sharp note that lifts the curry powder.

Sugar and dextrose

Sugar is the second ingredient in the seasoning and dextrose follows, which is why the curry tastes sweet, like a chip shop sauce. The label gives 3.6g of sugars per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

Carbohydrate and fibre

The label gives 54.7g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 3.6g are sugars; the rest is starch from the potato. Fibre is 3.8g and protein 7.4g per 100g.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the buttermilk powder, and the published listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the sticks are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan, because of the milk, and there is no gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Four servings

The listing says the 100g bag holds four servings of 25g. Tip a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Once opened

The pack advises a cool, dry place and says to eat the sticks as soon as the bag is open.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 3g of saturates per 100g, amber.

The pack

The golden bag carries a strip of potato sticks across the top, the Golden Wonder starburst, the white Chippies name, a brown banner reading chip shop curry flavour potato sticks, a small sailing boat and seagulls, and a newspaper print pattern at the bottom, like chip paper.

Who it suits

A curry flavoured potato stick suits anyone who likes chips and curry sauce, and the vegetarian statement suits most tables. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk, or anyone avoiding MSG.

Serving ideas

Serve the sticks with a cold beer, beside a burger, or scattered over a bowl of chips and curry sauce for crunch.

In the kitchen

Scatter the sticks over a coronation chicken salad, or crush them over a cottage pie for a curried crunch.

A chip shop at home

Chips with curry sauce is a chip shop order across Britain; these sticks put the two together in a bag.

With drinks

A curried potato stick goes well with a cold lager or a mango lassi.

Other Chippies

We also stock Golden Wonder Chippies Salt and Vinegar in the same 100g bag.

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