Pipers Anglesey Sea Salt Crisps, 150g

Pipers make sharing crisps with named ingredients, and this is the plain one: potatoes, sunflower oil and Anglesey sea salt, nothing else. This is the 150g sharing bag. The full product name on the pack is Anglesey sea salt potato crisps, and the pack names Pipers Crisps of Elsham, North Lincolnshire, as the maker.

Three ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower oil and Anglesey sea salt PDO. That is the whole list, so what you taste is the potato, the oil and the salt.

Anglesey sea salt

The pack says the salt is crystallised natural sea salt from the Menai Strait, the water between Anglesey and mainland Wales, chosen for its qualities, and that it is Britain's only sea salt with Protected Designation of Origin status.

What PDO means

Protected Designation of Origin is a legal protection for a food made in a named place by a set method, the same scheme that protects foods such as Stilton cheese. Only salt made in the named way on Anglesey can carry the name.

Sea salt and sodium

Sea salt is mostly sodium chloride, like any other salt, so it counts towards the salt figure in the same way; the difference is in the crystal and in traces of other minerals, not in how much salt you eat.

The least salty Pipers

At 0.94g of salt per 100g, this is the least salty Pipers bag we stock: Wild Thyme and Rosemary has 1.4g, Wyke Cheddar and Onion 1.6g, Trealy Farm Chorizo 2g and Burrow Hill Cider Vinegar 2.1g.

Sunflower oil

The crisps are fried in sunflower oil, the only oil on the list. The label gives 3.3g of saturates per 100g.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 532 kcal (2223 kJ), 31g of fat, 3.3g of saturates, 57g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 3.5g of fibre, 5.1g of protein and 0.94g of salt per 100g. The listing gives no serving size, so the figures on this page are per 100g.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 31g is red, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 3.3g are amber. Sugars at 0.5g are green. Salt at 0.94g is amber, in the middle of its band.

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 crisps are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, with Vegetarian Society vegan approval, and carries a gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

One bowl for everyone

With three ingredients, a vegan approval and a gluten free claim, this is the Pipers bag for a mixed table: vegans, vegetarians and coeliac guests can all share it.

Crisps as they should taste

The back of the pack carries the line crisps as they should taste, and the brand describes its aim as bold flavour from named ingredients and good potatoes.

The pack

The blue and white bag carries the Pipers trumpeter over the Pipers name, with Anglesey in blue above sea salt crisps and the 150g weight.

The Pipers range

Pipers name the source of a key ingredient on each bag: Wyke cheddar, Atlas Mountains thyme, Trealy Farm chorizo, Burrow Hill cider vinegar and Anglesey sea salt. The five bags we stock share the same 150g format and are all fried in sunflower oil.

A sharing bag

At 150g, the bag is made for sharing. Tip a handful into a bowl rather than eating from the bag, and clip it shut between servings.

Who it suits

A plain, well made crisp suits anyone who prefers no strong flavour and anyone who likes to taste the potato. The vegan approval and gluten free claim suit most diets.

Serving the bag

Plain sea salt crisps go with almost anything: a cheeseboard, smoked salmon, a glass of champagne or a cold beer. Put out a bowl beside a soured cream dip or a guacamole.

The crisp sandwich

A plain sea salt crisp is the classic for a crisp sandwich: buttered bread, a handful of crisps, pressed together so they crack.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a neutral crumb for fish or chicken, or a crunchy topping for soup or a gratin. Season the crumb with herbs, lemon zest or black pepper.

Storage

The pack advises a cool, dry place and eating the crisps within three days of opening. Clip the bag shut between servings.

Other Pipers flavours

In the same 150g bag we stock Pipers Wyke Cheddar and Onion, Burrow Hill Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt, Trealy Farm Chorizo and Atlas Mountains Wild Thyme and Rosemary.

Other 150g packs of Pipers 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.