Hula Hoops Big Hoops Salted Potato Rings, 45g

Big Hoops are the bigger version of Hula Hoops, the potato rings from KP Snacks, and Salted is the plain one: potato, oil and salt. The pack promises a bigger hoop and a bold flavour. This is the 45g grab bag, which the listing says is one serving. The full product name on the pack is salted potato rings, and the pack gives a freepost address for KP Snacks.

Four ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the rings are made from potato (dried potato and potato starch), sunflower oil, salt and potassium chloride. That is the whole list, so what you taste is the potato, the oil and the salt.

Potato rings

Hula Hoops are made from dried potato and potato starch, formed into a dough and shaped into hollow rings. Big Hoops are larger rings than standard Hula Hoops, which the pack sums up as bigger hoop, bold flavour.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride sits beside the salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium. The label gives 1.6g of salt per 100g and 0.72g for the bag, the least salty Big Hoops we stock.

No MSG

The pack says no MSG, and with four ingredients there is nothing else on the list.

Plain and simple

With no seasoning beyond salt, the rings taste of potato, and the size gives the crunch. A plain ring is the one to choose beside a strongly flavoured sandwich or dip.

Numbers for the bag

The pack gives 228 kcal (953 kJ), 12g of fat, 1.1g of saturates, 28g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 1.3g of fibre, 1.4g of protein and 0.72g of salt for the 45g bag. That is about 11% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 17% of the fat and 12% of the salt. Per 100g it is 506 kcal (2118 kJ), 27g of fat, 2.4g of saturates, 62g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 2.9g of fibre, 3.2g of protein and 1.6g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 27g is red. Saturates at 2.4g are amber. Sugars at 0.5g are green. Salt at 1.6g is red, just over the 1.5g line.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients. The allergy advice says the rings may contain cereals containing gluten and milk. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement and no gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What the pack leaves out

The pack says there are no artificial colours or flavours, and there is no colour or flavouring on the list at all.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 2.4g of saturates per 100g.

A grab bag

At 45g, the grab bag is a substantial snack for one, 228 kcal. It suits a journey, a desk lunch or an afternoon at the match.

The pack

The red bag carries a yellow grab bag band, the yellow Hula Hoops badge under the line bigger hoop bold flavour, the words big hoops and salted in a box, and five big rings around them.

The Hula Hoops range

Standard Hula Hoops come in six bag multipacks of Original, Barbecue Beef, Salt and Vinegar, Cheese and Onion and Smoky Bacon, and in variety packs; Big Hoops are the larger rings in a grab bag.

Distributor

As well as the freepost address for KP Snacks, the listing names Tayto Snacks, of Ashbourne in County Meath, Ireland, as a distributor.

One serving

The listing counts the 45g bag as one serving, so the figures for the bag are the figures for the serving.

Potato starch

Potato starch binds the dried potato into a dough that holds its ring shape. The label gives 62g of carbohydrate per 100g, and with sugars at 0.5g the rest is starch.

Fibre and protein

The label gives 2.9g of fibre and 3.2g of protein per 100g, and with nothing on the list but potato, oil and salt, both come from the potato.

For a party bowl

Tip the bag into a bowl beside flavoured crisps, and the plain rings give guests a choice without a seasoning.

Who it suits

A plain, big, crunchy ring suits anyone who prefers no strong flavour, and the vegetarian statement suits most tables. Check the may contain advice first for anyone avoiding gluten or milk.

Serving ideas

A grab bag goes with a ham or cheese sandwich, a pie or a bowl of soup.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the rings make a neutral, crunchy crumb for fish or chicken, or a topping for a gratin.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place. 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 Big Hoops

In the same 45g grab bag we stock Hula Hoops Big Hoops Barbecue Beef and Salt and Vinegar.

Other 45g packs of Big Hoops we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.