Proper Salt and Vinegar Lentil Chips, 85g

The 85g sharing bag of Proper Salt and Vinegar puts a sharp, fruity vinegar seasoning on a lentil chip, in a size for four. The full product name on the pack is Lentil chips seasoned with salt and apple cider vinegar, and the published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin.

What is in the bag

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.

Apple cider vinegar

Most salt and vinegar crisps get their sharpness from dry acids standing in for vinegar. This one lists vinegar itself. Apple cider vinegar, made from fermented apple juice, is softer and fruitier than malt or spirit vinegar, and spirit vinegar, clear and clean, sharpens it. The result is a tang with a rounded, slightly sweet edge rather than a bitter one, helped by a little sugar in the seasoning.

The lentil base

Lentil flour, at 28%, leads the list, with potato starch, corn flour and rice flour making up the base. That gives a light, airy chip with a crumbly crunch. None of those ingredients is a gluten containing cereal, and the pack carries a gluten free claim. The oils are sunflower, rapeseed and coconut, and the pack states no palm oil.

Natural flavourings

Natural flavourings sit high on the list, just after the corn flour, and they round out the vinegar note so it smells like the real thing on a portion of chips. The label does not say what they are made from, only that they are natural.

Why cider vinegar is softer

Apple cider vinegar keeps some of the fruit character of the apples it was made from, so its sourness comes with a slightly sweet, fruity edge. Malt vinegar, by contrast, tastes toasty and brewed, and spirit vinegar is the cleanest and sharpest of the three. This chip uses the first and the last.

Numbers per serving

The label gives, per 20g serving, 93 kcal (389 kJ), 3.9g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 12.5g of carbohydrate, 0.4g of sugars, 0.1g of fibre, 1.9g of protein and 0.57g of salt. That serving is about 5% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 10% of the salt. Per 100g it is 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 the 17.5g threshold. Saturates at 2.9g are amber. Sugars at 2.1g are green. Salt at 2.83g is red, and it is the highest salt figure among the Proper chips we stock, nearly double the 1.62g of the 31g Sea Salt bag. Pour a 20g serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

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.

How the chips are made

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

Serving the bag

A sharp chip wants something rich or creamy beside it. Serve the bag with a vegan soured cream style dip, a houmous or a bean dip, or next to sausage rolls and a cheese board for the non vegans at the table. A cold cider picks up the apple note in the vinegar, and a plain sparkling water clears the palate between handfuls.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the chips make a sharp, gluten free coating for fish or tofu strips, baked until golden, or a crunchy topping for mushy peas.

Sharing size and salt

At 2.83g of salt per 100g, the whole 85g bag holds about 2.4g of salt, getting on for half an adult's daily reference intake of 6g. Shared between four, as the label intends, each serving is 0.57g. It is a bag to share rather than finish alone.

The packaging

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

Other sizes and flavours

The same flavour comes in a five bag multipack of 14g bags, a good way to keep portions small with a salty flavour. In the same 85g size we stock Proper Sea Salt, Barbecue, Prawn Cocktail, All the Cheese and Hot Sauce House.

Storage

The published listing gives no storage advice for this bag; keep it in a cool, dry place and clip it after opening.

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.