There was a whopping £2.40 distinction between the 2 luggage, with some fairly attention-grabbing similarities.

The 2 packets could not look extra totally different (Picture: Nicola Roy)
I’m obsessive about crisps. Quite than crave one thing candy after dinner, I want that savoury goodness on a regular basis, and I prefer to assume I’ve sampled a lot of what is at the moment on provide on the outlets.
That was till Marks and Spencer unveiled a brand new vary of crisps final yr that appeared so premium I did not even must examine the worth to know this. And I used to be proper – the Assortment Further Virgin Olive Oil crisps with Mediterranean sea salt are priced at an eye-watering £3.90 for a bag. So I made a decision to conduct a style take a look at towards the retailer’s most cost-effective crisps to see if there have been any noticeable variations – and one clear winner shone by means of.
To make it honest, I wanted to get an affordable packet of crisps that had been the same flavour. The Assortment vary has just a few differing kinds, from unsalted to truffle flavoured (which I used to be extraordinarily tempted by) however I ended up simply going for the common salted selection as this was best to match.
As defined, this was £3.90 for a 125g bag, which looks as if an terrible lot. But it surely sounds just like the elements used are fairly premium, with the product description studying: “Expertly crafted with the best-quality potatoes, further virgin olive oil, and salt from Alicante salt flats, these golden crisps have a fragile texture and a wealthy flavour.”
On the opposite finish of the worth scale, I picked up a daily previous prepared salted packet which value £1.50. I imagine there’s an excellent cheaper crinkle reduce pack obtainable for £1.20, however I could not see any at my native retailer, so this needed to do.
I attempted the dearer crisps first. Or a minimum of tried to, as a result of the packet was unbelievably tough to open. It positively had a extra luxurious really feel, however at what value? I had to make use of scissors to ultimately slice it open alongside the highest, and fortunately I had some at house, however think about making an attempt to try this out and about?
Anyway, the packaging does appear and feel quite a bit nicer than the cheaper one. However that is not too essential – it is all in regards to the style.
I used to be anticipating extra of a crunchy crisp, just like the thicker texture of a Kettle chip. They had been surprisingly mild, and so they tasted scrumptious too. They weren’t too greasy and you may positively style the additional virgin olive oil in every one.
Everyone knows that olive oil is basically costly in the mean time, so it is hardly shocking that these crisps value a lot. They’ve three elements too – simply potatoes, EVOO and salt – so that they’re nice in case you’re making an attempt to chop down in your ultraprocessed meals consumption.

These had been thinner-cut than I used to be anticipating (Picture: Nicola Roy)
Low-cost crisps
Transferring on to a budget ones, I instantly seen that this packet felt heftier. I checked the burden, and this one was 150g – 25g heavier than the premium crisps, and clearly for a less expensive worth too.
I seen much less air within the packet too once I opened it – and it was quite a bit much less problem to open as nicely.
These additionally did not have the thick crunch I respect in a crisp, and I needed to admit that that they had a noticeably cheaper texture. Nonetheless, I actually could not fault the flavour in any respect. They had been good and salty with out being too overpowering, and once I checked the elements, I used to be shocked to search out simply three – potatoes, sea salt and sunflower/rapeseed oil.

The packet was larger, with much more crisps in there (Picture: Nicola Roy)
The decision
There isn’t any denying that the premium crisps positively tasted dearer. You possibly can’t escape that distinct EVOO flavour, and I might have fortunately munched my manner by means of the remainder of these.
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I additionally perceive that the elements are undoubtedly higher, lending to the upper price ticket. However truthfully, the cheaper ones hit the spot simply as nicely, and so they’re much more inexpensive too.
I am intrigued by the opposite flavours within the Assortment vary, so they are going to little doubt make their manner on to my procuring listing in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent few weeks. They’d be nice for bringing over to somebody’s house in case you actually needed to impress them. But when I needed to choose one to purchase once more, I am going for the £1.50 model.


















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