Seabrook Crinkle Cut Tomato Ketchup Crisps, 6 x 25g

Tomato ketchup flavour tastes of the sauce itself, sweet, tangy and gently spiced, and Seabrook puts it on a ridged crinkle cut crisp. This multipack holds six 25g bags, 150g in total. The full product name on the pack is Tomato Ketchup Flavour Potato Crisps, and the pack names Calbee Group UK Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (sunflower and rapeseed, in varying proportions), sugar, tomato powder, an acidity regulator (sodium diacetate), citric acid, potassium chloride, maltodextrin, onion powder, salt, flavouring, paprika extract, a spice (pimento), a spice extract and lovage powder.

How the ketchup is built

A bottle of ketchup is tomato, sugar, vinegar, salt and spice, and the seasoning follows the same plan in powder form. Sugar leads, then tomato powder, which is dried tomato ground fine. Sodium diacetate, a dry form of the acid in vinegar, and citric acid give the tang. Onion adds a savoury base, maltodextrin carries the powder, and paprika extract deepens the red colour.

Pimento and lovage

Two small ingredients give the spiced edge. Pimento is the spice also called allspice, a dried berry with a warm taste that recalls clove, cinnamon and nutmeg together, and it is a common spice in ketchup recipes. Lovage is a leafy herb with a savoury, celery like taste. Neither is hot; together they make the crisp taste of a spiced sauce rather than plain tomato.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride is a mineral salt that tastes salty but contains no sodium. The salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium, so potassium chloride does not count towards it. The label gives 0.66g of salt per 100g and 0.17g for each bag, the smallest salt figures among the Seabrook packs we stock.

Numbers for one bag

The label gives 124 kcal (519 kJ), 6.7g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 14g of carbohydrate, 1.1g of sugars, 1.4g of protein and 0.17g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 3% of the salt. Per 100g it is 497 kcal (2077 kJ), 26.6g of fat, 2.5g of saturates, 57g of carbohydrate, 4.5g of sugars, 5.5g of protein and 0.66g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 26.6g is red, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 2.5g are amber. Sugars at 4.5g are green, just under the 5g line, even with sugar leading the seasoning. Salt at 0.66g is amber, in the lower part of its band.

Vegan and gluten free

The pack says the crisps are Vegetarian Society Approved, including its vegan approval, and carries a gluten free claim with the Crossed Grain symbol, the gluten free mark licensed by Coeliac UK, with its licence number. No milk, egg or gluten containing cereal is on the list.

Allergens

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients, and the published listing gives no may contain advice. Lovage is a relative of celery, though it is not itself on the UK list of 14. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What crinkle cut adds

The wavy blade gives each slice ridges on both faces, a firmer bite than a flat crisp and grooves that hold more seasoning. A sweet, powdery seasoning like this one settles into the grooves, so each crisp gets an even coat of tomato and tang.

A limited edition

The current pack carries a flash that reads it's back, limited edition, so Seabrook may make this flavour for a limited period only. The page describes the pack as it is currently published.

How the crisps are made

Washed potatoes are sliced with a crinkled blade, rinsed and fried in the sunflower and rapeseed blend until the ridged slices are firm. The seasoning is tumbled on while they are warm, and the pack says the bags are packaged in a protective atmosphere, which keeps oxygen away from the oil.

Six bags for the week

Six bags cover a working or school week with one to spare. A sweet and tangy crisp with no heat suits children and adults alike, and with a vegan approval and a gluten free claim it is an easy lunchbox choice for a household managing several diets.

Serving ideas

Ketchup crisps belong beside anything you would put ketchup on: a bacon or sausage sandwich, a cheese toastie, a burger or a plate of fish fingers. They also make a good contrast with a mild, creamy cheese.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a sweet and tangy crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese or a sausage and bean bake. Scatter them on just before serving so they stay crisp.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place away from bright light. 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 Seabrook flavours

In the same six bag format we stock Seabrook Crinkle Cut Sea Salted, Cheese and Onion, Salt and Vinegar, Beefy, Prawn Cocktail and Cream Cheese and Chives, and the Seabrook Crinkle Cut Variety box. For a bigger box, the twelve bag Seabrook Crinkle Cut Meaty Variety holds Canadian ham, beefy, prawn cocktail and sea salted.

Other 6 x 25g packs of Seabrook 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.