Kettle Brie and Caramelised Onion Potato Chips, 130g

Brie and caramelised onion is a cheeseboard flavour, the soft French cheese with a spoon of sticky onion chutney, and Kettle puts it on a hand cooked potato chip. This is the 130g sharing bag, which the label suggests serves five. The full product name on the pack is Hand Cooked Potato Chips With Brie and Caramelised Onion Flavour Seasoning.

Hand cooked, and what that means

Kettle chips are hand cooked. Rather than passing through a continuous fryer, the slices are cooked in batches, and each batch drops the oil temperature when it goes in, then the oil comes back up as the slices cook. That slower, uneven cook drives the water out more gradually and gives a harder, crunchier chip, often folded or curled, with a deeper golden colour than a thin, continuously fried crisp. The pack says the chips are hand cooked and made with British potatoes.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from select potatoes, vegetable oils (rapeseed and sunflower, in varying proportions), sugar, onion powder, whey powder (milk), potato maltodextrin, sea salt, Brie cheese powder (milk), salt, natural flavourings, garlic powder, citric acid, ground rosemary, yeast extract powder and skimmed milk powder.

How the flavour is built

Sugar comes straight after the oils, and with onion powder it gives the sweet, jammy side of caramelised onion: caramelising is the slow browning of onion sugars, and a little sugar in the seasoning gives the same impression without the cooking. Whey, Brie cheese powder and skimmed milk powder bring the soft, creamy cheese. Garlic and yeast extract add savoury depth, citric acid a small lift, and ground rosemary a gentle herb note that you would find on a baked Brie.

The least salt in the Kettle range we stock

The label gives 0.33g of salt per 100g, the lowest of the Kettle chips in our range, and only just above the 0.3g line where the front of pack scale turns green. For a cheese flavour that is unusually low, and it means the sweetness and the cheese carry the flavour rather than the salt.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 517 kcal (2159 kJ), 29.3g of fat, 3.3g of saturates, 55.3g of carbohydrate, 2.7g of sugars, 4.1g of fibre, 5.9g of protein and 0.33g of salt per 100g. The pack suggests five servings in the bag, so a serving is about a fifth of the bag.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 29.3g is red, above the 17.5g threshold, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 3.3g are amber. Sugars at 2.7g are green. Salt at 0.33g is amber, right at the bottom of the band.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey powder, Brie cheese powder and skimmed milk powder. The published listing gives no may contain advice for this bag. The pack says the chips are suitable for vegetarians and carries a gluten free claim. They are not vegan, because of the milk. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

The oils

The label lists rapeseed and sunflower oils in varying proportions. That standard wording means the blend can change with supply, so both oils are named.

A note of rosemary

Ground rosemary is a small but distinct part of the seasoning. Its piney, herbal note is a classic partner for baked Brie and for caramelised onion, and it stops the flavour tasting only sweet and creamy.

Serving the bag

Brie and caramelised onion belongs on a cheeseboard. Put a bowl beside a wedge of Brie, a mature Cheddar, grapes, crackers and a jar of chutney, or serve it with a glass of dry white wine or a cold cider. It also suits a Christmas buffet, a picnic with cold meats, or a plate of sandwiches.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the chips make a sweet, cheesy crumb for the top of a baked Camembert or Brie before it goes in the oven, or a crunchy topping for a leek and potato soup. A handful beside a toasted Brie and cranberry sandwich echoes the flavour.

How to keep them

The pack's own storage advice is a cool, dry place away from bright light. Light, as well as air, speeds up the oil going stale, which is why crisp bags are opaque. Clip the bag after opening and keep it in a cupboard.

Other Kettle flavours

In the same 130g bag we stock Kettle Mature Cheddar and Red Onion, Honey Dijon Mustard, Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Lightly Salted and Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns, among others. For another cheese flavour, Mature Cheddar and Red Onion is the sharper, more savoury choice.

Other 130g packs of Kettle Chips 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.