Real Handcooked Roast Ox Crisps, 150g

Real make hand cooked crisps with a character on every pack, and Roast Ox is the meaty one, with no meat in it. This is the 150g sharing bag, which the listing says holds six servings. The full product name on the pack is roast ox flavour hand cooked potato crisps, and the maker on the label is Real Crisps Limited.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (rapeseed and sunflower, in varying proportions) and a roast ox flavour of yeast extract, lactose (milk), flavourings (soya and celery), sugar, salt, rice flour, onion powder, black pepper extract, cayenne extract, garlic powder and paprika extract for colour.

Roast ox without ox

There is no beef on the list. The roast, gravy like taste comes from yeast extract, which leads the seasoning, with flavourings, onion and garlic, and the pack says the crisps are suitable for vegetarians.

The flavourings

The flavourings carry soya and celery, which is why both are highlighted. Celery is one of the 14 allergens under UK rules.

Lactose

Lactose, the sugar in milk, carries the seasoning and softens it, and it is why milk is highlighted on a roast ox crisp.

A touch of heat

Black pepper extract and cayenne extract sit near the end of the list. They add a little warmth rather than real heat, like pepper on a roast.

Hand cooked

The pack says hand cooked. Hand cooked crisps are fried in batches, which gives a harder, crunchier bite than a continuously fried crisp, with folded, uneven edges.

British and Irish potatoes

The pack says the crisps are made with carefully selected British and Irish potatoes.

No added MSG

The pack says there is no added MSG. Yeast extract, which leads the seasoning, is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Rapeseed and sunflower oil

The listing gives rapeseed and sunflower oils in varying proportions. The label gives 25.7g of fat per 100g, red on the front of pack scale, and 2.3g of saturates, amber.

Numbers per 100g

The label gives 496 kcal (2073 kJ), 25.7g of fat, 2.3g of saturates, 56.6g of carbohydrate, 2.7g of sugars, 7.7g of protein and 1.37g of salt per 100g. The published listing gives no fibre figure.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 25.7g is red. Saturates at 2.3g are amber. Sugars at 2.7g are green. Salt at 1.37g is amber.

Salt

The label gives 1.37g of salt per 100g, amber; the Real Strong Cheese and Onion carries 1.25g.

Sugar and rice flour

A little sugar rounds the roast flavour, and rice flour carries the seasoning so it spreads evenly. The label gives 2.7g of sugars per 100g, green.

Onion and garlic

Onion powder and garlic powder give the seasoning the savoury base of a gravy.

Folded edges

Batch frying lets the slices curl and fold as they cook, so no two crisps look quite the same.

Gluten free

There is no gluten ingredient on the list, and the pack carries a small gluten free roundel.

Carbohydrate and protein

The label gives 56.6g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 2.7g are sugars; the rest is starch from the potato. Protein is 7.7g per 100g.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the lactose, and soya and celery, in the flavourings. The published listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the crisps are suitable for vegetarians and gluten free; they are not vegan, because of the milk. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Six servings

The listing says the 150g bag holds six servings but gives no figures per serving, so a serving is about 25g. Tip it into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Once opened

The pack advises a cool, dry place and says to eat the crisps as soon as the bag is open. The best before date is on a panel on the pack.

Bags of character

Every Real pack carries a character and the line with bags of character. On this one, a man pulls a face and holds his fingers up like a bull's horns.

The pack

The brown bag carries the white Real name in a frame, the words hand cooked, roast ox in pale orange letters, a small gluten free roundel, the character with his horns and the line with bags of character.

Who it suits

A roast beef style crisp with no meat suits vegetarians who miss a roast flavour, and anyone who likes a hard, crunchy hand cooked crisp. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk, soya or celery.

Serving ideas

Serve the crisps with a pint of ale, a cheese and pickle sandwich or a bowl of horseradish soured cream.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a savoury, peppery crumb for the top of a cottage pie or a French onion soup.

With drinks

A roast ox crisp goes with a pint of best bitter, a stout or a glass of red wine.

At a party

Put a bowl out beside the Strong Cheese and Onion for a pub style pair.

Recycling

The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other Real crisps

In the same 150g bag we stock Real Handcooked Strong Cheese and Onion.

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.