Hula Hoops Original Potato Rings, 12 x 24g

Original is the plain Hula Hoop, salted potato rings with nothing else, and this is the big multipack: twelve 24g bags, 288g in all. The full product name on the pack is original salted potato rings, and the pack gives a freepost address for KP Snacks.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the rings are made from potato (potato starch and dried potato), sunflower oil, rice flour, maize flour, salt and potassium chloride. That is the whole list, one of the shortest in our range.

A plain ring

With no seasoning blend, the taste is the potato dough and the salt. The dough of potato starch and dried potato, with rice and maize flour, gives a ring that is light and even, with a clean crunch rather than the brittle snap of a thin, sliced crisp.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride is on the list beside ordinary salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium, so it seasons the rings without adding to that figure. The label gives 1.4g of salt per 100g, the lowest of the Hula Hoops we stock.

Cooked in sunflower oil

The only oil on the list is sunflower oil, a light oil with a neutral taste, so the rings taste of potato and salt rather than oil. The label gives 2.2g of saturates per 100g.

Sugars

Sugar is not on the list, and the label gives 0.5g of sugars per 100g, which comes from the potato itself.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 499 kcal (2087 kJ), 25g of fat, 2.2g of saturates, 65g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 2.6g of fibre, 3.1g of protein and 1.4g of salt per 100g. The published listing for this twelve bag pack gives figures per 100g; the per bag column on this page is worked out from them.

Numbers for one bag

The label on the six bag pack of Hula Hoops Original, the same rings, gives 120 kcal (501 kJ), 6g of fat, 0.5g of saturates, 16g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 0.6g of fibre, 0.7g of protein and 0.34g of salt for each 24g bag. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 9% of the fat and 6% of the salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 25g is red. Saturates at 2.2g are amber. Sugars at 0.5g are green, with no sugar on the list. Salt at 1.4g is amber, near the top of its band.

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 claim 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 flavours or colours and no MSG. With six ingredients and no seasoning blend, there is little on the list that could be.

Rice and maize flour

Rice flour and maize flour sit beside the potato in the dough. Together they help give the rings their light, even texture, and they are why the list mentions three starchy ingredients rather than potato alone.

Twelve bags

Twelve bags cover a fortnight of weekday lunches with two to spare, or a week for two children. Buying the bigger pack also means fewer trips for a plain snack that most of the house will eat.

Sharing fairly

A big box is easier to share fairly than a sharing bag: every bag is the same 24g portion, so each child gets the same amount.

Plain and versatile

Because the rings are plain, they go with everything from a curry night to a picnic, and they are easy to season yourself: a pinch of smoked paprika or chilli flakes shaken into an opened bag makes a quick party snack.

Who it suits

A plain, salted ring suits younger children, fussy eaters and anyone who wants a snack without a strong flavour. The ring fits neatly on a fingertip, which children tend to enjoy.

Serving ideas

Plain rings go with any sandwich filling and any soup, and they make a mild dipper for houmous, salsa or a soured cream dip. Tip a few bags into a bowl for a children's party.

In the kitchen

Crushed, plain rings make a light, neutral crumb for chicken strips or fish fingers. Season the crumb with herbs or paprika to suit the dish.

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 packs

For a smaller pack of the same rings, we stock Hula Hoops Original in six bags. For a mix of flavours, the twelve bag Hula Hoops Variety box holds three bags each of original, cheese and onion, salt and vinegar and BBQ beef.

Sizes of Hula Hoops Original Potato Rings 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.