On the 4th of July 2008 in the High Court in London, Mr.  Justice Warren, finding in favour of, Proctor and Gamble, judged  that Pringles are not  potato crisps.  

This judgement makes Pringles (worldwide sales worth £1,000,000,000) exempt from VAT.

The winning argument overturning a decision in May by the VAT and Duties Tribunal, categorizing Pringles as a potato product made from potato, potato flour or potato starch, by Richard Cordara QC contained the following:

“The appearance and taste of a Pringle is not that of a potato crisp.  It has none of the irregularity and variety of shape that is always present in crisps.”

“It has a shape not found in nature being designed and manufactured for stacking, and giving a pleasing and regular undulating appearance which permits comfortable eating.”

“A Pringle does not taste like a crisp or otherwise behave like one.  Crisps give a sharply crunchy sensation under the tooth and have to be broken down into jagged pieces when chewed.”

“It is totally different with a Pringle.  Indeed, a Pringle is designed to melt down on the tongue.”

Pringles were launched in the UK in 1990 and I have always regarded them as expensive and somewhat inferior crisps.

Photo by: Roadsidepictures

 Crisps are known as chips in America.

Acrylamide is considered to be a genotoxic carcinogen, (Food Standards Agency).  It has the potential to cause cancer even at low levels by interacting with the genetic material (DNA) in cells.

In February 2005 the Joint Expert Committe on Food Additives (JECFA)   found that cancer was the most important toxic effect of acrylamide in conclusion to a study to evaluate the safety of acrylamide in food.

The  2008 results from the  Food Standards Agency’s three year rolling programme found the highest mean concentration of acrylamide in prefabricated potato snacks and crisp breads.  Tesco potato rings, Pringles, Hula Hoops, dark Ryvita, Duchy Originals Vegetable crisps and ginger biscuits were amongst the leaders.  By comparison bread has low amounts, I suspect toasting bread raises this amount.

Raw food cooked by boiling or microwaving does not form acrylamide.  All starchy foods cooked at a temperature above one hundred and twenty centigrade form acrylamide.    My oven has a maximum temperature of two hundred and fifty centigrade.

The Food Standards Agency’s advice appears to be that eating is not without risk; before 2002 the formation of acrylamide in food during the cooking process was unknown;  people should eat a healthy balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables to help protect against some cancers.  They advise limited amounts of fatty and sugary foods including Crisps and Chips.

Although humans have been eating since they first walked the earth, it is only in the last hundred/fifty years that food has been cooked both domestically and commercially at  temperatures above one hundred and twenty centigrade i. e. electricity.

Come on look at that face!  total enjoyment,  makes my mouth water just watching. Wosit crisps, the Mere mention of them gets my pulse racing (sad maybe) its the truth, eating them, well the only way to is the way I eat them cramming so many in my mouth that I can’t breath sucking and pressing all the crisps together until they turn into a sticky sludge in one’s mouth they cling on rather tightly around all your teeth and gums upper palate and my god!!!!! total fulfillment, only to be eaten by yourself, if eaten in company because if the faces I pull and the mess they leave, I would probably be known as “the funny faced girl with the crazy gum disease”.

The Garibaldi biscuit consist of currants squashed between two thin, oblong biscuits-a currant sandwich. In this respect, it has elements common with the Eccles Cake. Popular with British consumers as a snack for nearly 150 yrs Garibaldi biscuits conventionally consumed with a beverage such as tea or coffee, into which it may be dunked in informal social settings personally i lke to eat them dry crunch them and get crumbs all over myself and fof 78p a packet and a fair few biscuits you cant go wrong.                                                                   

Appearance : When bought in supermarkets in the UK (under several brands, including own label, all very similar), Garibaldi biscuits usually come in 4 strips of 5 biscuits. They have a golden brown, glazed exterior and a moderately sweet pastry, but their defining characteristic is the generous layer of squashed fruit which gives a rise to the colloquial names by which dynamically-inclined consumers know them: squashed fly biscuits,  fly sandwiches, fly cemeteries, dead fly biscuits  because the squashed fruit resemble squashed flys, I don’t care what people think  “dont knock what you have’nt tried”. Sticks and stones well… bring it on!

 History : The Garibaldi biscuit was named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, an italian the leader of the fight to unify Italy, made popular and regular visits to England in 1854. It was first manufactured by the Bermondsey biscuit company in 1861. In the US, the Sunshine Biscuit Company for many years made a popular version of the garibaldi with raisins called “Golden Fruit” Sunshine was bought out by the Keebler Company which briefly expanded the line to include versions with other fruit fillings, all I know is that ” I love Garibaldi biscuits”  they should not be tampered with in any way what so ever, they are perfect just the way they are!!

So far I’

Advert about biscuits in the 1980′s

The packet of crisps as we know it originated in 1926 in the United States. Laura Scudder solved the problem of soft crisps, at the bottom of the bins from which they were sold.  The staff in her family’s crisp business ironed waxed-paper sheets into the shape of a bag, iron sealing the top of the bag when full. 

This was 73 years after tempestuous chef, George Crum (born George Speck ,1922) produced; in his third attempt to please a customer requesting ever thinner French Fries, the first batch of  crisps.  Crum had a reputation for rendering returned food inedible, so he deliberately sliced the potatoes so thinly that when fried they could not be pierced by a fork and overdid the seasoning in order to choke the diner.

The potato crisps become a local delicacy known as Saratoga Chips.

The first potato crisp factory was opened by William Tappendon in respond to demand for his homemade crisps.  He supplied local grocers in Cleveland, Ohio.

   Photo by: Julie Smith David                              Photo by: Harris Graber

Though potato crisps were available locally in Britain in 1913, mass production came with the founding of the, Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd, in North London in 1920.  The crisps were initially homemade, packaged in greaseproof paper and included a twist of salt for flavouring.  Smiths Potato Crisps with the now famous little blue bags of salt are no longer available for purchase today.  Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd was acquired and absorbed by rival Walkers in 1988.

Henry Walker a successful butcher faced with bankruptcy during the second world war; as meat was rationed and potatoes were not,  began producing crisps with R E Gerrard in 1948. 

In 1947, Scottish baker, William Alexander, started ,Golden Wonder, the first company to produce ready-salted crisps. Named after the Golden Wonder potato which was unsuitable for making crisps.

The first flavoured crisp, cheese and onion, was introduced in 1962 by Golden Wonder.  I have no memory of  Walkers Crisps the  current  leading brand before the 1980′s.  During the late 1960′s and 197o’s flavoured crisps of all and every flavour  increased competition as I remember between  Smiths and Golden Wonder.

However all was not as it appeared to the casual consumer both Golden Wonder and Walkers were sold at auction in 1986.  Walkers at that time the smaller and cheaper of the two was acquired by  Fritolay a subsidiary of Pepsico. Walkers subsequently rose to market leader helped by an ongoing advertising campaign starring, Gary Lineker.  Golden Wonder was acquired by Hanson and in 2006 was acquired by Tayto. 

I have eaten potato crisps since childhood and have never fully appreciated that crisps have no nutritional value whatever and it seems the world would be a better place without them 

Obviously too many can make you fat,your cholesteral go sky high and give you bad breath if you eat too may pickled onion flavour,but the sheer delight of the flavours and textures on your tongue out weigh the bad side,and what a selection! No red blood girl can get bored from Ready Salted to Chicken Tikka,Cheesy Wotsits to Quavers, come on Girls get stuck in and forget the Credit Crunch!

 

 

Relax? if only!! my days are full and my nights are even fuller. Weekends, then yes then I might relax. In order to do this I must set the scene the way I want it, the cleaning must be done, the smell of Mr Sheen polish fills the air, the cat and dog nicly sprawled on the settee then, me up the stairs talking to myself as usual, on go my fluffy socks, favourite p j’s and my very, very fluffy dressing gown, no makeup, heating full pelt, put on my bestest film (Anger Managment) and last but not least my munchies…… 6 pack of wotsit crisps, garabaldi biscuits, mug of tea 3 sugars, my fags lying on the opposite settee to my cat and dog who are by now in a deep, deep sleep. laughing hysterically at the film (me that is not the pets)  while consuming mouthfuls of my favourite snacks !!!! Not a bad Saturday afternoon, is it?