Proper Salt and Vinegar Lentil Chips, 5 x 14g

Proper Salt and Vinegar is the sharp one of the Proper range, and this multipack puts it into five small 14g bags, 70g in total. The full product name on the pack is Lentil chips seasoned with salt and apple cider vinegar.

Real vinegar, two kinds

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from lentil flour (28%), potato starch, vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed and coconut), corn flour, natural flavourings, rice flour, salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar and spirit vinegar.

Unlike many salt and vinegar crisps, which use dry acids such as potassium acetate or citric acid in place of vinegar, this seasoning lists vinegar itself, two kinds. Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples and has a softer, fruitier sharpness. Spirit vinegar is clear and sharper. Together they give a tang with some roundness to it, and a little sugar keeps it from tasting harsh.

The saltiest Proper we stock

Per 100g the label gives 2.83g of salt, the highest of the Proper lentil chips in our range and well into the red on the front of pack scale, where anything above 1.5g is high. In a 14g bag that works out at about 0.4g, and the small bag is exactly the reason to buy this flavour as a multipack.

Why vinegar is hard to put on a crisp

Vinegar is mostly water, and water is what softens a crisp. That is why most salt and vinegar snacks use dry acids instead. Using real apple cider and spirit vinegar means drying them first so they can be dusted on as part of the seasoning, and the result keeps the rounder flavour of real vinegar rather than the plain sourness of an acid alone.

Coconut oil in the blend

The oils listed are sunflower, rapeseed and coconut. Coconut oil is higher in saturated fat than the other two, which is why the label shows 2.9g of saturates per 100g, amber on the front of pack scale, rather than the 1.6g of some Proper flavours made without it.

Numbers for one bag

Worked out from the per 100g figures for a 14g bag, each bag is about 65 kcal, 2.7g of fat, 0.4g of saturates, 8.7g of carbohydrate, 0.3g of sugars, 1.3g of protein and 0.4g of salt. That is about 3% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 7% of the salt. Per 100g the label gives 464 kcal (1947 kJ), 19.4g of fat, 2.9g of saturates, 62.4g of carbohydrate, 2.1g of sugars, 0.7g of fibre, 9.5g of protein and 2.83g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 19.4g is red, just over 17.5g. Saturates at 2.9g are amber, with coconut oil in the blend. Sugars at 2.1g are green. Salt at 2.83g is red.

Allergens and diet

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

A small bag for a sharp flavour

Salt and vinegar is a strong flavour, and a 14g bag is enough of it for most people at one sitting. It suits a lunchbox beside a plain sandwich, a snack after sport, or a quick bite at the desk. Five bags cover a school or working week, and each sealed bag stays crisp until the day it is opened.

How the chips are made

The published listing does not say how the chips are cooked. They are formed from a mix of lentil flour and starches, and the vinegar seasoning is applied afterwards. The label says the bags are packaged in a protective atmosphere, and the pack names Proper as the maker.

The packaging

The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging should not be recycled.

For salt watchers

If you like the flavour but watch your salt, this multipack is the way to buy it: a 14g bag holds about 0.4g, where a 20g serving from the sharing bag holds 0.57g. For less salt again, Proper Sea Salt in the same 14g bags gives 0.26g a bag on its label.

In the kitchen

A crushed bag makes a sharp, gluten free crumb for the top of a fish pie or a bowl of mushy peas, where the vinegar does the job of a splash from the bottle.

Other sizes and flavours

The same flavour comes in an 85g sharing bag. Proper also makes Barbecue, Sea Salt and Prawn Cocktail lentil chips in five bag multipacks of 14g bags, all of which we stock. For the least salt in a Proper bag, the Sea Salt flavour shows 1.62g to 1.84g per 100g on its labels.

Storage

The published listing gives no storage advice for this multipack; keep the bags in a cool, dry place and finish each bag once opened.

Sizes of Proper Salt and Vinegar Lentil 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.