Kettle Lightly Salted Potato Chips, 5 x 25g

Five 25g bags of the plainest Kettle chip: this multipack of Kettle Lightly Salted holds 125g of hand cooked chips in total, each bag sealed until it is opened. The label gives nutrition per 100g.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from select potatoes, vegetable oils (rapeseed and sunflower, in varying proportions) and sea salt. The label adds that the chips may be fried in either oil or a blend, depending on supply. That is the whole list.

A thick chip in a small bag

Kettle chips are cooked in batches, which makes them thicker and harder than thin, continuously fried crisps, with curled edges and a deeper golden colour. In a 25g bag that sturdiness is useful: the chips survive being packed into a lunchbox or a bag better than thin crisps, so more of the bag arrives whole.

Numbers for one bag

Worked out from the label's per 100g figures for a 25g bag, each bag is about 129 kcal, 7.4g of fat, 0.5g of saturates, 13.4g of carbohydrate, 0.1g of sugars, 1.2g of fibre, 1.6g of protein and 0.17g of salt. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 3% of the salt. Per 100g the label gives 516 kcal (2155 kJ), 29.5g of fat, 2g of saturates, 53.7g of carbohydrate, 0.4g of sugars, 5g of fibre, 6.5g of protein and 0.7g of salt.

Why the figures differ from the 130g bag

The published figures for this multipack are not identical to those for the 130g bag of the same flavour, which gives 494 kcal, 25.4g of fat and 0.65g of salt per 100g. The ingredients are the same three, but potatoes and frying vary, and the two listings were published separately. Read the label of the pack you are buying.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 29.5g is red. Saturates at 2g are amber. Sugars at 0.4g are green. Salt at 0.7g is amber, in the lower half of its band. Per bag, the salt is 0.17g.

Allergens and diet

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

Select potatoes and sea salt

The label lists select potatoes, which the Kettle sharing bag listings say are British, and sea salt rather than ordinary salt. With only three ingredients, the potato and the frying are what you taste, and the hand cooked method is what makes a plain chip interesting: a harder crunch, deeper colour and curled edges.

Why the colour varies

Hand cooked chips vary from pale gold to deep brown within a bag. Potatoes change in natural sugar through the year and with storage, and slices from sweeter potatoes brown more as they fry. It is a sign of batch cooking rather than a fault.

Salt in context

A 25g bag carries about 0.17g of salt, around 3% of an adult's daily reference intake. The thin ready salted crisps in our range, by comparison, give about 0.3g for a 25g bag on their labels.

For lunchboxes

A plain, vegan chip with a gluten free claim suits almost any lunchbox. It goes with every sandwich filling, has no strong smell or heat, and the hand cooked crunch makes it feel like more than a plain crisp. Five bags cover a school or working week.

The oils

The label lists rapeseed and sunflower oils in varying proportions and notes that the chips may be fried in either or a blend, depending on supply. Both are light, neutral oils, and with nothing but sea salt on top, they let the flavour of the fried potato come through.

A plain chip for fussy eaters

A plain chip is the least likely to come home uneaten. It has no heat, no strong smell and no sharp acid, and the thick hand cooked crunch makes it more interesting than a thin plain crisp. For a child moving on from very plain crisps, it is an easy step.

In the kitchen

A crushed bag makes a plain crumb for one portion of fish or chicken, or a crunchy topping for a bowl of soup or a salad. Mix in herbs or spices to flavour the crumb.

Storage

The pack advises a cool, dry place away from bright light. Keep the bags in the outer pack until needed and finish each bag once it is opened. The pack names Kettle Foods Ltd as the maker, and the published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin.

Other sizes and flavours

The same flavour comes in a 130g sharing bag. Kettle Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena also comes in a five bag multipack of 25g bags. In the 130g size we stock Kettle Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns, Mature Cheddar and Red Onion, Brie and Caramelised Onion and Honey Dijon Mustard.

Sizes of Kettle Lightly Salted Potato Chips we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

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